Eighteen tantras of Mahayoga

Eighteen tantras of Mahayoga (Wyl. ma ha yo ga'i rgyud sde bco brgyad) —

Khenpo Namdrol says:

The eighteen tantras of Mahayoga can be correlated to the five-fold set of the enlightened body, speech, mind, noble qualities and activity of the Buddha. Each category is sub-divided into three, and correlated to the enlightened body, speech and mind, so that for the enlightened body, for example, there is a triad of the enlightened body of the enlightened body, the enlightened body of the enlightened speech, and the enlightened body of the enlightened mind. This same pattern is reproduced in the other four categories: speech, mind, noble qualities and activity. The resulting fifteen categories correspond to the first fifteen tantras, while the remaining three tantras are termed ‘general tantras’, which are also divided up to correspond with the triad of the enlightened body, speech and mind.

List

Root tantra:

• (1) Guhyagarbha Tantra (Wyl. rdo rje sems dpa' sgyu 'phrul drwa ba rtsa ba'i rgyud gsang ba'i snying po)

Five major tantras:

• (2) Enlightened body: sangs gryas mnyam sbyor
• (3) Enlightened speech: zla gsang thig le
• (4) Enlightened mind: gsang ba 'dud pa
• (5) Enlightened qualities: dpal mch'og dang po
• (6) Enlightened activity: kar ma ma le

Five tantras of sadhana:

• (7) Yamantaka (Tib. Shinjé), enlightened body, in his black and red forms: snying rje rol ba
• (8) Hayagriva (Tib. Tamdrin), enlightened speech: rta mch'og rol ba
• (9) Vishuddhaheruka (Tib. Yangdak Heruka), enlightened mind: heruka rol ba
• (10) Amritakundali (Tib. Düdtsi Yöntn), enlightened qualities: bdud rtsi rol ba
• (11) Vajrakila, enlightened activity: phur ba bchu gnyis pa 'byung ba

Five tantras of activity or conduct:

• (12) ri bo brtegs pa
• (13) ye shes rngam glog
• (14) dam tshig bkhod pa
• (15) ting 'dzin rtse gchig
• (16) glang ch'en rab 'bog

Two tantras of accomplishment:

• (17) rnam snang sgyu 'phrul drva ba
• (18) 'pags pa thabs kyi zhags pa

Internal Links

• Two divisions of Mahayoga