Tantra

Tantra (Skt.; Tib. gyü; Wyl. rgyud) — the term’s basic meaning is ‘thread’ or ‘continuity’. In its more specific usages, the term can mean:

• the key texts of the Vajrayana

On this particular meaning of the term, Sogyal Rinpoche writes:

The tantras are the teachings and writings that set out the practices of Vajrayana Buddhism, the stream of Buddhism prevalent in Tibet. The tantric teachings are based on the principle of the transformation of impure vision into pure vision, through working with the body, energy, and mind. Tantric texts usually describe the mandala and meditation practices associated with a particular enlightened being or deity. Although they are called tantras, the Dzogchen tantras are a specific category of the Dzogchen teachings, which are not based on transformation but on self-liberation.

• the Vajrayana, as opposed to the sutra vehicle
• the ‘mental continuum’ or mindstream

Subdivisions of Tantra Texts

• root tantras (Wyl. rtsa rgyud) and
• explanatory tantras (Wyl. bshad rgyud)

Internal Links

• Tantrayana
• Ten topics of tantra
• Four classes of tantra
• Six classes of tantra

Further Reading

• Jamgön Kongtrul, The Treasury of Knowledge, Book Six, Part Four: Systems of Buddhist Tantra, Snow Lion, 2005