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.
The root tantra of these eighteen tantras is the Guhyagarbha Tantra.