Charya Tantra

Charya tantra (Skt. Caryātantra) aka Upayayogatantra or Ubhayatantra (Skt.; Wyl. spyod pa'i rgyud kyi theg pa) — the second of the three outer classes of tantra and the fifth yana according to the nine yana classification. The vehicle of charya or ‘conduct’ tantra is so-called because it places an equal emphasis on the outer actions of body and speech and the inner cultivation of samadhi. It is also called the ‘tantra of both’ (Skt. ubhaya tantra) because its view conforms with that of yoga tantra, while its conduct is similar to that of kriya tantra.

Entry Point

One is matured by means of the five empowerments, which include the empowerments of the vajra, bell and name in addition to the water and crown empowerments, and then maintains the samayas of charya tantra, as described in the particular texts themselves.

View

The view is determined in the same way as in the yoga tantra.

Meditation

One visualizes oneself as the samaya being (Skt. samayasattva) and visualizes the wisdom deity (Skt. jñānasattva), who is regarded as a friend, in front of oneself, and then practises the conceptual meditations on the syllable, mudra and form of the deity, and the non-conceptual meditation on absolute bodhichitta by means of entering, remaining and arising.

Conduct

The conduct here is the same as in kriya tantra.

Results

In the short term, one attains the common accomplishments and ultimately one reaches the level of a vajradhara of the four buddha families (i.e., the three families mentioned in the results of the kriya tantra vehicle plus the ratna family).