Tantra
Tantra (Skt.; Tib. རྒྱུད་, 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.[1]
Subdivisions of Tantric Texts
- root tantras (རྩ་རྒྱུད་, Wyl. rtsa rgyud) and
- explanatory tantras (བཤད་རྒྱུད་, Wyl. bshad rgyud)
Notes
- ↑ Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, revised and updated edition, Harper San Francisco, 2002, page 404.
Further Reading
- Jamgön Kongtrul, The Treasury of Knowledge, Book Six, Part Four: Systems of Buddhist Tantra, Snow Lion, 2005
- Longchen Yeshe Dorje, Kangyur Rinpoche and Jigme Lingpa, Treasury of Precious Qualities Book Two (Boston & London: Shambhala, 2013), 'The classifications of tantra' & 'An explanation of the inner tantras', pages 93-107.
