Yogatantra

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The 'Yogatantra' (Sanskrit) 'conveyance' (Sanskrit: yana) is the most sublime of the three Outer Tantras. It includes a class of Buddhist tantric literature as well as 'praxis' (Sanskrit: sadhana) associated with this class. The key text in this class is the Tattvasamgraha tantra.^[1] The Yogatantra yana is evident in both the Sarma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the Nine Yana path of the Nyingmapa tradition.

Jamgon Kongtrul (1813-1899) defines Yoga tantra by making reference to the Two Truths doctrine and 'method' (Sanskrit: upaya) and 'wisdom' (Sanskrit: prajna) and is rendered into English from the Tibetan by Guarisco and McLeod, et al. (2005: p. 128) thus:

"Yoga tantra is so named because it emphasizes the inner yoga meditation of method and wisdom; or alternatively, because based on knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the profound ultimate truth and the vast relative truth, it emphasizes contemplation that inseparably unites these two truths."^[2]

Nomenclature, orthography and etymology

'Yogatantra' (Tibetan: རྣལ་འབྱོར་རྒྱུད, Wylie: rnal 'byor rgyud)

Praxis

Yoga tantra involves 'deity yoga' (Tibetan: ལྷའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར, Wylie: lha'i rnal 'byor; Sanskrit: Devata-yoga).

Literature

Sarva-Tattvasamgraha tantra
Vajrasekhara Sutra
Sarva-durgati-parishodhana Tantra.
'Summation of the Real and the Glorious Paramãdya' (Sanskrit: Śriparamãdya)

Notes

^ Paul Williams, Anthony Tribe, Alexander Wynne. Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition, page 209
^ Guarisco, Elio (trans.); McLeod, Ingrid (trans., editor); Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, Kon-Sprul Blo-Gros-Mtha-Yas (compiler) (2005). The Treasury of Knowledge: Book Six, Part Four: Systems of Buddhist Tantra. Ithaca, New York, USA: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-210-X, p.128

References

Mkhas-grub-rje (compiler); Lessing, R.D (senior translator) & Wayman, Alex (journeyman translator, annotations) (1968, 1993). 'Introduction to The Buddhist Tantric Systems' (Wylie: rgyud sde spyi'i rnam par gzhag pa rgyas par brjod). Tibetan transliterated in Wylie with English Translation. Second edition. Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 81-208-0834-7
Guarisco, Elio (trans.); McLeod, Ingrid (trans., editor); Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, Kon-Sprul Blo-Gros-Mtha-Yas (compiler) (2005). The Treasury of Knowledge: Book Six, Part Four: Systems of Buddhist Tantra. Ithaca, New York, USA: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-210-X

[1] Paul Williams, Anthony Tribe, Alexander Wynne. Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition, page 209

[2] Guarisco, Elio (trans.); McLeod, Ingrid (trans., editor); Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, Kon-Sprul Blo-Gros-Mtha-Yas (compiler) (2005). The Treasury of Knowledge: Book Six, Part Four: Systems of Buddhist Tantra. Ithaca, New York, USA: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-210-X, p.128

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