Yogatantra

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 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."

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

• Tattvasamgraha tantra
• 'Summation of the Real and the Glorious Paramãdya' (Sanskrit: Śriparamãdya)

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