The Supramundane Vehicles
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The supramundane, or Nine Vehicles, are comprised of the three vehicles of the sutras – those of the
Sravakas, the
Pratyekabuddhas and the
Bodhisattvas
– and the six tantric vehicles of
Kriya,
Upa,
Yoga,
Mahayoga,
Anuyoga, and
Atiyoga tantras.
The nine can also be grouped into three vehicles:
1) the Hinayana, which includes the first two;
2) the Mahayana, comprising the third, and
3) the Vajrayana, which includes the last six.
In the Nine Vehicles the practitioner takes the support of the Three Jewels –
the Buddha,
the Dharma, and
the Sangha –
and trains in ethical discipline, concentrated meditation, and penetrating insight, which can deliver one from the bonds of samsara.