The Canonical Tantras of the New Schools
Tadeusz Skorupski
The Scope
It was due to certain historical factors and to the formative stages of the Tibetan canon or bKa' 'gyur that some tantric texts came to be treated as canonical or authentic and some texts, of uncertain origin, as unauthentic. The tantric texts that were eventually included in the bKa' 'gyur are considered to be authentic or canonical by the New Schools (gSar ma pa), which began to dominate Tibetan Buddhism from the late 10th century onwards. A decisive criterion of textual authenticity was a strict but rather arbitrarily imposed reliance on approved translations of tantric texts executed on the basis of attested Sanskrit or other Indian original sources. Thus, those tantric texts whose Indian origins were unattested or in doubt were excluded from the bKa' 'gyur. A considerable number of such “unauthentic” texts were, however, cherished by the adepts of the Ancient School (rNying ma pa), as has been explained in Janet Gyatso's essay in this volume. The present article is concerned mainly with the tantric literature included in the bKa' 'gyur.
The Tantra Section in the bKa’ ‘gyur
The Tantra division comprises several hundred titles in some twenty-two of the 108 volumes of works included in the bKa' 'gyur. These tantric texts represent a variety of works that are different in both length and content, and have diverse titles. The overall length of tantric texts varies considerably. Some are very short, comprising a few folios or even less but’ on the whole, then length varies between twenty and over one hundred folios, with only a few texts extending over two hundred. Like the sutras the tantric texts are written in the form of dialogues or instructive expositions which are in prose or verse, but more often, in mixed prose and verse. The tantras usually have an opening scene describing the setting and the general assembly surrounding the principal deity.
Then, there follow individual sections or chapters that deal with specific topics. There seems to be no apparent logical arrangement within individual texts. Some tantras appear to be composed according to a preconceived structure, but in many instances the material is clearly put together in a somewhat disordered manner with the same topics being treated in different sections of the whole text. The principal tantras deal with a wide range of subjects that provide the essential instructions for the practice of the Tantra method of deliverance.
Some texts deal with specific topics; others serve as branches, subtexts or elaborations of the major tantras. In principle, the totality of esoteric texts is referred to in Sanskrit as tantra (tib. rgyud), a term which like sutra, and having similar literal meaning, was coined and came to be employed to distinguish this literary tradition from other Buddhist texts included in the early tripitaka collections or among the Mahayana sutras.
However, in reality the matter is more complex. The tantric texts bear a number of qualifying terms in their titles. Different texts are named variously as Tantra, “Great Tantra” (mahatantra, rgyud chen po), “Root Tantra” (mulatantra, rtsa ba'i rgyud), “Tantra King” (tantraraja, rgyud kyi rgyal po), or again as “Ordinance” (kalpa, rtog pa), “Discourse” (sutra, mdo), “Magical Formula” (dharani, gzungs), and “Heroine of Magical Power” (vidyarajni, rig pa'i rgyal mo), These are the most frequently employed terms, but there are several others that are also used in the titles of tantric works. Some of these terms were in existence for a long time before the efflorescence of esoteric literature proper in the 8th and 9th centuries.
The whole Tantra section as such, depending on the particular bKa' 'gyur edition referred to, is named simply Tantra (rGyud) or “Tantra Collection ” (rGyud ’bum). However, it is often divided into two major groups called the “Tantra Collection” (rGyud ’bum) and the “Formula Collection” (gZungs ’dus). Whenever a particular bKa' 'gyur contains only one Tantra section, this single section includes all categories of tantric texts.
When it is divided into the two “Collections” noted, the “Tantra Collection” comprises all tantric texts that belong to the four classes of Tantra (see below), those Mahayana sutras that are recognised as tantric, magical formulas and all the remaining categories included in the Tantra section of the bKa' 'gyur editions that are not subdivided. The “Formula Collection” comprises over two hundred dharams and similar texts, including some sutras, that were gathered together because of their particular importance for ritual. The majority of texts included in this collection are also found among the texts in the “Tantra Collection.”
The tantric texts contained in the bKa' 'gyur are arranged in a certain (sequential) order which seems to be quite deliberate, but difficult to ascertain with accuracy. However, on the whole the arrangement of individual texts follows the classification of tantric texts into the four classes. Thus, the Tantra section begins with works belonging to the Highest Yoga , followed by those of the Yoga, and finally those of the Action and Performance classes.
There also exist further stratifications of works that appertain to a particular group of texts within each Tantra class, but the actual arrangement and sequence of tantric texts are not consistently the same in all editions of the bKa' 'gyur. Furthermore, in some bKa' 'gyur collections, the tantras are arranged at the beginning, as the first collection, because they are considered more important than other canonical works, such as the Vinaya or Sutra collections. In some bKa' 'gyur collections they are placed at the end, as the last collection, which is more in accordance with the historical formation of Buddhist texts.
It is possible to discuss tantric literature without making any particular reference to the bKa' 'gyur. However, since so much effort has been invested by the Tibetan savants in the classification and arrangement of tantric literature in some meaningful manner, it is of importance to the understanding of the complexity and variety of tantric works to be aware of the bKa' 'gyur as the largest repository of such texts.
The tantric texts included in the bKa' 'gyur represent translations predominantly from the Sanskrit but also from the Prakrit, Apabhramsa and other Indian languages. A certain number of such texts was translated into Tibetan during the first propagation (7th-9th c. C.E.) of Buddhism in Tibet, and the majority during the second propagation (10th c. C.E. onwards). The translation work was done by a number of well trained Tibetan experts assisted by Indian masters such as Gayadhara, Advayavajra, Jayasena and others. Among the Tibetan translators Rin chen bzang po became the most renowned. But there were many more competent people such as Sakya ye shes or ‘Gos lhas btsas who are also ranked very high.
Possible Origins of the tantras
The earliest evidence for the existence of texts with a tantric flavor is frequently sought in the texts of Indian Mahayana literature that have sections containing magical formulas. The presence of these formulas, spells and incantations, endowed with certain efficacious powers for the achievement of both worldly and supramundane results, is attested to in all periods and forms of Buddhism. However, it is in the late Mahayana that such texts began to acquire an important position and serve as inspirations for various practices distinctly different from those of the traditional Mahayana. It is not so much the literary genre of the magical texts as such that should be seen as the precursor of tantric texts proper, but rather their spirit and tendency towards magic and occult practices.
The exact time, place, and circumstances in which the first tantric texts were produced remain fundamentally unresolved. There exists much speculation and a variety of opinions on the origin of the tantras. It is, however, generally assumed and supported by Tibetan sources such as Taranatha, that the tantric texts and practices initially remained a very closely guarded secret in limited circles for several centuries, most likely as an oral transmission, before they became diffused and more readily acceptable to a wider audience of adepts in the 8th-9th centuries. Such an assumption is further supported by the fact that it was also during that period that numerous commentaries on the tantras were written and their authors named.
Tibet was more apt and spiritually inclined towards the tantric tradition than China or Japan, countries in which only selected tantric texts were translated and practised. The Tibetan tradition received the largest collection of tantric texts and practices, becoming thus the most prominent inheritor in Asia of tantric literature produced in India. A great variety of tantric texts and practices were carried over to Tibet, some surviving both as texts and living traditions, and some only as literary documents. There still continue to exist some salient disagreements in interpretation and precise grading of those texts within individual schools and among the different schools.
The different tantra categories
The tantric texts themselves do not provide any specific information with regard to the categories or divisions in which they are to be placed, but they were eventually classified in several different ways, not so much in terms of their literary nature, but rather, with regard to the various teachings and spiritual methods advocated for different spiritual adepts or with regard to different Buddha Families. One of the common characteristics of all tantric texts is that they focus on one particular deity or groups of deities and incorporate a body of ritual and meditative instructions necessary to achieve spiritual realization in conjunction with those deities. A particular tantric tradition that follows a specific tantra or a group of related tantric texts and practices is often referred to as a tantric cycle.
There is no clear evidence from Indian sources that the tantric texts were originally classified or grouped in any particular manner. They seem to have been written or compiled in a haphazard manner in different places by individuals or groups of yogins who made use of the appropriate mythological and literary lore, and of the various yogic practices that were available to them. In Tibet itself, one of the most widely recognized classifications of the tantras accepted by the New Schools is that into four classes. This classification is based on the deliberately stratified levels of spiritual and yogic practices that relate to particular deities and aim to assist the different strata of human types according to their spiritual disposition and aptitude.
The four classes of tantras are named in ascending order of importance as Action or Ritual (kriya, by a), Performance (carya, spyod), Yoga (yoga, rnal ’byor), and Highest Yoga (anuttara, bla na med pa). Although there exists evidence that the tantric literature evolved in stages and in different religious centres, and that it contains certain common characteristics — for instance ritual — and although the differentiations among the tantras are rather subtle and refined, this classification does serve as a useful point of reference.
In the works of the Action Tantra, the focus is on a wide range of externally performed ritual activities, more so than on internal spiritual exercises. The texts of this class provide instructions on various ritualized activities that are often accompanied by symbols and diagrams. They are predominantly concerned with the worship of deities, offerings and praises, the procurement of worldly and spiritual benefits, the appeasement of diseases and demonic powers, the blessing of images, and the consecrations of their adepts. They also contain instructions for painting deities.
The longest text in this class is the Ordinance of Manjusrl (Manjusrimula-kalpa (or tantra), 'Jam dpal gyi rtsa ba'i rgyud). Its structure and content contain literary and historical indications that it was compiled over a period of several centuries, with its oldest sections belonging probably to the earliest tantric period. In many ways, it represents a transition between the Mahayana sutras and the tantras. It contains a mine of information on ritual, the production of images, astrology and some historical events. It also contains long sections that are concerned with the Brahmanical deities and magical formulas.
Among the texts included in the Performance Tantra, which is also preoccupied with ritual activities while retaining a certain balance between external ritual and meditative practices, the Perfect Enlightenment of Mahavairocana (Mahavairocanabhisambodhi, rNam par snang mdzad chen po mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa) is the longest and most important. It is generally considered as the root text of this class. It provides a fairly coherent and comprehensive exposition of tantric practices in relationship to a set of deities with Vairocana as the central deity.
The Yoga Tantra texts, which represent an advanced and perfected system of tantric teachings, are predominantly oriented towards meditative and yogic practices. Ritual instructions are also present, but they are not considered essential for the attainment of spiritual perfection. Here, it is a particular set of internal — but also externally ritualized — meditational practices and consecrations that occupy the central position. Within this class, the Compendium of the Essence of all the Tathagatas (Sarvatathagata- tattvasamgraha, De bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi de kho na nyid bsdus pa) is the longest and most comprehensive. It comprises a whole range of expositions concerned with the various sets of mystic circles (mandala, dkyil ’khor), consecrations and instructions on the stages leading towards enlightenment.
The Highest Tantra attaches the greatest importance to the control and purification of the mind (citta, sems) as the chief agent of all human activites. Among this class, there are several important texts which are particularly valued and followed in Tibet . They are the Secret Assembly (Guhyasamaja, gSang 'dus pa), the Hail Vajra (Hevajra, Kye'i rdo rje), the Wheel of Time (Kalacakra, Dus kyi 'khor lo), the group of texts centred on the deity rDo rje 'jigs byed (Vajrabhairava), and the texts belonging to the 'Khor lo sdom pa (Cakrasamvara) cycle of which the principal text is the Short Samvara (Laghusamvara, bDe mchog nyung ngu). In fact, it is this Tantra class that is recognized in Tibet as setting forth the most adventurous and efficacious path towards spiritual perfection.
Among the four classes of tantras, the Action, Performance and Yoga tantras are also referred to jointly as the lower tantras. However, it should be remembered that each Tantra category claims superiority for itself in the sense of providing a distinct and complete body of teachings and practices adequate, and indeed unique, for the attainment of the perfect state of enlightenment.
Taking into account the doctrinal elements, literary presentation and the nature of the presiding deities, it is also possible to divide the tantras into two major categories, namely those related to the Mahayana discourses and those with strong non-Buddhist associations. Since in some tantras the literary presentation clearly resembles and overlaps with the later Mahayana texts, it is reasonable to assume that such tantric texts, especially those belonging to the first three classes of tantras, came into existence in the same or similar religious milieu.
It is also among the Mahayana texts that some of the earliest literary evidence for the existence of tantric works is to be found. The names of the buddhas and bodhisattvas in such texts are manifestly Buddhist and similar to those in the Mahayana discourses. There is, of course, a progressive assimilation of nonBuddhist Indian deities into the Buddhist pantheon, but in a conspicuously subservient role. Among the second category, in particular among the texts belonging to the Highest Yoga, the non-Buddhist setting and elements predominate. Here, the mythological and literary elements betray strong associations with the Saivite tantric texts and practices. The buddhas in such texts have little in common with Sakyamuni or his hypostases. They are usually fierce and awe-inspiring manifestations, variously referred to as bDe mchog (Sambara), rDo rje mkha' 'gro (Vajradaka), Sangs rgyas thod pa (Buddhakapala) or 'Jigs byed (Bhairava) and are usually accompanied by attendants of equally terrifying appearances.
The canonicity of the tantras
The tantras, although manifestly apocryphal, are accepted as canonical or “revealed” by the adepts of tantric practices. They constitute the foundation, and indeed, justification for the Buddhist tradition or vehicle known as Mantrayana, Tantrayana or Vajrayana. The term Mantrayana represents historically an earlier alternative name for Vajrayana and has closer links with the traditional Mahayana. The authorship of tantric texts is attributed to Sakyamuni Buddha himself or, more frequently, to various Buddha manifestations who preside as chief deities over their appropriate assemblies and enunciate their particular teachings.
So far as the places of such discourses are concerned, the texts belonging to the Action Tantra are said to have been delivered in different localities associated with the mystical families of deities that occupy central positions in particular texts. The Performance Tantra is said to have been enunciated in the Akanistha heaven and the Yoga Tantra on Mt. Meru. The texts belonging to the Highest Tantra do not claim for themselves any particular locality, although occasionally the place of enunciation is given. The Kalacakra Tantra, for instance, is said to have been disclosed a year or so after the Buddha's enlightenment at a locality called Dhanyakataka.
The most frequent location for the discourses of the various wrathful Buddha manifestations is given as the vagina (bhaga; usually not translatated into Tibetan) of the Vajra-Lady (Vajrayosid, rDo rje btsun mo) which is often explained as the Vajra-sphere (vajradhatu, rdo rje dbyings) or Wisdom (prajna, shes rab). The justification for the validity and variety of the tantric texts is largely derived from the tantric reinterpretation of the Buddha's enlightenment and is based on the understanding that buddhahood can manifest itself in many different forms, both peaceful and wrathful. It is the Compendium of the Essence of All the Tathagatas that provides a detailed description of how Sakyamuni attained the state of the tantric enlightenment through instructions and meditative trances (abhisambodhi, mngon par 'tshang rgya ba), accompanied by consecrations bestowed by all the buddhas (see Skorupski, 1985).
The Theory and Practice
As already indicated above, the subject matter of tantric texts encompasses a wide range of topics which deal with tantric theory and practice. In essence, the basic doctrinal assumptions are those of the Mahayana as propounded by the Madhyamika and the Yogacara systems, and in particular the assumption that phenomenal existence (samsara, 'khor ba) and the absolute state of spiritual perfection (nirvana, mya ngan las 'das) are not two separate entities but rather two contrasting ways in which the mind perceives the nature of things. This dualistic way of perceiving the world is due to the fact that the mind is imperfect and imbued with intellectual and moral impurities.
Taking for granted the doctrinal expositions of the Mahayana, the tantric texts represent, however, a radical departure from mere intellectual discourses and traditional practices. They may be viewed to some degree as a mode of protest against, or a reaction to, both speculation and logic as means of explaining and rectifying the human situation. Their main thrust is to provide concrete practical steps towards one's personal deliverance. In order to achieve such a goal, they unveil their own particular methods of meditational and yogic practices, which are cast not as systematic and rationalized expositions, but rather as mystical visions and encounters, and as ritualized and magical activities that are geared towards the inducement of inner experience.
Tantric teachings and practices frequently represent transpositions from the rational expositions of Buddhist doctrines into personified and graded divine manifestations corresponding to various concepts and interacting with phenomena, or into ritualised activities which usually centre on cosmic diagrams or mystic circles (mandala) in which the deities and ritual implements are given symbolic values. One is to enact such spiritual encounters and ritual exercises in order to gain simultaneously both an insight into the true state of things and spiritual freedom. The encounter with and merging of the phenomenal and transcendental elements is often presented in terms of the cosmic manifestations and activities of buddhahood assumed as being pervasive of all spheres of existence.
The steps leading to such an encounter are expressed in terms of particular types of meditation, visualisation, tantric vows and consecration performed in connection with a variety of mystic circles, replete with appropriate sets of deities, or by making use, within the body, of the various psychic channels, called veins (nadi, rtsa), or nerve-centres, called wheels (cakra, khor lo) or lotuses, that serve as the foundation for one's spiritual reintegration with the absolute. Tantric practice is thus a particular type of meditation in which one visualizes individual buddha manifestations or sets of deities with whom one attempts to achieve spiritual identity.
The visualisation of deities can be substituted by concentration on the movement of trance-inducing winds within the psychic channels of one's body which are guided into the central vein, inducing thus a meditational ecstasy, styled as merging of the winds. Similarly, the practice can focus on the journey of the yogic drop (bindu, thig le), most frequently identified with the semen, which represents the thought of enlightenment and gradually ascends through the stratified nerve-centres within the body, culminating its movement in a similar experience of ecstasy.
Along with the specifically tantric types of meditation, which aim not just to eliminate moral and intellectual imperfections but specifically to achieve identification with the absolute, the texts set forth a great number of other important and essential devices, such as bodily postures and hand gestures (mudra, phyag rgya), verbal utterances, a variety of ritual implements, empowerments (adhisthana, byin gyis brlabs pa) and initiations (abhiseka, dbang bskur ba), all of which are to help in accelerating the progress towards enlightenment.
The essential tantric practices are often conceived and devised in relationship to the three fundamental aspects or functions of human beings, namely the body, speech and mind. The physical postures and gestures relate to the body. The verbal utterances of different kinds, but in particular the great variety of mantras and seed syllables (bija, sa bon) of the visualized deities, relate to the speech faculty, and meditational states correspond to the state of the mind. These three functions are correlated with similar but perfect functions of buddhahood personified and manifested as different Buddhist deities. It is the perfect fusion of the two that leads to the apotheosis of the human. Tantric initiations may be performed as meditational self-consecrations or as externally performed rituals combined with meditation, in which the tantric masters bestow upon their disciples certain esoteric skills.
These initiations are said to be endowed with inherent and efficacious powers that are considered essential to the practice and eventual attainment of the final goal (P. Kvaerne, 1975). Furthermore, use is made of astrology, magic and any other source of power that can help to advance one's spiritual progress.
The main textual symbology employed in the tantras often centers on sets of pairs that represent not just the apparent polarity of phenomenal existence and transcendent reality, but also, and principally, their fundamental non-dual (advaya, gnyis su med) union. These two factors of spiritual reintegration are referred to as wisdom (prajna, shes rab) and means (upaya, thabs), which in tantric texts are often represented as female and male deities embraced in sexual union (yab yum). This union may be experienced in meditational visualizations or practiced ritually through the union of the yogin(i) with a human partner. It is also expressed through several other appropriate symbolic pairs, such as emptiness (sunyata, stong pa nyid) and compassion (karuna, snying rje), the moon and the sun, the vowels and the consonants, the left and the right psychic veins, the vajra and the bell, and so on.
The actual settings for tantric practices are described as solitary places, isolated trees or forests, temples, haunted cemeteries and various places of tantric power (pitha, gdan). The tantras do not hesitate to make use of any practice, whether seemingly moral or immoral, that is considered conducive to the achievement of a speedy spiritual realization.
The lower tantras stress morality but, even, here one is instructed to act against the basic principles of morality in order to protect the tantric secrets. The Highest Yoga makes frequent use of the three fundamental vices, namely desire, hatred and delusion as means of achieving deliverance. The various rituals, consecrations and initiations serve as powerful aids to breaking through the law of moral retribution (karma, las). The tantras assume that apart from the superficial body consisting of the five aggregates, one possesses a subtle body that should be fully developed in order to achieve a perfected buddha-body endowed with all the buddha attributes. It is the achievement of such a body through meditational, yogic and ritual devices that enables one to gain buddhahood speedily, even within a single life-span.
The Tantric Language
As already stated, the tantric texts do make use of Mahayana terminology, but in general they tend to express their teachings through the use of their own symbols and enigmatic phraseology, which often require special interpretation and the aid of commentaries; this is particularly true of the texts belonging to the Highest Yoga class. The most problematic area for the study of the tantras is not so much their general theories and practices, but the language which they employ. The technical term for the literary language used by the tantras is variously translated as secret, enigmatic, esoteric or more often as intentional or twilight language (sandhabhasa, dgongs pa'i skad). As already noted, the fundamental difficulty associated with such language is its interpretation.
Since it makes use of analogy, double meanings, and rich, and at times far-fetched, symbology, it is difficult to establish the exact significance and meaning of words and whole passages. The deliberate use of intentional language is often justified on the grounds of preserving the secrecy of tantric teachings. It is possible, however, to explain its use as a peculiar mystical language whose intention is not to provide literal and concrete expositions, but to indicate or evoke particular psychic and spiritual trances that are to be attained. The language employed in the three lower tantras is fairly comprehensible, although its symbology remains complex. In the case of the Highest Yoga class, the language as such presents the major difficulty.
It is in this category that an extensive use is made of sexual language and symbology. There is no doubt that sexual symbology can serve as a powerful means to express tantric intentions. However, it remains a question, especially to the Western mind, whether such extensive and often very graphic descriptions of sexual activities to express genuine religious practices and values is necessary. The Highest Yoga Tantra met with some but basically no success in China and Japan. In Tibet itself, the tantras in general, and the Highest Tantra in particular, are highly appreciated but this does not imply that they were accepted unconditionally right from the start. It was only after the various objectioninspiring misconceptions were removed and a proper interpretation based on learned commentaries was worked out.
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