Nine Yanas
Nine yānas (Tib. ཐེག་པ་དགུ་, Wyl. theg pa dgu) or nine successive vehicles (Tib. ཐེག་པ་རིམ་པ་དགུ་, Wyl. theg pa rim pa dgu) — within the Nyingma tradition, the full spectrum of spiritual paths is divided into nine yanas, a system of practice bringing together all the approaches of the Buddha’s teaching into a single comprehensive path to enlightenment.
Origin
The nine yanas are referred to in the Kulayaraja Tantra (Kunje Gyalpo) and in the General Sutra of the Gathering of All Intentions (Düpa Do), which is the central scripture of Anuyoga.
Subdivision According to the Three Kayas[3]
Dharmakaya teachings refer to the teachings of Atiyoga
Sambhogakaya teachings refer to the teachings of the three outer yanas, as well as Mahayoga and Anuyoga
Nirmanakaya teachings refer to the teachings of the three causal vehicles
The Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism has nine yanas, a list made by combining the first type of three yanas, and adding the six classes of tantras.
Hīnayāna
1. Śrāvakayāna
2. Pratyekayāna
Mahāyāna consisting of:
3. Bodhisattvayāna
Vajrayāna, consisting of:
Outer Tantras
4. Kriyatantra
5. Upatantra (Tibetan spyod rgyud) ‘practice tantra’ and the Ubhayatantra (gnyis ka’i rgyud), ‘dual tantra’, because it practices the view of the next vehicle, Yogatantra, together with the action of the former.
6. Yogatantra
Inner Tantras
7. Mahāyoga
8. Anuyoga
9. Atiyoga (also Dzogchen)
It is important to note that there are numerous untranslated portions of the Vima Nyingthig, Gongpa Sangtal, etc. that place the most secret unsurpassed cycle of Menngagde as a totally independent Buddhist vehicle outside the nine yanas.