Index Of Tantra

Index of Tantra

C. The Vajrayana Buddhist Tantras (Tibetan Canon)

Tibetan Buddhism preserves the Kangyur (Words of the Buddha). The Buddhist index of tantra is organized by Four Classes of Tantra:

1. Kriya Tantra (Action Tantras):
   • Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Tantra (The Enlightenment of Vairocana).
2. Carya Tantra (Conduct Tantras):
   • Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra.
3. Yoga Tantra (Union Tantras):
   • Sarva-tathāgata-tattva-saṅgraha (The Compendium of Truth).
4. Anuttarayoga Tantra (Highest Yoga Tantras):
   • Guhyasamāja Tantra (The root text for Father Tantras).
   • Hevajra Tantra (Mother Tantra – Wisdom focus).
   • Cakrasaṃvara Tantra (Heruka – Karma yoga).
   • Kālacakra Tantra (The Wheel of Time – Astrology and enlightenment).

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The 64 Tantras (The Master List)

The Bhairava Tantras claim there are 64 main Tantras. They are grouped into three schools based on the "Kula" (hierarchy of the Goddess): index of tantra

1. Bhairava Tantras (Dikshta): For the initiated elite. Index of Tantra C

   • Key Texts: Mrigendra Tantra, Netra Tantra.
   • Focus: Ritual purification and yogic postures.

2. Shakta Tantras (Kaula): The most famous branch, focused on the 10 Mahavidyas. Kriya Tantra (Action Tantras):

   • Key Texts: Kularnava Tantra, Mahanirvana Tantra, Tantraraja Tantra.
   • Focus: The rise of Kundalini and pancatattva (the five M's).

3. Mishra Tantras (Mixed): For the general public.

   • Key Texts: Svatantra Tantra, Vijnana Bhairava (a 112-verse masterpiece of dharanas).

Ethical and Social Dimensions

• Role of the guru: Central, as transmitter and guide; ethical integrity and proper transmission matter.
• Social boundaries: Some tantric paths transgress norms intentionally to transcend attachment to social conventions; most practitioners follow ethical constraints appropriate to their lineage.
• Gender and the feminine divine: Shakta traditions elevate the feminine principle; tantric practice often reconfigures gendered spiritual roles.