Tantras of the Conduct class with both meditational and ritual elements, mostly centered on the deities Vairocana, Acala, or Vajrapāṇi (Toh 494-501).
| Texts: 8 | Published: 1 | In Progress: 0 | Not Begun: 7 |
In the Kangyur and Tengyur collections there are more than forty titles centered on the form of Vajrapāṇi known as the “Blue-Clad One,” a measure of this figure’s great popularity in both India and Tibet. This text, The Tantra of the Blue-Clad Blessed Vajrapāṇi, is a scripture that belongs to the Conduct tantra (Caryātantra) class, the third of the four categories used by the Tibetans to organize their tantric canon. It introduces the practice of Blue-Clad Vajrapāṇi, while also providing the practitioner with a number of rituals directed at suppressing, subduing, or eliminating ritual targets.
This is the smallest class of tantras, comprising only 8 works in the Kangyur. The Conduct tantra practice and view are intermediate between those of the Yoga and Action tantras; external ritual is important, but the goal is liberation through internal, meditative practice. Vairocana, Acala and Vajrapāṇi are the principal deities. Other terms (used in some Nyingma classifications of tantra) are Upayoga and Ubhayatantra.
The works in this class are divided according to the three families:
(a) Tathāgata family (Toh 494 and 495), two tantras centered on Vairocana and Acala respectively;
(b) Padma family, not represented here;
(c) Vajra family (Toh 496-501), centered on Vajrapāṇi.