Charya tantra

Charya tantra (Skt. caryātantra; T. spyod rgyud སྤྱོད་རྒྱུད་) is a classification of tantras within Tibetan Buddhism. Charya tantra is translated as "performance tantra," "engagement tantra," "tantra of conduct," etc.

Charya tantra stresses "the importance of a balanced approach in both the external rites and internal mental activity."

The vehicle of charya tantra is identified within the following contexts:

• the second of the three outer tantras within the nine yanas classification of the Nyingma school
• the second of the four classes of tantra according to the Sarma schools.

According to the Princeton Dictionary, the most important tantra in this class is the Mahavairocana Tantra.

Charya tantra within the nine yanas

Alak Zenkar Rinpoche explains the vehicle (yana) of charya tantra according to the system of nine yanas as follows:

The vehicle of caryā or ‘conduct’ tantra is so-called because it places an equal emphasis on the outer actions of body and speech and the inner cultivation of samādhi. It is also called the ‘tantra of both’ (ubhaya tantra) because its view conforms with that of yoga tantra, while its conduct is similar to that of kriyā.

I will now say a little about its entry point, view, meditation, conduct and results.

i. Entry Point

One is matured by means of the five empowerments, which include the empowerments of the vajra, bell and name in addition to the water and crown empowerments, and then maintains the samayas of caryā tantra, as described in the particular texts themselves.

ii. View

The view is determined in the same way as in the yoga tantra, so it will be explained below.

iii. Meditation

One visualizes oneself as the samaya being and visualizes the wisdom deity, who is regarded as a friend, in front of oneself, and then practises the conceptual meditations on the syllable, mudrā and form of the deity, and the non-conceptual meditation on absolute bodhicitta by means of entering, remaining and arising.[12]

iv. Conduct

The conduct here is the same as in kriyā tantra.

v. Results

In the short term, one attains the common accomplishments and ultimately one reaches the level of a vajradhara of the four buddha families, i.e., the three mentioned earlier plus the ratna family.

Within East Asian Buddhism

The tantras within this category are also signficant within the East Asian traditions of Shingon and Tendai. However these traditions follow a different classificaton system.