Charya tantra

Charya tantra (Skt. caryātantra; T. spyod rgyud སྤྱོད་རྒྱུད་), or "Upa tantra", is 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."

Cortland Dahl states:

This approach is also referred to as Dual Tantra, or Ubhaya Tantra, because it links the view of Yoga Tantra (the third outer tantra) with the practices of Kriya Tantra. Thus, it is essentially an amalgam of Kriya Tantra and Yoga Tantra. In contrast to the Kriya approach, here the deity is viewed as a friend or companion, rather than one’s superior.

Translators Guarisco & McLeod state:

Conduct tantra, where conduct encompasses both outer ritual activity and inner contemplation, involves training in a vast range of deeds while entering the inner reality that presents itself in visual and audible divine representations. The notion here is that of being close to the state of a perfect divine being, a state not yet fully realized. This limited view is overcome by visualizing oneself as the deity, understanding that form to be the appearance aspect of emptiness.

Within Tibetan Buddhism, charya tantra is the second of the three outer tantras according to the Nyingma school and 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.

Explanation of charya tantra according to the Nyingma tradition

Explanation from Vimilamitra

Vimalamitra writes:

There are also seven principles in Upa Tantra: First, the gateways to this approach are mantra, mudra, and concentration, in addition to ablutions and acts of ritual purity. Second, the view of this approach is in harmony with that of the Yoga Vehicle. Third, meditation in this vehicle consists of familiarizing oneself with the four actualities. One meditates on the actuality of the self as the samaya being, on the actuality of the deity as the wisdom being, on the actuality of the syllable as the seed syllable at the heart center of both the samaya and wisdom being, and on the actuality of verbal recitation as emanation and absorption of light rays from oneself and the wisdom being. Fourth, its conduct is equivalent to that of the previous section. Fifth, the result of this approach is the attainment of the level of a vajra holder of the four families. Sixth, the duration it takes to reach this level is either five or seven lifetimes. Seventh, in terms of benefit, this approach is the same as the previous vehicle. It enacts the welfare of both oneself and others.

Explanation from Alak Zenkar Rinpoche

Alak Zenkar Rinpoche explains the vehicle (yana) of charya tantra according to the Nyingma 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

This class of tantra is important within Chinese Zhenyan Buddhism and the Japanese Shingon and Tendai traditions.

In China, tantric masters such as Śubhakarasiṃha (637-735), Vajrabodhi (671–741) and Amoghavajra (705–774) focused on these tantras. This focus was later imparted by Amoghavajra's disciple Huiguo (746-805) to the monk Kūkai (774–835), leading to the development of Japanese Shingon Buddhism.

However these traditions follow a different classification system.

Texts

Ringu Tulku states:

For Charya Tantra there are the empowerments of the Hundred Deities of Fully Enlightened Vairochana, the Twenty-Two with the Two Attributes, the Five Deities of a ra pa tsa Manjughosha, and so on. Even though there are lineages of empowerments and practices, no teaching lineage has continued unbroken.

Texts in this class include:

• Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra ("Discourse on the Complete Enlightenment of Vairocana")
• Vajrapāṇyabhiṣekamahātantra ("The Vajrapāṇi Empowerment")
• Aṣṭadevī-dhāraṇī ("The Dhāraṇī of the Eight Goddesses")
• Bhagavannīlāmbara-dhara-vajra-pāṇi-tantra ("The Tantra of the Blue-Clad Blessed Vajrapāṇi")

For a complete list of Charya tantras included in the Tibetan Kangyur, see:

• Conduct tantras, 84000 Collection

See also

• Outer Tantras
• Classes of Tantra in Tibetan Buddhism

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Dahl, Cortland (2009), Entrance to the Great Perfection: A Guide to the Dzogchen Preliminary Practices, Shambhala 
• Jamgön Kongtrul (2005), Systems of Buddhist Tantra, The Treasury of Knowledge, Book Six, Part Four, translated by Ingrid Loken McLeod; Elio Guarisco, Snow Lion . Archive version
• Ringu Tulku (2006), The Ri-Me Philosophy of Jamgon Kungtrul the Great, Shambhala