A Brief Presentation of the Nine Yanas

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Our teacher, the fourth guide of this fortunate aeon, the incomparable lord of sages, 
Shakyamuni, gave infinite teachings as means to enter the Dharma of the causal and resultant 
vehicles, in accordance with the particular temperaments, spiritual faculties and attitudes 
of disciples. Nevertheless, they may all be included within the three vehicles, which, in 
turn, may be further subdivided into nine successive stages. 

As it is said in The General Sutra:[1]

The ultimate definitive vehicleCertainly appears as three in number:The vehicles of leading from the origin, Vedic 
asceticism,And powerful transformative methods.And The Immaculate Confession Tantra says:The samayas of the nine successive yanas—Three yanas related to the three pitakas of characteristics,The outer three of kriya yoga and so on, related to tantras of asceticism,And the inner three yogas related to tantras of skilful methods.

Thus the classification of ‘nine successive yanas,’ which is found in the Nyingma Early Translation tradition, is made up of:three yanas related to the outer vehicle of leading from the origin [of suffering] and the three pitakas of characteristics,three yanas related to the inner vehicle of Vedic asceticism[2] and the three outer classes of tantra, and three yanas related to the secret vehicle of powerful transformative methods and the three 
inner classes of tantra.Let us elaborate a little on the meaning of these, first of all by considering what is meant 
by the term ‘vehicle’ or yana.

It is said in The Condensed Sutra:[3]

This vehicle is the supreme of vehicles for 
reachingThe vast sky-like palace of happiness and bliss.Riding in this all beings will reach nirvana.This refers to the literal meaning of the Sanskrit 
term yana, a vehicle or means of conveyance, 
since it is that which carries us along the paths 
and bhumis, bringing us ever greater 
enlightened qualities.

 I. The Three Outer Yanas Leading from the Origin 

The three causal vehicles of characteristics are: 
the shravaka vehicle, pratyekabuddha vehicle 
and bodhisattva vehicle. 

Why are these three called ‘vehicles leading 
from the origin’? It is because they lead us 
along the path to the result of liberation from 
samsara by abandoning all the actions and 
kleshas which are the cause or ‘origin’ [of 
suffering]. 

1. The Shravaka Yana 

Generally speaking, the Sanskrit word 
‘shravaka’ has both the meaning of listening 
and of hearing, so [the Tibetan translation 
nyenthö literally means] ‘listener-hearer.’ 
Alternatively, the term can be understood to 
mean ‘listening and proclaiming,’ in the sense 
that the shravakas rely on masters and then 
proclaim to others all the words their teachers 
have spoken. 

The initial entry point, the view, the meditation, 
the conduct and the results of the shravaka 
yana will now be explained below. 

i. Entry Point The shravakas are motivated by a feeling of 
renunciation, the wish to escape from all the 
realms of samsara by themselves alone. With 
this motivation, they receive one of the seven 
sets of pratimoksha vows, those of a male or 
female lay practitioner, novice monk or nun, 
probationary nun, or fully ordained monk or nun, 
and having received these vows, they practise 
moral restraint, keeping their vows unimpaired, 
repairing any impairments that do occur, and so 
on.

 ii. View As the basis of their path, they determine their 
view by focusing upon all phenomena included 
within the five aggregates and realizing that 
they are devoid of any personal self. They do 
not understand that all material and conscious 
phenomena are devoid of true reality, and, 
asserting a truly real partless particle in 
perceived objects and an indivisible moment of 
consciousness, they fail to realize the absence 
of phenomenal identity. 

iii. Meditation In terms of the path, they practise both 
shamatha and vipashyana meditation. They 
realize the state of shamatha by abandoning 
obstacles and cultivating factors conducive to 
samadhi, according to the nine stages of resting 
the mind and so on, and generate the wisdom 
of vipashyana by meditating on the sixteen 
aspects of the four truths. 

iv. Conduct They keep to the twelve ascetic practices[4] 
that avoid the two extreme forms of lifestyle, 
over-indulgence in sense pleasures[5] and 
excessive self-punishment. 

v. Results They attain any one of eight levels of fruition, 
corresponding to the degree to which they have 
abandoned the kleshas of the three realms. 
There are eight levels because the four results 
of stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner 
and arhat are each divided into the two stages 
known as the emerging and the established. 

2. The Pratyekabuddha Yana 

Pratyekabuddhas, or ‘self-awakened’ are so-
called because, having a more profound depth 
of wisdom than the shravakas, they manifest 
their own awakening through the power of their 
own wisdom, without needing to rely on other 
masters.

 Let us elaborate slightly by presenting the initial 
entry point, view, meditation, conduct and 
results of the pratyekabuddha yana: 

i. Entry Point

 As with the entry point to the shravaka yana, 
the pratyekabuddhas take up any one of the 
seven sets of pratimoksha vows and then keep 
them unimpaired. 

ii. View 

When it comes to the basis of their path, how 
they determine the view, they realize the 
absence of a personal self completely, but only 
realize half the absence of phenomenal identity, 
because although they realize that the partless 
particles of perceived objects are not real, they 
still believe in the true existence of indivisible 
moments of consciousness.

 iii. Meditation 

When it comes to their path, and their practice 
of meditation, the uncommon approach of the 
pratyekabuddhas is to meditate on how the 
twelve links of interdependent origination arise 
in their progressive sequence and how they 
cease in the reverse order.

 iv. Conduct 

Like the shravakas, they keep to the twelve 
rules of ascetic practice. 

v. Results 

As their fruition, those with sharper faculties 
attain the level of a rhinoceros-like 
pratyekabuddha arhat and those with duller 
faculties become parrot-like[6] pratyekabuddha 
arhats. 

Moreover, they reach their final existence as a 
result of three specific aspiration prayers. They 
pray that their last existence may be in a world 
without buddhas and shravakas, that they may 
attain awakening by themselves, without relying 
on any teacher, and that they may teach the 
Dharma silently through physical gestures. 

3. The Bodhisattva Yana 

The bodhisattva yana is the part of the 
mahayana that belongs to the vehicle of 
characteristics. It is called the vehicle of 
bodhisattvas because once it has been entered 
it has the power to lead someone to great 
enlightenment, because its domain of 
experience is vast, in terms of its extensive 
skilful methods and its profound wisdom, 
because it brings about benefit and happiness, 
in the higher realms in the short term, and 
ultimately at the stage of definitive good, and 
because it carries one to greater and greater 
qualities as one progresses along the paths and 
stages. It is called a vehicle of characteristics 
because it has all the characteristics of a path 
that is a direct cause for bringing about the 
ultimate fruition, the level of buddhahood.

 I will now a give a brief outline of its initial entry 
point, view, meditation, conduct and results.

i. Entry Point

The bodhisattvas practise on the basis of their 
wish to benefit others. They are motivated by 
bodhichitta, which has as its focus all sentient 
beings and is characterized by the wish to 
establish them all at the level of perfect 
buddhahood, free from the causes and effects 
of suffering and endowed with all the causes 
and effects of happiness. With this motivation, 
they take the bodhisattva vows of aspiration 
and application in the proper way, through the 
ritual of either the tradition of Profound View or 
Vast Conduct. They then observe the points of 
discipline concerning what should be adopted 
and abandoned, and heal and purify any 
impairments. 

ii. View 

Concerning the basis of their path, how they 
determine the view, if we speak in terms of 
philosophical tenets, the approach of Mind Only 
is to assert that outer objects are not real and 
all phenomena are but the inner mind, and to 
claim that the self-aware, self-knowing 
consciousness devoid of dualistic perception is 
truly real. The approach of the Middle Way is to 
realize that all phenomena appear in the 
manner of dependent origination, but are in 
reality emptiness, beyond the eight extremes of 
conceptual elaboration.[7] Through these 
approaches, on the basis of the explanation of 
the two levels of reality, they realize completely 
the absence of any personal self or 
phenomenal identity. 

iii. Meditation 

Concerning their path and how they practise 
meditation, the bodhisattvas realize and train in 
developing their familiarity with the indivisibility 
of the two levels of reality, and, on the basis of 
the yogic meditation that unites shamatha and 
vipashyana, meditate sequentially on the 
thirty-seven factors of enlightenment while on 
the path of training. 

iv. Conduct 

They practise the six transcendent perfections 
for their own benefit and the four means of 
attraction for the sake of others. 

v. Results 

They attain the level of buddhahood, which is 
the ultimate attainment in terms of both 
abandonment and realization since it means 
abandoning all that has to be eliminated, the 
two obscurations including habitual traces, and 
realizing everything that must be realized, 
included within the knowledge of all that there is 
and the knowledge of its nature. They 
accomplish the two types of dharmakaya for 
their own benefit and the two types of rupakaya 
for the benefit of others. 

II. The Three Inner Yanas of Vedic Asceticism 

These are the three outer classes of tantra: the 
yana of kriya tantra, the yana of charya tantra 
and the yana of yoga tantra. 

You might wonder why are these called 
‘vehicles of Vedic ascetism.’ It is because the 
three outer classes of tantra stress aspects of 
ascetic conduct, such as ritual purification and 
cleanliness, and in this respect they are similar 
to the Vedic tradition of the brahmins. 

4. The Yana of Kriya Tantra 

The kriya tantras, or ‘action’ tantras, are so-
called because they are concerned mainly with 
external conduct, the practices of ritual 
purification and cleanliness and so on. 

The entry point, view, meditation, conduct and 
results of this vehicle are as follows: 

i. Entry Point 

The initial point of entry to the path of secret 
mantra vajrayana is ripening empowerment, so 
here one receives the water empowerment, 
which establishes the potential for ripening into 
the dharmakaya, and the crown empowerment, 
which establishes the potential for ripening into 
the rupakaya. Then one keeps the general 
samayas of the kriya yoga as they are 
explained in the particular texts themselves. 

ii. View 

In terms of determining the view, the basis of 
the path, one realizes that the ground of 
purification, the nature of mind itself, is the 
wisdom of empty clarity, and is ultimately 
beyond all extremes of elaboration, such as 
existing, not existing, appearing or being empty. 
Then one views the aspects of relative 
appearance, which are what must be purified, 
as the characteristics of the completely pure 
deity. 

iii. Meditation 

As for the path and the way of practising 
meditation, it centres around the four realities: 
the reality of oneself and the reality of the deity 
are practised by means of the six aspects of the 
deity,[8] by visualizing oneself as the samaya 
form and then invoking the wisdom being into 
the space in front, considering oneself as a 
servant and the deity as one’s master. One 
then focuses upon the reality of the mantra 
recitation which is the sound, and on the mind 
and the ground, and meditates upon the reality 
of concentration, which consists of remaining in 
the ‘flame,’ continuation of sound and 
culmination of sound. 

iv. Conduct One performs the three kinds of ritual 
purification,[9] changes the three types of 
clothing,[10] adopts a diet of the three white 
foods[11] and practices ritual fasting and 
mantra recitation. 

v. Results In the short term, one becomes a desire realm 
vidyadhara, and ultimately one attains 
awakening as Vajradhara of one of the three 
buddha families: of the family of enlightened 
body, Vairochana, of the family of enlightened 
speech, Amitabha, or of the family of 
enlightened mind, Akshobhya. 

5. The Yana of Charya Tantra 

The vehicle of charya 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 samadhi. 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 kriya. 

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 charya 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, mudra and form of the deity, and 
the non-conceptual meditation on absolute 
bodhichitta by means of entering, remaining 
and arising.[12] 

iv. Conduct 

The conduct here is the same as in kriya 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. 

6. The Yana of Yoga Tantra 

The vehicle of yoga tantra is so-called because 
it emphasizes the inner yogic meditation upon 
reality, combining skilful means and wisdom. Its entry point, view, meditation, conduct and 
results are as follows: 

i. Entry Point 

Having been matured through the eleven 
empowerments—the five empowerments of the 
disciples (water, crown, vajra, bell and name) 
as well as the six empowerments of the master 
(the empowerment of irreversibility, 
empowerment of seeing secret reality, 
authorization, prophecy, confirmation and 
praising encouragement)—one keeps the 
samayas as described in the particular texts. 

ii. View 

The view is to regard all phenomena as the 
deity of the vajradhatu, through the blessing of 
the emptiness and clear light in which all 
phenomena are realized to be beyond 
conceptual elaboration on an ultimate level. 

iii. Meditation 

One meditates on the yoga of skilful means, 
visualizing oneself as the deity by means of the 
five aspects of awakening and the four 
miraculous things,[13] and summons the 
wisdom being, who then dissolves into oneself, 
and is sealed by means of the four mudras, and 
so on. There is also the yoga of wisdom, in 
which one rests in a state in which ultimate 
non-conceptual wisdom is inseparable from the 
relative appearance of the deity of the 
vajradhatu. 

iv. Conduct 

One practises ritual purification and cleanliness 
simply as a support. 

v. Results As a worldly attainment, one becomes a 
celestial vidyadhara, and as the supermundane 
accomplishment, one attains enlightenment in 
Ghanavyuha, as one of the five buddha families 
(in addition to the four families previously 
mentioned, there is also Amoghasiddhi’s 
buddha family of enlightened activity).

III. The Three Secret Yanas of Powerful 
Transformative Methods These are the three inner classes of tantra: the 
yana of mahayoga, the yana of anuyoga and 
the yana of atiyoga. You might wonder why are these are called 
‘vehicles of powerful transformative methods.’ It 
is because they include powerful methods for 
transforming all phenomena into great purity 
and equalness. 

7. The Yana of Tantra Mahayoga 

The vehicle of mahayoga, or ‘great yoga,’ is 
so-called because it is superior to ordinary yoga 
tantra since all phenomena are realized to be a 
magical display in which appearance and 
emptiness are indivisible. 

Once again, I will briefly describe its point of 
entry, view, meditation, action and results. 

i. Entry Point 

Once one’s mind has been matured through 
receiving the ten outer benefiting 
empowerments, the five inner enabling 
empowerments and the three secret profound 
empowerments, one keeps the samayas as 
they are described in the texts. 

ii. View 

By means of extraordinary lines of reasoning, 
one establishes and then realizes the 
indivisibility of the [two] higher levels of reality, 
according to which the cause for the 
appearance of the essential nature, the seven 
riches of the absolute,[14] is spontaneously 
present within the pure awareness that is 
beyond conceptual elaboration, and all relative 
phenomena naturally appear as the mandala of 
deities of the three seats.[15] 

iii. Meditation 

When it comes to the path and the practice of 
meditation, the main emphasis is on the 
generation stage. In the practice of generation 
stage yoga, one sets up the practice through 
the three samadhis, ensures that the three of 
purifying, perfecting and ripening are complete 
within the visualization, and, once the 
visualization is complete, seals it with the 
instruction on the four nails securing the life-
force. In the practice of the completion stage 
yoga, one activates the vital points of the vajra 
body, its subtle energies, essences, luminosity 
and so on. 

iv. Conduct 

One maintains elaborate, unelaborate and 
extremely unelaborate conduct. 

v. Results 

In the short term one reaches the four 
vidyadhara levels, which are the results 
belonging to the path, and finally one gains the 
ultimate fruition, and reaches the level of the 
Vajradhara of unity.[16] 

8. The Yana of Scriptural Transmission Anuyoga 

The vehicle of anuyoga, or ‘following yoga’, is 
so-called because it mainly teaches the path of 
passionately pursuing (or ‘following’) wisdom, in 
the realization that all phenomena are the 
creative expression of the indivisible unity of 
absolute space and primordial wisdom. 

Once again, let us say a little about its point of 
entry, view, meditation, conduct and results: 

i. Entry Point 

One’s mind is matured through the thirty-six 
empowerments in which the four rivers—outer, 
inner, accomplishing and secret—are complete, 
and one keeps the samayas as described in the 
texts. 

ii. View 

Through logical reasoning one determines that 
which is to be known, the fact that all 
phenomena are characterized as being the 
three mandalas in their fundamental nature, and 
realizes that this is so. 

iii. Meditation Meditation practice here consists of two paths. 
On the path of liberation one practises the 
non-conceptual samadhi of simply resting in a 
state that accords with the essence of reality 
itself, and the conceptual samadhi of deity 
practice, in which one visualizes the mandala of 
supporting palace and supported deities simply 
by reciting the mantra of generation. On the 
path of skilful means one generates the wisdom 
of bliss and emptiness through the practices of 
the upper and lower gateways. 

iv. Conduct 

One practises the conduct that is beyond 
adopting or abandoning in the recognition that 
all perceptions are but the display of the 
wisdom of great bliss. 

v. Results At the culmination of Anuyoga’s own 
uncommon five yogas, which are essentially its 
five paths,[17] and the ten stages[18] that are 
included within these five, one attains the level 
of Samantabhadra. 

9. The Yana of Pith Instruction Atiyoga 

The vehicle of Atiyoga, or ‘utmost yoga,’ is so-
called because it is the highest of all vehicles. It 
involves the realization that all phenomena are 
nothing other than the appearances of the 
naturally arising primordial wisdom which has 
always been beyond arising and ceasing. 

The following is a brief explanation of the entry 
point, view, meditation, conduct and results of 
this vehicle. 

i. Entry Point 

One’s mind is matured through the four 
‘expressive power of awareness’ 
empowerments (rigpé tsal wang), and one 
keeps the samayas as explained in the texts. 

ii. View The view is definitively established by looking 
directly into the naturally arising wisdom in 
which the three kayas are inseparable: the 
empty essence of naked awareness beyond the 
ordinary mind is the dharmakaya, its cognizant 
nature is the sambhogakaya, and its all-
pervasive compassionate energy is the 
nirmanakaya. 

iii. Meditation The meditation consists of the approach of 
cutting through resistance to primordial purity 
(kadak trekchö), through which the lazy can 
reach liberation without effort, and the approach 
of the direct realization of spontaneous 
presence (lhundrup tögal), through which the 
diligent can reach liberation with exertion. 

iv. Conduct The conduct is free from hope and fear and 
adopting and abandoning, because all that 
appears manifests as the display of reality 
itself. 

v. Results Perfecting the four visions of the path, one 
gains the supreme kaya, the rainbow body of 
great transference, and attains the level of 
glorious Samantabhadra, the thirteenth bhumi 
known as ‘Unexcelled Wisdom’ (yeshe lama).  
[1] The General Sutra of the Gathering of All Intentions (‘dus pa mdo), the central scripture of Anuyoga.

[2] An alternative translation sometimes given is ‘the inner vehicle of gaining awareness through austerities’ but that would not accord with Zenkar Rinpoche’s explanation given later in this text.

[3] i.e., The Condensed Prajnaparamita Sutra

[4] According to The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, vol. 2, p. 169: 1) Wearing clothes found in a dust heap, 2) owning only three robes, 3) wearing felt or woolen clothes, 4) begging for food, 5) eating one’s meal at a single sitting, 6) restricting the quantity of food, 7) staying in isolation, 8) sitting under trees, 9) sitting in exposed places, 10) sitting in charnel grounds, 11) sitting even during sleep, and 12) staying wherever one happens to be.

[5] This is rather a free translation of ‘dod pa bsod nyams kyi mtha’

[6] They are called ‘parrot-like’ because they remain together in groups, unlike the ‘rhinoceros-like’ pratyekabuddha arhats who stay by themselves.

[7] The eight extremes of conceptual elaboration are: ceasing, arising, being non-existent, being permanent, coming, going, being multiple and being single.

[8] The aspects of emptiness, syllable, sound, form, mudra and attributes.

[9] Purification of the body by washing, purification of downfalls and purification of thoughts.

[10] Changes one’s outer clothing means to put on clean clothes, changing one’s inner clothing means to guard one’s vows, and changing one’s secret clothing means to visualize the deity.

[11] Curd, milk and butter.

[12] ‘Entering’ refers to the realization that all phenomena are beyond arising, ‘remaining’ means to abide once the non-conceptual nature has manifest and ‘arising’ means developing intense compassion for all beings who do not realize this.

[13] i.e., samadhi, blessings, empowerment and offering.

[14] Enlightened body, speech, mind, qualities and activity, plus absolute space and primordial wisdom.

[15] The aggregates (skandha) and elements (dhatu) are the seats of the male and female buddhas, the sense faculties and their objects are the seats of the male and female bodhisattvas, and the limbs are seats of the 
male and female wrathful ones.

[16] ‘Unity’ here means the unity of dharmakaya 
and rupakaya.

[17] 1) The yoga of the aspiring spiritual warrior on the path of accumulation, 2) the yoga revealing the great enlightened family on the path of joining, 3) the yoga of great assurance on the path of seeing, 4) the yoga of receiving 
great prophecy on the path of meditation, and 5) the yoga of perfecting the great creative power on the ultimate path.[18] 1) The stage of uncertain transformation, 2) the stage of stable foundation, 3) the stage of significant purification, 4) the stage of continuous training, 5) the stage of supportive merit, 6) the stage of special progress through stability, 7) the stage bringing focus on the result once the path of seeing has arisen through clear light, 8) the stage of steadfast remaining, 9) the stage of expanding reality, and 10) the stage of riding on perfection.

Blessings

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