View source for Three outer classes of tantra

The '''three outer''' or '''lower classes of tantra''' (Tib. རྒྱུད་སྡེ་འོག་མ་སུམ, ཕྱིའི་རྒྱུད་, ''gyüdé ok ma sum, chi gyü'', [[Wyl.]] ''rgyud sde 'og ma sum'', ''phyi'i rgyud'') are classes of tantra which are common to both the [[Nyingma]] and [[Sarma]] schools of [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. They are also called the [[three yanas of vedic asceticism|three tantras of vedic asceticism]]. They are: 
*the [[kriya tantra]], 
*the [[charya tantra]] and 
*the [[yoga tantra]].

==Further Reading==
*Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth [[Dalai Lama]], ''The World of Tibetan Buddhism'' (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995), '18. Tantric Practice: The First Three Classes of Tantra'.
*[[Tulku Thondup]], ''The Practice of Dzogchen'' (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1989), pages 15-22.
*''Opening the Wisdom Door of the Outer Tantras: Refining Awareness Through Ascetic Ritual and Purification Practice'', Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche & Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche. Dharma Samudra (2008).


[[Category:Tantras]]
[[Category: Enumerations]]
[[Category:03-Three]]