Seventeen Tantras

The Seventeen Tantras are a foundational cycle of esoteric scriptures in the Menngagde, or Instruction Series, of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. They present teachings associated with Dzogchen, especially its practice-oriented tradition.

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Dzogchen: A Tibetan Buddhist tradition that teaches recognition of the mind’s primordial nature as the path to liberation. The tantras belong to Dzogchen’s Instruction Series and articulate its view and practice.
Trekchö: A Dzogchen practice of directly recognizing and resting in the mind’s primordial purity. The tantras provide textual foundations for this central mode of practice.
Garab Dorje: A semi-legendary early Dzogchen master regarded in Nyingma tradition as the source of Dzogchen teachings. Nyingma accounts connect the transmission lineage of the tantras to this foundational figure.
Dzogchen retreat: A period of intensive contemplative practice devoted to Dzogchen teachings under qualified guidance. The tantras’ practical instructions are studied and applied in retreat settings.
Nyingma: The oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, tracing its institutional origins to early Tibetan translations. The Seventeen Tantras are part of this school’s scriptural and contemplative heritage.
Tögal: A Dzogchen practice using visionary experience to realize the spontaneous presence of awareness. Its instructions are closely associated with the practice-oriented teachings of the cycle.
Vimalamitra: An Indian Buddhist master remembered in Tibet for transmitting Dzogchen teachings and translating scriptures. He is associated with the transmission of the tantras into the Tibetan lineage.
Dzogchen transmission: The authorization and oral instruction through which Dzogchen teachings pass from teacher to student. Traditional engagement with the cycle depends on lineage transmission and guidance.
Menngagde: The Instruction Series, the highest of the three divisions of Dzogchen teachings in the Nyingma classification. This is the textual division to which the Seventeen Tantras belong.
Rigpa: In Dzogchen, primordial awareness recognized as the nature of mind. The tantras explain the awareness whose recognition anchors Dzogchen practice.