Core Scriptures For Each School

[Nalanda]

As I understand it, each school has their own set of core scriptures. The Nyingma have the kama and the terma texts and systems, for instance, with core texts for specific yanas (i.e. the Guhyagarbha tantra as the core Mahayoga text, etc...).

Each lineage within a school has their own core scriptures (i.e. Dudjom sung bum as the collection of texts that make up the Dudjom Tersar).

Have you seen a list somewhere of what each school has as their core Scriptures and what the lineages of teach school uses as their main texts?

[Ayu]

As I understand it, each school has their own set of core scriptures. The Nyingma have the kama and the terma texts and systems, for instance, with core texts for specific yanas (i.e. the Guhyagarbha tantra as the core Mahayoga text, etc...).

Each lineage within a school has their own core scriptures (i.e. Dudjom sung bum as the collection of texts that make up the Dudjom Tersar).

Have you seen a list somewhere of what each school has as their core Scriptures and what the lineages of teach school uses as their main texts?

From Gelug POV at least, I think it's difficult to single out some few texts as "main", because there are so many branches of teachings. For beginners there are different main texts than for the various vajrayana practitioners.
What is main for one part of the Gelugs may not implicitly be "main" for other practitioners.

But I can name the Lamrim of Tsongkhapa and the Lojong teachings as basic for example.

[Lingpupa]

As I understand it, each school has their own set of core scriptures. The Nyingma have the kama and the terma texts and systems, for instance, with core texts for specific yanas (i.e. the Guhyagarbha tantra as the core Mahayoga text, etc...).

Each lineage within a school has their own core scriptures (i.e. Dudjom sung bum as the collection of texts that make up the Dudjom Tersar).

Have you seen a list somewhere of what each school has as their core Scriptures and what the lineages of teach school uses as their main texts?

I think your understanding is kind of correct and kind of not. Certainly the texts most emphasized differ, at the sutra level a little, on the tantra level much more. Some answers that may come will help you there. But it would be a mistake to make too specific or rigid any list of what you call "core" and simply identify that with one "school". It's much more complex than that. "Schools" have subdivisions; one subdivision may rely heavily on one particular text that is virtually unknown to the next subdivision, on top of which there are overlaps. After all, the "schools" are only convenient labels for groupings that may sometimes be quite clear, but which may also be very loose.

FWIW

[tingdzin]

You might be able to get a curriculum list or something like that for the colleges of major monastic traditions. Apart from that, I don't think you will find a set list. In the Nyingmapa particularly, there are various lists of tantra subgroups, but you already know that.

Oops. The post above said what I was trying to say, but it just came in.

[Malcolm]

From Gelug POV at least, I think it's difficult to single out some few texts as "main", because there are so many branches of teachings. For beginners there are different main texts than for the various vajrayana practitioners.
What is main for one part of the Gelugs may not implicitly be "main" for other practitioners.

But I can name the Lamrim of Tsongkhapa and the Lojong teachings as basic for example.

The core scriptures for Geluk are Guhyasamāja, the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, as well as the works of Nagārjuna father and son, Candra, Haribhadra, and Atisha.

And of course, Tsongkhapa, Gyaltsabje, and Khedrupje.

And more recently, Pabhongkha was and remains prominent.

[Ayu]

I see.

[Malcolm]

As I understand it, each school has their own set of core scriptures. The Nyingma have the kama and the terma texts and systems, for instance, with core texts for specific yanas (i.e. the Guhyagarbha tantra as the core Mahayoga text, etc...).

Each lineage within a school has their own core scriptures (i.e. Dudjom sung bum as the collection of texts that make up the Dudjom Tersar).

Have you seen a list somewhere of what each school has as their core Scriptures and what the lineages of teach school uses as their main texts?

The basic list is pretty simple:

The basic tantra for Sakya and Kagyu is Hevajra. The basic tantra for Geluk is Guhyasamāja. The basic tantra for Nyingma, as you have identified, is Guhyagarbha. The basic tantra for Jonang is Kālacakra.

The monastic curriculum for study is pretty much the same for all schools: Nagārjuna, Candra, Śantideva; the five treatises of Maitreya (in varying degrees); Abhidharma of Vasubandhu and Asanga; the Abhisamayālaṃkara commentaries of Vimuktisena and Haribhadra; Dignaga and Dharmakīrti's epistemology, and the Vinayasūtra of Gunbhadra and commentaries.

In terms of practice cycles: for Sakya it is Hevajra and Naropa's Khecari. For Geluk, Guhyasamāja, Cakrasamvara and Vajrabhairava. For Kagyu, Cakrasamvara and Vajrayogini of various traditions from specific subschool to the next; for Nyingma, too many different practice traditions to mention. Jonang, Kālacakra and the six limb yoga.

Then of course there are many hundreds of practices which wind through all schools. So, it is pretty hard to quantify.

[Nalanda]

Thanks Malcolm. Exactly what I was looking for.

[iskaral]

For gelug my understanding was that yamantaka tends to be first with the other cycles building on top of yamantaka.

[Josef]

For gelug my understanding was that yamantaka tends to be first with the other cycles building on top of yamantaka.

Yamantaka is one of the most practiced Yidams but the Guyhasamaja and Cakrasamvara tantras themselves inform the approach to practice.

[Lobsang Chojor]

For gelug my understanding was that yamantaka tends to be first with the other cycles building on top of yamantaka.

The gurus tend to say Yamantaka is very powerful in the modern times as it works with anger which is very common now, and the Solitary Hero form is less complicated than other practices.

That said Guhyasamaja is the main practice of the Gelug lineage, it just has a long sadhana so it's less common in the west, and it is the source of the tantric teachings.

[zerwe]

For gelug my understanding was that yamantaka tends to be first with the other cycles building on top of yamantaka.

Yamantaka is one of the most practiced Yidams but the Guyhasamaja and Cakrasamvara tantras themselves inform the approach to practice.

Also, due to Pabongkha's influence Vajrayogini (Cakrasamvara) has risen to prominence in Gelug and there is a Tsongkhapa lineage of Six-Yogas of Naropa (I'm not sure how you would categorize--If I remeber correctly, in Mullin's text it is described as a amended/corrected/reconstructed/regathered lineage superimposed on what Tsongkhapa had received. The idea seems to be that aspects of practice had been lost or corrupted and it was an attempt to return it to a complete form?)

Shaun

[Javierfv1212]

From Gelug POV at least, I think it's difficult to single out some few texts as "main", because there are so many branches of teachings. For beginners there are different main texts than for the various vajrayana practitioners.
What is main for one part of the Gelugs may not implicitly be "main" for other practitioners.

But I can name the Lamrim of Tsongkhapa and the Lojong teachings as basic for example.

The core scriptures for Geluk are Guhyasamāja, the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, as well as the works of Nagārjuna father and son, Candra, Haribhadra, and Atisha.

And of course, Tsongkhapa, Gyaltsabje, and Khedrupje.

And more recently, Pabhongkha was and remains prominent.

Don't forget the textbooks and also the works of the Dalai Lamas are pretty influential

See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelug#M ... _and_texts

There's also the Ganden Manjushri oral cycle of teachings, which is where Lama Chopa comes from. This is super popular.