Toh 441The Extant Khasama Tantra

An Exposition of the Khasama Tantra (Yathālabdhakhasamatantra)

Background

The Khasama Tantra is a tantric scripture belonging to the Kangyur, the collection of sutras and tantras translated and preserved in the Tibetan tradition. The term “Yathālabdha” (“as obtained,” or “from what is extant”) indicates that this scripture is the surviving version, a portion of the original Khasama teaching that remains accessible today. In Vajrayāna esoteric Buddhism, tantras are regarded as having been taught directly by the Buddha or advanced bodhisattvas through the symbolic forms of the cosmos (maṇḍala), methods of practice (sādhana), and esoteric means of transforming consciousness.

The Khasama Tantra belongs to the category of Yoga Tantra or Highest Yoga Tantra and emphasizes the union of wisdom and method (prajñā-upāya-yuganaddha). It is one of the scriptures esteemed by Tibetan masters, especially in the Gelug, Kagyu, and Nyingma schools. Its historical background is connected with the translation of works from Sanskrit into Tibetan between the eighth and twelfth centuries, when the esoteric Buddha Dharma of India was transmitted to the Tibetan plateau.

Main Content

Although the detailed content of the Khasama Tantra has not been fully translated in publicly available materials, judging from the context of similar tantras in the Kangyur, this scripture guides practitioners along the path of transforming body, speech, and mind through esoteric meditative practices. The term “Khasama” is related to the concept of equilibrium or harmony between opposing elements—light and mental darkness, arising and nirvana, the truth of suffering and nirvana.

In Highest Yoga Tantra (Anuttarayoga Tantra), this scripture may teach the subtle-energy system (nāḍī-cakra-bindu), namely the three principal channels (Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumṇā) and the principal cakras along the spine. It may also instruct practitioners in transforming the coarse and subtle qualities of mind, leading to recognition of the mind’s luminous nature and attainment of the state of a Buddha.