Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s6.t4.10

v1.c7.s6.t4.10

**Four Tantras and Six Tantras:** Tantric literature in sutras and shastras is called as Tantra (rgyud) while rgyud in Tibetan has the meaning of continuity or succession which conforms to the implication of the Chinese character of “续”. Its history can be traced back to the 8th century CE. The concept of *Tantra of Secret Mantra* (sngags kyi rgyud la) had appeared in *Vphang Thang Catalogue* (dkar chag vphang thang ma), the catalogue of Tripitaka compiled in the Tubo period. Moreover, the part of *Tantra of Secret Mantra* was listed in Denkar Catalogue (ldan dkar gyi dkar chag) in the same period, which was same as *Vphang Thang Catalogue* basically, and they can be proved mutually. However, the pre-propagation period of Tibetan Buddhism hadn’t established Tantric cultivation system such as Four Tantras or Six Tantras in a strict sense in the Tubo period.