Traleg Rinpoche Influence of Yogacara on Mahamudra (PDF)

The relationship of Yogacara philosophy and to Buddhist tantra? People generally ignore the way Yogacara philosophy has influenced Buddhist tantra and its development.

Yogacara, as a system, was developed by two brothers, called Asanga and Vasubandhu. They developed the philosophy in such a way that everything came back to our own practice, our own experience. You could not theorize about Yogacara philosophy without meditating. In fact, you could not be a Yogacarin philosopher unless you meditated. If you look at the writings of the Yogacarins, you will discover that they mention many tantric concepts, either implicitly or explicitly.

There are certain crucial concepts that both Yogacara philosophy and Buddhist tantra share, such as transforming unhealthy or unwholesome psychological aspects of ourselves into something higher or more elevated.