Traleg Rinpoche presents a clear and detailed introduction to Yogacara philosophy and its relationship to Buddhist Tantra, specifically the Mahamudra system of practice. Mahamudra belongs to the highest level of Tantra and inherited many ideas that were developed by the early Yogacarin practitioners. Rinpoche examines the Yogacarin notion of transformation, where our unhealthy psychological states get transmuted into higher states, the three levels of consciousness, the three aspects of reality, the concept of Buddha nature, the positive presentation of emptiness, and the goal of nonduality where we begin to recognize how our minds create both samsara and nirvana.
He then goes on to define Mahamudra in relation to its four characteristics, how Mahamudra views the transformation of consciousness into wisdom, the Mahamudra notions of buddha nature, mind-as-such, ‘ever-perfect emptiness,’ and absolute reality. People have generally ignored how Yogacara philosophy influenced Buddhist tantra and its development. While it is not discussed explicitly, it is quite patent in the writings of Buddhist tantra. For example, transforming our neuroses and emotional instabilities is a very tantric concept, but we can trace that idea back to the original Yogacarin writings.