Kriyatantra
Kriyatantra (literally action tantra), is the first of the outer tantras, and places a special emphasis on ritual actions, such as ritual bathing, and ritual 'magic' to perform rites of pacification, increase and wrath. The empowerments required are the simple vase empowerment and crown empowerment. The emphasis of this level of tantra is on obtaining the siddhis, which are then used for the benefit of all beings, causing the accumulation of merit.
The deities of kriyayoga are split into 3 families;
- The highest Tathagata (buddha) family,
- The middling Padma (lotus) family,
- The lowest Vajra (thunderbolt) family.
Popular deities of each family are Manjushri (Tathagata family), Chenrezig (Padma family) and Vajrapani (vajra family).
The principal scriptures of Kriyayoga are called General Secret Tantra, Excellent Establishment Tantra, Tantra requested by Subahu, and Concentration Continuum Tantra, but there are great many other branch tantras and commentaries.
Read more about this topic: Outer Tantras