Within this esoteric Tibetan current, the textual universe coheres around two great axes: the Kālacakra cycle and the luminous vision of buddha‑nature expressed through zhentong, “empty of other.” At the heart of the tradition stand the Kālacakra Tantra itself and its principal Indian commentary, the Vimalaprabhā (“Stainless Light”), which together provide both the doctrinal framework and the yogic architecture for Jonang contemplative life. These are not merely cited as authorities but are treated as the scriptural bedrock upon which later Jonang masters build their distinctive synthesis of tantra and buddha‑nature thought. Around this core there developed a rich body of commentarial literature, especially on the sixfold (six‑branch) yogas of Kālacakra, including detailed completion‑stage manuals that guide practitioners through inner yogic processes.

Among Tibetan authors, Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen emerges as the great architect of the Jonang vision. His “Mountain Doctrine” (Ri chos nges don rgya mtsho) is regarded as a central philosophical summa, articulating the zhentong understanding of ultimate reality and interpreting buddha‑nature and tathāgatagarbha teachings in that light. Alongside this major work stand other doctrinal treatises, such as his writings sometimes referred to as the “Fourth Council” and his general expositions on the tathāgatagarbha sūtras, which further systematize the view that ultimate reality is empty only of adventitious defilements, not of its own luminous qualities. These texts collectively give the school its characteristic reading of buddha‑nature as the definitive meaning of the Buddhist path.

Tāranātha then carries this inheritance forward with remarkable breadth, uniting historical, tantric, and philosophical strands. His extensive Kālacakra commentaries, together with manuals on the sixfold vajra yoga, form the practical and scholastic backbone of Jonang tantric training, while works such as “Essence of Amrita” deepen the doctrinal articulation of this path. His historical writings, especially the “History of Buddhism in India,” situate the Jonang understanding of Kālacakra and buddha‑nature within a larger narrative of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, giving the tradition a strong sense of lineage and continuity. In parallel, other Jonang masters, including figures such as Jetsun Kunga Drolchok, contribute philosophical treatises and commentaries on the Ratnagotravibhāga (Uttaratantra) and related buddha‑nature literature, further refining the zhentong perspective.

Taken together, these works form an integrated corpus in which tantric exegesis, buddha‑nature philosophy, and contemplative instruction mutually illuminate one another. The Kālacakra Tantra and Vimalaprabhā provide the symbolic and yogic matrix; Dölpopa’s and Tāranātha’s writings articulate the great madhyamaka of zhentong as the inner meaning of that matrix; and the numerous manuals on six‑branch yoga, completion‑stage practice, and lineage history ensure that this vision is not merely theoretical but embodied in practice and transmission.