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	==Overview==		==Overview==

			] and ] state that there are three principal entwined subcategories of the Tantric path: Kaula, Mishra and Samaya. Which are cognate with Namkhai Norbu Rinpoches: Outer, Inner and Secret practices. Different traditions emphasise these subcategories and establish various strata and state that they are definitive. In Tantra there is no strata or hierarchy.

	Rather than a single coherent system, Tantra is an accumulation of practices and ideas which has among its characteristics the use of ritual, energy work, in some sects ] acts, the use of the ] to access the supramundane and the identification of the ] with the ].<ref>Harper (2002), p. 2</ref> The Tantric practitioner seeks to use the ] that flows through the universe (including their own body) to attain purposeful goals. These goals may be spiritual, material or both.<ref>Harper (2002), p. 3</ref>		Rather than a single coherent system, Tantra is an accumulation of practices and ideas which has among its characteristics the use of ritual, energy work, in some sects ] acts, the use of the ] to access the supramundane and the identification of the ] with the ].<ref>Harper (2002), p. 2</ref> The Tantric practitioner seeks to use the ] that flows through the universe (including their own body) to attain purposeful goals. These goals may be spiritual, material or both.<ref>Harper (2002), p. 3</ref>

Revision as of 06:21, 20 June 2007

It has been suggested that Tantras be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since May 2007.

This article is an overview of Tantra and an in-depth look at the Tantra of Hinduism. For an in-depth look at Buddhist Tantra, please see Vajrayana. For more information about the Hindu sacred texts classified as Tantras, see Tantras.

Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र "weave" denoting continuity), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. It exists in Hindu, Bönpo, Buddhist, and Jain forms. Tantra in its various forms has existed in India, China, Japan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Korea, Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia and Mongolia. David Gordon White, while cautioning against attempting a rigorous definition of what is a protean practice, offers the following working definition:

"Tantra is that Asian body of beliefs and practices which, working from the principle that the universe we experience is nothing other than the concrete manifestation of the divine energy of the Godhead that creates and maintains that universe, seeks to ritually appropriate and channel that energy, within the human microcosm, in creative and emancipatory ways".

Overview

Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati and Swami Rama state that there are three principal entwined subcategories of the Tantric path: Kaula, Mishra and Samaya. Which are cognate with Namkhai Norbu Rinpoches: Outer, Inner and Secret practices. Different traditions emphasise these subcategories and establish various strata and state that they are definitive. In Tantra there is no strata or hierarchy.

Rather than a single coherent system, Tantra is an accumulation of practices and ideas which has among its characteristics the use of ritual, energy work, in some sects transgressional acts, the use of the mundane to access the supramundane and the identification of the microcosm with the macrocosm. The Tantric practitioner seeks to use the divine power that flows through the universe (including their own body) to attain purposeful goals. These goals may be spiritual, material or both.

A practitioner of tantra considers mystical experience or the guidance of a Guru imperative. In the process of working with energy the Tantric has various tools at their disposal. These include yoga ~ to actuate processes that will yoke the practitioner to the divine. Also important are the use of visualizations of the deity and verbalisation or evocation through mantras ~ which may be construed as seeing and singing the power into being; identification and internalisation of the divine is enacted ~ often through a total identification with a deity, such that the aspirant 'becomes' the deity , the Ishta-Devata.

Hindu

The philosophy of Tantra is revealed in the Agamas or Tantras. Tantras exists in Shaiva, Ganapatya, and Shakta forms, amongst others.

The Tantric tradition, or Tantrika Parampara, may be considered as either parallel to, or intertwined with, the Vedic tradition (Vaidika Parampara). Swami Nikhilananda wrote not only of the close affinity with the Vedas, but also that the development of Tantric thought shows the influence of the Upanishads, the Puranas and Yoga. Tantra itself speaks of its origins. For example, the Tripura Rahasya, one of the central texts of Shakta Tantra, says, "This text has been created by summarising the teachings of the Vedas, Puranas and other scriptures."

Reality as Shiva-Shakti

According to Tantra, Reality is pure consciousness (Sanskrit: cit), which is considered to be identical with both being (Sanskrit: sat) and bliss (Sanskrit: ananda). In Tantra, this being-consciousness-bliss or Satchidananda is enshrined as Shiva~Shakti, a conjoined term conveying the inseparable nature of Shiva (the Absolute) and Shakti (the power of creation). In Tantra, any conception of the Divine which does not include Shakti, or the power to become, is considered to be incomplete.

Evolution and involution

According to Tantra, being-consciousness-bliss or Satchidananda has the power of both self-evolution and self-involution. Reality evolves into a multiplicity of creatures and things, yet at the same time always remains pure consciousness, being and bliss. In this process of evolution, Maya (illusion) conceals Reality and separates it into opposites, such as conscious and unconscious, pleasant and unpleasant, and so forth. These determining conditions if not realised as illusion; bind, limit and fetter (pashu) the individual (jiva).

In this relative dimension, Shiva and Shakti are perceived as separate. However in Tantra, even in the state of evolution, Reality remains pure consciousness, being, and bliss, though Tantra does not deny either the act or fact of this evolution. In fact, Tantra affirms that both the world process itself and the individual jiva are themselves Real. In this, Tantra distinguishes itself from pure dualism as well as from the qualified non-dualism of Vedanta.

However, evolution or the 'outgoing current' is only one half of the functioning of Maya. Involution, or the 'return current', takes the jiva back towards the source or root of Reality, revealing the infinite. Tantra is understood to teach the method of changing the 'outgoing current' into the 'return current', transforming the fetters created by Maya into that which 'releases' or 'liberates'. This view underscores two maxims of Tantra: "One must rise by that by which one falls" and "the very poison that kills becomes the elixir of life when used by the wise."

The method

The Tantric method is to sublimate rather than negate relative reality. This method of sublimation consists of three phases: purification, elevation and the "reaffirmation of identity on the plane of pure consciousness."

Practices

Because of the wide range of communities covered by the term tantra, it is challenging and problematic to describe tantric practices definitively. The basic practice, the Hindu worship known as puja may include any of the following elements.

Mantra and yantra

As in other Hindu and Buddhist yoga traditions, mantra and yantra play an important part in Tantra for keening the mindstream and bodymind. The mantras and yantras as instruments, invoke specific Hindu deities such as Shiva and Kali Ma. Similarly, puja may involve focusing on a yantra or mandala associated with a deity.

Identification with deities

Tantra, being a development of early Hindu~Vedic thought, embraced the Hindu gods and goddesses, especially Shiva and Shakti, along with the Advaita philosophy that each represents an aspect of the ultimate Para Shiva, or Brahman. These deities may be worshipped externally with flowers, incense, and other offerings; but, more importantly, are engaged as attributes of Ishta Devata meditations, the practitioners either visualizing themselves as the deity or experiencing the darshan (vision) of the deity. In Buddhist tantra, this process is known as the practice of the Yidam or Deity Yoga.

Sexual rites

Sexual rites may have emerged from early Hindu Tantra as a practical means of generating transformative bodily fluids. These constituted a vital offering to Tantric deities. Sexual rites may also have evolved from clan initiation ceremonies involving the transaction of sexual fluids. Here the male initiate was inseminated or insanguinated with the sexual emissions of the female consort, sometimes admixed with the semen of the guru. He was thus transformed into a son of the clan (kulaputra) through the grace of his consort. The clan fluid (kuladravya) or clan nectar (kulamrita) was conceived as flowing naturally from her womb. Later developments in the rite emphasised the primacy of bliss and divine union, which replaced the more bodily connotations of earlier forms. Although popularly equated with Tantra in its entirety in the West, sexual rites were practiced by a minority of sects. For many practicing lineages, these maithuna practices progressed into psychological symbolism.

When enacted as enjoined by the tantras the ritual culminates in a sublime experience of infinite awareness, by both participants. The Tantric texts specify that sex has three distinct and separate purposes — procreation, pleasure and liberation. Those seeking liberation eschew frictional orgasm for a higher form of ecstasy, as the couple participating in the ritual, lock in a static embrace. Several sexual rituals are recommended and practised. These involve elaborate and meticulous preparatory and purificatory rites. The act balances energies coursing within the pranic ida and pingala channels in the subtle bodies of both participants. The sushumna nadi is awakened and kundalini rises upwards within it. This eventually culminates in samadhi wherein the respective individualities of each of the participants are completely dissolved in the unity of cosmic consciousness. Tantrics understand the act on multiple levels. The male and female participants are conjoined physically and represent Shiva and Shakti, the male and female principles. Beyond the physical, a subtle fusion of Shiva and Shakti energies takes place resulting in a united energy field. On an individual level, each participant experiences a fusion of their own Shiva and Shakti energies.

Western views

Sir John Woodroffe

The first Western scholar to take the study of Tantra seriously was Sir John Woodroffe (1865–1936), who wrote about Tantra under the pen name Arthur Avalon. He is generally held as the "founding father of Tantric studies." Unlike previous Western scholars, Woodroffe was an apologist for Tantra, defending Tantra against its many critics and presenting Tantra as an ethical philosophical system greatly in accord with the Vedas and Vedanta. Woodroffe himself practised Tantra as he saw and understood it and, while trying to maintain his scholastic objectivity, was considered a student of Hindu Tantric (in particular Shiva-Shakta) tradition.

Further development

Following Sir John Woodroffe, a number of scholars began to actively investigate the Tantric teachings. These included a number of scholars of comparative religion and Indology, such as: Agehananda Bharati, Mircea Eliade, Julius Evola, Carl Jung, Giuseppe Tucci and Heinrich Zimmer.

According to Hugh Urban, Zimmer, Evola and Eliade viewed Tantra as "the culmination of all Indian thought: the most radical form of spirituality and the archaic heart of aboriginal India", and regarded it as the ideal religion of the modern era. All three saw Tantra as "the most transgressive and violent path to the sacred." Zimmer praised Tantra as having a world-affirmative attitude:

"In the Tantra, the manner of approach is not that of Nay but of Yea ... the world attitude is affirmative ... Man must approach through and by means of nature, not by rejection of nature".

In the modern world

Following these first presentations of Tantra, other more popular authors such as Joseph Campbell helped to bring Tantra into the imagination of the peoples of the West. Tantra came to be viewed by some as a "cult of ecstasy", combining sexuality and spirituality in such a way as to act as a corrective force to Western repressive attitudes about sex.

As Tantra has become more popular in the West it has undergone a major transformation, which has made Modern Tantra, or the New Age interpretations of Tantra, more properly called Neotantra, different from the original Tantric traditions of India. For many modern readers, "Tantra" has become a synonym for "spiritual sex" or "sacred sexuality", a belief that sex in itself ought to be recognized as a sacred act which is capable of elevating its participants to a more sublime spiritual plane. Though Neotantra may adopt many of the concepts and terminology of Indian Tantra, it often omits one or more of the following; the traditional reliance on guruparampara (the guidance of a guru), extensive meditative practice, and traditional rules of conduct - both moral and ritualistic.

According to one author and critic on religion and politics, Hugh Urban:

Since at least the time of Agehananda Bharati, most Western scholars have been severely critical of these new forms of pop Tantra or neo-Tantra. This "California Tantra" as Georg Feuerstein calls it, is "based on a profound misunderstanding of the Tantric path. Their main error is to confuse Tantric bliss ... with ordinary orgasmic pleasure.

He goes on to say that he himself does not consider neo-Tantra "wrong" or "false" but rather "simply a different interpretation for a specific historical situation."

For three Tantric practitioners (two well-known and one lesser-known), see the Dalai Lama (Buddhist), Shri Ramakrishna (Hindu) and Shri Gurudev Mahendranath (Hindu).

Notes

Norbu, p. 49
White (2000), p. 7
White (2000), p. 9
Harper (2002), p. 2
Harper (2002), p. 3
Satyananda (2000)
Harper (2002), p. 3-5
Nikhilananda (1982), pp. 145-149
Nikhilanada, .
Nikhilanada, .
Nikhilanada, .
Nikhilanada, .
Nikhilanada, .
Dalai Lama (1987). No book title given. .
White (2000)
White (2000)
Satyananda, .
Woodroffe (1959), .
Urban (2003), p. 22
Urban (2003), p. 135
: See Arthur Avalon, trans. Tantra of the Great Liberation: Mahanirvana Tantra (London: Luzac & Co., 1913); Avalon, ed. Principles of Tantra: the Tantratattva of Shriyukta Shiva Chandra Vidyarnava Bhattacharyya Mahodaya (London: Luzac & Co., 1914-16); Woodroffe, Shakti and Shakta: Essays and Addresses on the Shakta Tantrashastra (London : Luzac & Co., 1918)
Urban (2003), pp. 165-166
Urban (2003), pp. 166-167
quoted in Urban (2003), p. 168
For "cult of ecstasy" see: Urban (2003), pp. 204-205.
For "Tantra" as a synonym for "spiritual sex" or "sacred sexuality", see: Urban (2003), pp. 204-205
Quotation from Urban (2003), pp. 204-205.
For quotation "simply a different interpretation for a specific historical situation" see: Urban (2003), pp. 204-205

References

Avalon, Arthur (1972). Tantra of the great liberation - Mahanirvana Tantra. New York: Dover publications. ISBN 0-486-20150-3.
Norbu, Chögyal Namkhai (1999). The Crystal and The Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen. Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1559391359.
Harper, Katherine Anne (ed.) (2002). The Roots of Tantra. State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-5306-5. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
Nikhilananda, Swami (1982). Hinduism: Its meaning for the Liberation of the Spirit (2nd ed.). Sri Ramakrishna Math.
Saraswati, Swami Satyananda (2000). Sure Ways to Self Realization. Yoga Publications Trust. ISBN 8185787417.
Wangyal Rinpoche, Tenzin (1998). The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1559391014. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
Urban, Hugh (2003). Tantra: Sex, Secrecy, Politics, and Power in the Study of Religions. University of California Press. ISBN 0520236564.
White, David Gordon (ed.) (2000). Tantra in Practice. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-05779-6. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)

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