Tantra

Tantra

Sri Yantra in non-traditional colors

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Tantra[1] is the name given by scholars to a style of meditation and ritual which arose in India no later than the fifth century AD. The earliest documented use of the word "Tantra" is in the Rigveda (X.71.9).[2] Tantra has influenced the Hindu, Sikh, Bn, Buddhist, and Jain traditions and spread with Buddhism to East and Southeast Asia.[3]

Definitions
Several inconsistent definitions of Tantra exist.

Traditional
The Tantric tradition offers two definitions of tantra. The first comes from the Kmik-tantra: Because it elaborates (tan) copious and profound matters, especially relating to the principles of reality (tattva) and sacred mantras, and because it provides liberation (tra), it is called a tantra. The second comes from the 10th-century Tantric scholar Rmakaha, who belonged to the dualist school aiva Siddhnta:

Tantra A tantra is a divinely revealed body of teachings, explaining what is necessary and what is a hindrance in the practice of the worship of God; and also describing the specialized initiation and purification ceremonies that are the necessary prerequisites of Tantric practice. Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar[4] describes a tantric individual and a tantric cult: A person who, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, aspires for spiritual expansion or does something concrete, is a Tantric. Tantra in itself is neither a religion nor an 'ism'. Tantra is a fundamental spiritual science. So wherever there is any spiritual practice it should be taken for granted that it stands on the Tantric cult."

Scholastic
Modern scholars have defined Tantra; David Gordon White of the University of California offers the following: 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. Anthony Tribe, a scholar of Buddhist Tantra, offers a list of features: 1. Centrality of ritual, especially the worship of deities 2. Centrality of mantras 3. Visualisation of and identification with a deity 4. Need for initiation, esotericism and secrecy 5. Importance of a teacher (guru, crya) 6. Ritual use of maalas 7. Transgressive or antinomian acts 8. Revaluation of the body 9. Revaluation of the status and role of women 10. Analogical thinking (including microcosmic or macrocosmic correlation) 11. Revaluation of negative mental states

Western
Robert Brown [citation needed] notes that the term "tantrism" is a construct of Western scholarship, not a concept from the religious system itself. Tntrikas (practitioners of Tantra) did not attempt to define Tantra as a whole; instead, the Tantric dimension of each South Asian religion had its own name: Tantric Shaivism was known to its practitioners as the Mantramrga. Shaktism is practically synonymous and parallel with Tantra, known to its native practitioners as "Kula marga" or "Kaula". Tantric Buddhism has the indigenous name of the Vajrayana. Tantric Vaishnavism was known as the Pancharatra. "Tantra" denotes teachings and practices found in the scriptures known as tantras or gamas; gamic is a synonymous adjective.

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History
Golden Age of Hinduism
Tantrism originated in the early centuries of the common era, developing into a fully articulated tradition by the end of the Gupta period. This was the "Golden Age of Hinduism"[5] (ca. 320650 AD[5]), which flourished from the Gupta Empire[6] (320 to 550 AD) to the fall of the Harsha Empire[6] (606 to 647 AD). During this period power was centralised, trade increased, legal procedures standardised and literacy grew.[6] Mahayana Buddhism flourished, but the orthodox Brahmana culture began its rejuvenation with the patronage of the Gupta Dynasty.[7] The position of the Brahmans was reinforced,[6] and the first Hindu temples emerged during the late Gupta period.[6]

Late classical period

After the end of the Gupta Empire and the collapse of the Harsha Empire, power was decentralised in India. Several larger kingdoms emerged, with "countless vassal states".[8][9] (7701125 CE[8]), in the west and north the Gurjara-Pratihara[8] (7th10th century[8]), in the southwest the Rashtrakuta Dynasty[8] (752973[8]), in the Dekkhan the Chalukya dynasty[8] (7th8th century[8]), and in the south the Pallava dynasty[8] (7th9th century[8]) and the Chola dynasty[8] (9th century[8]).</ref> The kingdoms were ruled by a feudal system, with smaller kingdoms dependent on protection from larger ones. "The great king was remote, was exalted and deified."[10] This was reflected in the Tantric mandala, which could depict the king at its centre.[11] The disintegration of central power led to religious regionalism and rivalry.[12][13]</ref> Local cults and languages developed, and the influence of "Brahmanic ritualistic Hinduism"[12] diminished.[12] Rural devotional movements arose with Shaivism, Vaisnavism, Bhakti and Tantra,[12] although "sectarian groupings were only at the beginning of their development."[12] Religious movements competed for recognition from local lords.[12] Buddhism lost its stature, and began to disappear from India.[12] During this period Vedanta changed, incorporating the Buddhist emphases on consciousness and the working of the mind.[14] Buddhism, supported by the ancient Indian urban civilisation, lost influence to the traditional religions rooted in the countryside;[15] in Bengal, Buddhists were persecuted. However, it was also incorporated into Hinduism when Gaudapada reinterpreted the Upanishads in the light of Buddhist philosophy.[14] This also marked a shift from Atman and Brahman as a "living substance"[16] to "maya-vada",[17][18][19]</ref> where Atman and Brahman are seen as "pure knowledge-consciousness".[20] According to Scheepers, it is this "maya-vada" view which dominates Indian thought.[15]

Spread of Tantra
Tantric movements led to the formation of a number of Hindu and Buddhist esoteric schools. It has influenced the Hindu, Sikh, Bn, Buddhist and Jain religious traditions and spread with Buddhism to East and Southeast Asia.[3]

Chronological use of term

A survey of the literature yields a variety of uses for "tantra":

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Appearance of term "Tantra" in scriptures[21]

Period 17001100 BC 1700-? gveda X, 71.9 Scripture or author Loom (or weaving device) Meaning [2]

Smaveda, Tandya Brahmana

Essence (or "main part", perhaps denoting the quintessence of [2] the Sastras) Loom (or weaving device) Loom (or weaving device) [2] [2]

1200-900 1400-1000 600-500 600-300 350-283 BC 300 AD 320

Atharvaveda X, 7.42 Yajurveda, Taittiriya Brahmana 11.5.5.3 Pini on Adhyy atapatha Brhmaa Chanakya [22] on Arthastra

Tissue obtained from the frame (tantraka, derived from tantra) Essence (or main part; see above) Strategy Doctrine (identifies Sankhya as a tantra) [23] [2]

varaka author of Snkhya Krik (krik 70) Viu Pura

Practices and rituals (akti, Viu and Durg cults with the use of [24] wine and meat) Deep understanding or mastery of a topic [25] [27]

320-400 423 500-600

Poet Klidsa on Abhijnakuntalam [26] Gangdhar stone inscription in Rajasthan Chinese Buddhist canon (Vol. 1821: Tantra (Vajrayna) or [28] Tantric Buddhism Kmikgama or Kmik-tantra

Daily practices and rituals of Tantric cult (Tantrobhuta)

Set of doctrines or practices for obtaining spiritual enlightenment (including iconography of the body with cakras, ns and mantras) Extensive knowledge of principles of reality (tattva and [29] [30] mantra) and bearer of liberation

600

606647

[31] Sanskrit scholar and poet Babhaa (in Haracarita and in Set of practices and rituals, with mandalas and yantras for [32] Kdambari), in Bhsa's Crudatta and in draka's Mcchakatika propitiation of goddesses or Matrikas philosopher ankara Bhaa Rmakaha (philosopher) [34] [33] System of thought, or set of doctrines and practices Divinely-revealed set of doctrines or practices concerning [35] spiritual worship Set of doctrines or practices, teachings or aiva doctrine Set of doctrines or practices, teachings or aiva doctrine (as in Tantrloka) [36] System of thought or set of doctrines or practices'

788820 9501000

9751025 11501200

Philosopher Abhinavagupta in his Tantrloka Jayaratha, Abhinavagupta's commentator on Tantrloka

16901785

Bhskararya (philiosopher)

Practices
Tantra is an accumulation of practices and ideas, rather than one coherent system. Because of the wide range of communities covered by the term, it is problematic to describe tantric practices definitively.

Goal
Tantric ritual seeks to access the supra-mundane through the mundane, identifying the microcosm with the macrocosm.[37] The Tantric aim is to sublimate (rather than negate) reality. The Tantric practitioner seeks to use prana (energy flowing through the universe, including one's body) to attain goals which may be spiritual, material or both.[38]

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Tantric path
Long training is generally required to master Tantric methods. Pupils are typically initiated by a guru. A number of techniques are used as aids for meditation and achieving spiritual power: Yoga, including breathing techniques and postures (asana), is employed to subject the body to the control of the will. Mudras, or gestures Mantras: Syllables, words and phrases Mandalas Yantras: Symbolic diagrams of forces at work in the universe Identification with deities The process of sublimation consists of three phases: 1. Purification 2. Elevation 3. "Reaffirmation of identity in pure consciousness"

Classification
Avalon contrasts "ordinary" and "secret ritual[s]". Methods employed by Dakshinachara (right-hand path) interpretations of Tantra differ from methods used in the pursuit of the Vamachara (left-hand path).

Mantra, yantra, nyasa

The words mantram, tantram and yantram are rooted linguistically and phonologically in ancient Indian traditions. Mantram denotes the chant, or "knowledge." Tantram denotes philosophy, or ritual actions. Yantram denotes the means by which a person is expected to lead their life.[citation needed] The mantra and yantra are instruments to invoke specific Hindu deities such as Shiva, Shakti, or Kali. Similarly, puja may involve focusing on a yantra or mandala associated with a deity.[39] Each mantra is associated with a specific Nyasa. Nyasa involves touching various parts of the body at specific parts of the mantra, thought to invoke the deity in the body. There are several types of Nyasas; the most important are Kara Nyasa and Anga Nyasa.[citation needed]

Identification with deities

Tantra, as a development of early Hindu-Vedic thought, embraced the Hindu gods and goddesses (especially Shiva and Shakti) and the Advaita philosophy that each represents an aspect of the ultimate Para Brahman or Adi Parashakti. These deities may be worshiped with flowers, incense and other offerings (such as singing and dancing). Tantric practices form the foundation of the ritual temple dance of the devadasis, and are preserved in the Melattur style of Bharatanatyam by Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer.[citation needed] Visualisation The deities are internalised as attributes of Ishta devata meditations, with practitioners visualizing themselves as the deity or experiencing the darshan (vision) of the deity. During meditation the initiate identifies with any of the Hindu gods and goddesses, visualising and internalising them in a process similar to sexual courtship and consummation.[40] The Tantrika practitioner may use visualizations of deities, identifying with a deity to the degree that the aspirant "becomes" the Ishta-deva (or meditational deity).[41]

Tantra Classes of devotees In Hindu Tantra, uniting the deity and the devotee uses meditation and ritual practices. These practices are divided among three classes of devotees: the animal, heroic, and the divine. In the divine devotee, the rituals are internal. The divine devotee is the only one who can attain the object of the rituals (awakening energy).[42]

Vanamarga (secret ritual)

The secret ritual prompted Zimmer's praise of Tantra's world-affirming 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.[43] Arthur Avalon states that the Panchatattva,[44]</ref> Chakrapuja and Panchamakara involve: Worship with the Pacatattva generally takes place in a Cakra or circle composed of men and women... sitting in a circle, the Shakti (or female practitioner) being on the Sadhaka's (male practitioner's) left. Hence it is called Cakrapuja. ...There are various kinds of Cakra productive, it is said, of differing fruits for the participator therein.[45] Avalon provides a number of variations and substitutions of the Panchatattva (Panchamakara) "elements" or tattva encoded in the Tantras and tantric traditions, affirming a direct correlation to the Tantric Five Nectars and the Mahbhta.[46]

Sexual rites
Although equated with Tantra in the West, sexual rites were historically practiced by a minority of sects. For practicing groups, maithuna progressed into psychological symbolism. Origins According to White, the sexual rites of Vamamarga may have emerged from early Hindu Tantra as a means of catalyzing biochemical transformations in the body to facilitate heightened states of awareness.[] These constitute an offering to Tantric deities. Religious aims Later developments in the rite emphasize the primacy of bliss and divine union, which replace the bodily connotations of earlier forms. When enacted as enjoined by the Tantras, the ritual culminates in an experience of awareness for both participants. Tantric texts specify that sex has three distinct purposes: procreation, pleasure and liberation. Those seeking liberation eschew orgasm in favor of a higher form of ecstasy. Several sexual rituals are recommended and practiced, involving elaborate preparatory and purification rites. The sexual act balances energies in the pranic ida and pingala channels in the bodies of both participants. The sushumna nadi is awakened, and kundalini rises within it. This culminates in samadhi, where the individual personality and identity of each participant is dissolved in cosmic consciousness. Tantrics understand these acts on multiple levels. The male and female participants are conjoined physically, representing Shiva and Shakti (the male and female principles). A fusion of Shiva and Shakti energies takes place, resulting in a unified energy field. On the individual level, each participant experiences a fusion of their Shiva and Shakti energies.[47][48]

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Doctrines
Defined as a technique-rich style of spiritual practice, Tantra has no single coherent doctrine; instead, it developed a variety of teachings in connection with the religions adopting the Tantric method. These practices are oriented to the married householder rather than the monastic or solitary renunciant, exhibiting a world-embracing (as opposed to a world-denying) character. Tantra, particularly its nondual forms, rejected the values of Patajalian yoga; instead, it offered a vision of reality as self-expression of a single, free and blissful divine consciousness under iva or Buddha-nature.

The world is real

Since the world was seen as real (not illusory), this doctrine was an innovation on previous Indian philosophies (which saw the divine as transcendent and the world as illusion). The consequence of this view was that householders could aspire to spiritual liberation, and were the practitioner addressed by most Tantric manuals. Since Tantra dissolved the dichotomy between spiritual and mundane, practitioners could integrate their daily lives into their spiritual growth, seeking to realize the divine which is transcendent and immanent. Tantric practices and rituals aim to bring about a realization of the truth that "nothing exists that is not divine" (niva vidyate kvacit), bringing freedom from ignorance and the cycle of suffering (sasra). Tantric visualizations are said to bring the meditator to the core of their humanity and unity with transcendence. Tantric meditations do not serve as training, extraneous beliefs or unnatural practices. On the contrary, the transcendence reached by such meditative work does not construct anything in the mind of the practitioner; instead, it deconstructs all preconceived notions of the human condition. The limits on thought (cultural and linguistic frameworks) are removed. This allows the person to experience liberation, followed by unity with reality.[49]

Evolution and involution

According to Tantra, "being-consciousness-bliss" (or Satchidananda) entails self-evolution and self-involution. Prakriti (reality) evolves into a multiplicity of things but also remains consciousness, being and bliss. Maya (illusion) veils reality, separating it into opposites (conscious and unconscious, pleasant and unpleasant). If not recognized as illusion, these opposing conditions limit (pashu) the individual (jiva).[] Shiva and Shakti are generally seen as distinct. Tantra affirms that the world and the individual jiva are real, distinguishing itself from dualism and the qualified non-dualism of Vedanta. Evolution, or the "outgoing current," is only half of Maya. Involution (the "return current") takes the jiva back towards the source of reality, revealing the infinite. Tantra teaches the changing of the "outgoing current" into the "return current," removing the fetters of Maya. 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."

Scripture
The primary sources of written Hindu Tantric lore are the agama, generally consisting of four parts: metaphysical knowledge (jnana), contemplative procedures (yoga), ritual regulations (kriya) and religious injunctions (charya). Tantric schools affiliate themselves with specific agamic traditions. Hindu tantra exists in Shaiva, Vaisnava,[50] Ganapatya,[51] Saura[52] and Shakta forms, and individual tantric texts may be classified as Shaiva gamas, Vaishnava Pcartra Sahits,[53] and Shakta Tantras. The word Tantra includes all such works.[54]

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Influence on Asian religions

The Tantric method affected every major Indian religion during the early medieval period (c. 5001200 CE); the Hindu sects of Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism (and Buddhism and Jainism) developed a well-documented body of Tantric practices and doctrines, and Islam in India was also influenced by Tantra. Tantric ideas and practices spread from India to Tibet, Nepal, China, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia. Tibetan Buddhism and some forms of Hinduism show the strongest Tantric influence, as do the postural yoga movement and most forms of American New Age spirituality.

Hinduism
Vedic tradition Orthodox Brahmanas incorporate Tantric rituals into their daily activities (ahnikas). Gayatri-avahanam is a common element of Sandhyavandanam in southern India.[55] Orthodox temple archakas of several sects follow rules laid out in Tantric texts; for example, priests of the Iyengar sect follow Pacaratra agamas. However, it has been claimed that orthodox Vedic traditions were inimical to Tantra. Andr Padoux notes that, in India, tantra rejects orthodox Vedic tenets.[56] In his review of Tantric literature, Moriz Winternitz points out that while Indian Tantric texts are not hostile to the Vedas they see them as too difficult for the modern age.[57] Many orthodox Brahmans who accept the authority of the Vedas reject the Tantras.[58] Although later Tantric writers wanted to base their doctrines on the Vedas, some orthodox followers of the Vedic tradition denigrated Tantra as anti-Vedic.[59] Shaiva Tantra The tantric Shaiva tradition consists of the Kapalikas, Kashmir Shaivism and Shaiva Siddhanta. The word "Tntrika" is used for followers of the Tantras in Shaivism.[60] Yoga Shaiva tantra produced the Hatha Yoga manuals, such as the 15th-century Hathayoga Pradpik and the 16th-century Gheranda Samhit, from which modern yoga derives. The earlier (pre-Tantric) form of yoga, dating back to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, became known as Raja Yoga: Yoga as it has been inherited in the modern world has its roots in Tantric ritual and in secondary passages (pdas) within Tantric scriptures. The practices of mantra, sana (seat/pose), sense-withdrawal (pratyhra), breath-regulation (prnyma), mental (mantric) fixation (dhran), meditation (dhyna), mudr, the subtle body (sukshma shrra) with its energy centers (chakras, dhras, granthis, etc.) and channels (nds), as well as the phenomenon of Kundalin Shakti are but a few of the tenets that comprise Tantric Yoga. While some of these derive from earlier, pre-Tantric sources, such as the Hindu Upanishads and the Yoga Stra, they were greatly expanded upon, ritualized, and philosophically contextualized in these medieval Tantras.[61]

Buddhist Tantra
Vajrayana includes scriptures written by the Indian Mahasiddhas.[62] According to Tibetan Buddhist Tantric master Lama Thubten Yeshe: ...each one of us is a union of all universal energy. Everything that we need in order to be complete is within us right at this very moment. It is simply a matter of being able to recognize it. This is the tantric approach.

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Western views
John Woodroffe
The first Western scholar to seriously study Tantra was John Woodroffe (18651936), who wrote about Tantra under the pen name Arthur Avalon and is known as the "founding father of Tantric studies".[63] Unlike previous Western scholars Woodroffe advocated for Tantra, defending and presenting it as an ethical and philosophical system in accord with the Vedas and Vedanta.[64] Woodroffe practised Tantra and, while trying to maintain scholastic objectivity, was a student of Hindu Tantra (the Shiva-Shakta tradition).[65]

Further development

Following Woodroffe a number of scholars began investigating Tantric teachings, including scholars of comparative religion and Indology such as Agehananda Bharati, Mircea Eliade, Julius Evola, Carl Jung, Giuseppe Tucci and Heinrich Zimmer.[66] 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", regarding it as the ideal religion for the modern era. All three saw Tantra as "the most transgressive and violent path to the sacred".[67]

The Sri Yantra (shown here in the three-dimensional projection known as Sri Meru or Maha Meru, used primarily by Srividya Shakta sects) is central to most Tantric forms of Shaktism.

Modern world
Following these first Tantric presentations, popular authors (such as Joseph Campbell) brought Tantra to the attention of Westerners. It was seen as a "cult of ecstasy", combining sexuality and spirituality to correct Western repressive attitudes towards sex.[68] As Tantra has become more popular in the West, it has undergone a transformation. For many readers Tantra is synonymous with "spiritual sex" or "sacred sexuality," a belief that sex should be recognized as a sacred act capable of elevating its participants to a higher spiritual plane.[69] Although Neotantra uses many concepts and terminology of Indian Tantra, it often omits one (or more) of the following: reliance on guruparampara (the guidance of a guru), meditation and moral and ritual rules of conduct. According to author and critic of 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. 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.[70] Urban says he does not consider this "wrong" or "false", but "simply a different interpretation for a specific historical situation."[71]

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10

Notes
[1] Sanskrit: , "loom, warp"; hence "principle, system, doctrine, theory", from the verbal root tan "stretch, extend, expand", and the suffix tra "instrument", anglicised as tantrism or tantricism [2] Banerjee, S.C., 1988. [3] White 2000, p.7. [4] Sarkar is a contemporary Indian philosopher and tantric author, founder of the Ananda Marga school of Tantra Yoga, also known by his spiritual name, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti [5] Michaels 2004, p.40-41. [6] Michaels 2004, p.40. [7] Nakamura 2004, p.687. [8] Michaels 2004, p.41. [9] In the east the Pala Empire<ref name="FOOTNOTEMichaels200441">Michaels 2004, p.41. [10] michaels 2004, p.41. [11] White 2000, p.25-28. [12] Michaels 2004, p.42. [13] This resembles the development of Chinese Chn during the An Lu-shan rebellion and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907960/979), during which power became decentralised end new Chn-schools emerged.<ref name="FOOTNOTEMcRae2003">McRae 2003. [14] Scheepers 2000. [15] Scheepers 2000, p.127-129. [16] Scheepers 2000, p.123. [17] The term "maya-vada" is primarily being used by non-Advaitins. See <ref group=web> Mayavada Philosophy (http:/ / www. harekrishnatemple. com/ chapter21. html) [18] The Self-Defeating Philosophy of Mayavada (http:/ / gosai. com/ writings/ the-self-defeating-philosophy-of-mayavada) [19] Mayavada and Buddhism Are They One and the Same? (http:/ / gaudiyatouchstone. net/ mayavada-and-buddhism--are-they-one-and-same) [20] Scheepers 2000, p.123-124. [21] The dates in the left column of the table refer to the appearance of that tradition, even before its transcription, according to the date recognized by most scholars. The table does not include the texts traditionally considered as tantric texts with the exception of Tantrloka. [22] Also known by the name of Kautilya, Vishnugupta, Dramila or Angula. [23] Bagchi, P.C., 1989. p.6. [24] Banerjee, S.C., 1988, p.8 [25] Sures Chandra Banerjee, says [Banerjee, S.C., 1988]: "Tantra is sometimes used to denote governance. Klidsa uses the expression prajah tantrayitva (having governed the subjects) in the Abhijnakuntalam (V.5). [26] Considered to date the first epigraphic evidence of a tantric cult. [27] Joshi, M.C. in Harper, K. & Brown, R., 2002, p.48 [28] also known as Tantrayna, Mantrayna, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle. [29] Wallis, C. 2012, p.26 [30] Tanoti vipuln arthn tattva-mantra-samanvitn / Tra ca kurute yasmt tantram ity abhidhyate [31] "Banabhatta, the Sanskrit author of the 7th century, refers, in the Harshacharita to the propitiation of Matrikas by a tantric ascetic." (Banerjee 2002, p.34). [32] Banerjee, S.C., 2002, p.34 [33] ankara uses the term Kapilasya tantra to denote the system expounded by Kapila (the Snkhya philosophy) and the term Vainik-tantra to denote the Buddhist philosophy of momentary existence. (This is also partially reported in Avalon, A., 1918, p.47.) [34] Belonging to the dualist school of aiva Siddhnta. [35] Wallis, C. 2012, p.27 [36] Bhskararya uses the term "tantra" to define the Mms stras, which are not at all Tantric in the sense used here, so this demonstrates that "tantra" can be used in Sanskrit to refer to any system of thought. [37] Harper (2002), p.2. [38] Harper (2002), p.3. [39] Magee, Michael. The Kali Yantra (http:/ / www. shivashakti. com/ kaliyan. htm) [40] Cavendish, Richard. The Great Religions. New York: Arco Publishing, 1980. [41] Harper (2002), pp.35. [42] The Columbia Encyclopedia (2008), Tantra (http:/ / authenticate. library. duq. edu/ login?qurl=http:/ / literati. credoreference. com. authenticate. library. duq. edu/ content/ entry/ columency/ tantra/ 0) [43] quoted in Urban (2003), p. 168 [44] Avalon calls the Secret Ritual Panchatattva. Panchatattva has a number of meanings in different traditions. The term "panchatattva" is also employed in Gaudiya Vaishnavism.<ref>Rosen, Steven J. Sri Pancha Tattva: The Five Features of God 1994 ISBN 0-9619763-7-3 Folk

Tantra
Books, New York [45] Arthur Avalon, Chapter 27: The Pacatattva (The Secret Ritual) of Sakti and Sakta (1918) [46] Avalon, Arthur. Sakti and Sakta, ch. 27 [47] Satyananda, . [48] Woodroffe (1959), . [49] Timalsina, S. (2012) [50] Bhattacharyya, pp.18288. [51] Bhnemann. [52] Swami Niranjananda, The Tantric Tradition. Yoga Magazine, March 1998 [53] For as representing tantric Vaishnavism, see: Flood (1996), p.122. [54] For terminology of , , and , see: Winternitz, p.587. [55] http:/ / www. ibiblio. org/ sripedia/ ebooks/ sandhya/ yv/ ga. html [56] Padoux, Andr, What do we mean by Tantrism? in: Harper (2002), p.23. [57] Winternitz, volume 1, p.587. [58] Flood (1996), p.122. [59] Bhattacharyya, p.20. [60] Isabelle Onians, "Tantric Buddhist Apologetics, or Antinomianism as a Norm," D.Phil. dissertation, Oxford, Trinity Term 2001 pg 8: "Tantric Buddhism" [...] is not the transcription of a native term, but a rather modern coinage, if not totally occidental. For the equivalent Sanskrit tntrika is found, but not in Buddhist texts. Tntrika is a term denoting someone who follows the teachings of scriptures known as Tantras, but only in Saivism, not Buddhism [...] Tantric Buddhism is a name for a phenomenon which calls itself, in Sanskrit, Mantranaya, Vajrayna, Mantrayna or Mantramahyna (and apparently never Tantrayna). Its practitioners are known as mantrins, yogis, or sdhakas. Thus, our use of the anglicised adjective Tantric for the Buddhist religion taught in Tantras is not native to the tradition, but is a borrowed term which serves its purpose." [61] http:/ / thefoundationforyoga. web. officelive. com/ default. aspx [62] Beer, Robert (1999). The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, (Hardcover). Shambhala Publications. ISBN 1-57062-416-X, ISBN 978-1-57062-416-2 pg. 250 [63] Urban (2003), p. 22 [64] Urban (2003), p. 135 [65] : 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., 191416); Woodroffe, Shakti and Shakta: Essays and Addresses on the Shakta Tantrashastra (London : Luzac & Co., 1918) [66] Urban (2003), pp. 165166 [67] Urban (2003), pp. 166167 [68] For "cult of ecstasy" see: Urban (2003), pp. 204205. [69] For "Tantra" as a synonym for "spiritual sex" or "sacred sexuality," see: Urban (2003), pp. 204205 [70] Quotation from Urban (2003), pp. 204205. [71] Urban (2003), pp. 204205

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References Sources
Published
Avalon, Arthur (1918). Sakti and Sakta. Essays and Adresses on the Tantra Shastra (http://www.sacred-texts. com/tantra/sas/index.htm). Madras: Ganesh and Co. Avalon, Arthur (1972). Tantra of the great liberation Mahanirvana Tantra. New York: Dover publications. ISBN0-486-20150-3. Bagchi, P.C. (1989). Evolution of the Tantras, Studies on the Tantras. Kolkata: Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. ISBN81-85843-36-8. Second Revised Edition Banerjee, Sures Chandra (1988). A Brief History of Tantra Literature. Kolkata: Naya Prokash. Banerjee, Sures Chandra (2002). Companion to Tantra. Abhinav Publications. ISBN1-70174-022-2. Bhattacharyya, N. N. (1999). History of the Tantric Religion. New Delhi: Manohar. ISBN81-7304-025-7. Second Revised Edition

Tantra Bhnemann, Gudrun (1988). The Worship of Mahgaapati According to the Nityotsava. Institut fr Indologie. ISBN81-86218-12-2. First Indian Edition, Kant Publications, 2003. Harper, Katherine Anne (ed.); Robert L. Brown (ed.) (2002). The Roots of Tantra. State University of New York Press. ISBN0-7914-5306-5. McRae, John (2003), Seeing Through Zen. Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism, The University Press Group Ltd, ISBN9780520237988 Michaels, Axel (2004), Hinduism. Past and present, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press Nakamura, Hajime (2004), A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy. Part Two, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited Norbu, Chgyal Namkhai (1999). The Crystal and The Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen. Snow Lion Publications. ISBN1-55939-135-9. Saraswati, Swami Satyananda (2000). Sure Ways to Self Realization. Yoga Publications Trust. ISBN81-85787-41-7. Scheepers, Alfred (2000), De Wortels van het Indiase Denken, Olive Press Urban, Hugh (2003). Tantra: Sex, Secrecy, Politics, and Power in the Study of Religions. University of California Press. ISBN0-520-23656-4. Wallis, Christopher (2012). Tantra Illuminated. Anusara Press. ISBN193710401X. Wangyal Rinpoche, Tenzin; Dahlby, Mark (1998). The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN1-55939-101-4. White, David Gordon (ed.) (2000). Tantra in Practice. Princeton University Press. ISBN0-691-05779-6. Winternitz, Maurice (1972). History of Indian Literature. New Delhi: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. Second revised reprint edition. Two volumes. First published 1927 by the University of Calcutta. Yeshe, Lama Thubten (1987). Introduction to Tantra:The Transformation of Desire (2001, revised ed.). Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN0-86171-162-9. |accessdate= requires |url= (help) Timalsina, S. (2012). Reconstructing the tantric body: Elements of the symbolism of body in the monistic kaula and trika tantric traditions. International Journal of Hindu Studies, 16(1), 57-91. doi: 10.1007/s11407-012-9111-5

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Web

Further reading
Anandamurti, Shrii Shrii (1959). Tantra and its Effect on Society. Ananda Marga Pubs. Anandamurti, Shrii Shrii (Ac. Vijayananda Avt. Editor) (1994). Discourses on Tantra 1. AMPS-Ananda Printers. ISBN978-8-172-52012-0. Anandamurti, Shrii Shrii (Ac. Vijayananda Avt. Editor) (1994). Discourses on Tantra, vol. 2. AMPS-Ananda Printers. ISBN81-7252-022-0. Anandamurti, Shrii Shrii (Ac. Narayanananda Avt. Editor, Ac. Vijayananda Avt. transl. from Bengali)) (1985). Namah Shivaya Shantaya. AMPS-Ananda Printers. ISBN81-7252-098-0. Tantric Hieroglyphics I (April 1960) (http://www.srikanta-sastri.org/tantric-hieroglyphics-i/4572637750) by S. Srikanta Sastri, Quarterly Journal of Mythic Society Tantric Hieroglyphics II (July 1960) (http://www.srikanta-sastri.org/tantric-hieroglyphics-ii/4577204469) by S. Srikanta Sastri, Quarterly Journal of Mythic Society Tantric Hieroglyphics III (Dec 1974) (http://www.srikanta-sastri.org/tantric-hieroglyphics-iii/4577500740) by S. Srikanta Sastri, Quarterly Journal of Mythic Society Tantric Hieroglyphics IV (March 1975) (http://www.srikanta-sastri.org/tantric-hieroglyphics-iv/4578584334) by S. Srikanta Sastri, Quarterly Journal of Mythic Society Arnold, Edward A., ed. (2009). As Long As Space Endures: Essays on the Kalacakra Tantra in Honor of H.H. the Dalai Lama. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN978-1-55939-303-4.

Tantra Avalon, Arthur (1928). The Serpent Power. Ganesh & Co. ISBN81-85988-05-6. Bagchi, P.C. (1986). Kaulajnana-nirnaya of the School of Matsyendranath Varanasi: Prachya Prakashan. Michael Magee, transl. Davidson, Ronald M. (2003). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN81-208-1991-8. Davidson, Ronald M. (2005). Tibetan Renaissance: Tantric Buddhism in the Rebirth of Tibetan Culture. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN0-231-13471-1. Feuerstein, Georg (1998). Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy. Boston: Shambhala. ISBN1-57062-304-X. Guenon, Rene (2004). Studies in Hinduism: Collected Works (2nd ed.). Sophia Perennis. ISBN978-0-900588-69-3. Gyatso, Geshe Kelsang (2003). Tantric Grounds and Paths. Tharpa Publications. ISBN978-0-948006-33-3. Gyatso, Geshe Kelsang (2005). Mahamudra Tantra. Tharpa Publications. ISBN978-0-948006-93-7. Gyatso, Tenzin; Tsong-ka-pa, Jeffrey Hopkins (1987). Deity Yoga. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN0-937938-50-5. Kane, Pandurang Vaman. History of Dharmashastra. Pune: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Magee, Michael, tr. (1984). Yoni Tantra. Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev (1990). The Scrolls of Mahendranath. Seattle: International Nath Order. McDaniel, June (2004). Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal. New York: Oxford University Press. Mookerji, Ajit (1997). The Tantric Way: Art, Science, Ritual. London: Thames & Hudson. Rao, T. A. Gopinatha (1981). Elements in Hindu Iconography 1. Madras: Law Printing House. Smith, Frederick M. (2006). The Self Possessed: Deity and Spirit Possession in South Asian Literature (http:// books.google.com/books?id=CuB7K3bDWDsC). Columbia University Press, USA. ISBN 0-231-13748-6. Urban, Hugh (2002). "The Conservative Character of Tantra: Secrecy, Sacrifice and This-Worldly Power in Bengali kta Tantra". International Journal of Tantric Studies 6 (1). Walker, Benjamin (1982). Tantrism: Its Secret Principles and Practices. London: Acquarian Press. ISBN0-85030-272-2. Wallis, Glenn (2002). Mediating the Power of Buddhas: Ritual in the Majurmlakalpa. Albany: State University of New York Press. White, David Gordon (2003). Kiss of the Yogini: "Tantric Sex" in its South Asian Contexts. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. White, David Gordon (1998). The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Woodroffe, John (1913). Mahanirvana Tantra: Tantra of the Great Liberation (http://www.sacred-texts.com/ tantra/maha/). Arthur Avalon, transl. Retrieved January 13, 2010.

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External links
Learning materials related to Buddha oracle#8 Good Relationship (The Secret of Tantra) at Wikiversity Tantra (http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Tantra//) at the Open Directory Project Roar Bjonnes, Tantra and Veda: The Untold Story (http://www.integralworld.net/bjonnes1.html)

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