The earliest documented use of the word "Tantra" is in the Rigveda (X.71.9).[1] Tantra[note 1] is the name given by recent scholars to a style of meditation and ritual which arose in India no later than the 5th century AD.[2] Tantra has influenced the Hindu, Bön, Buddhist, and Jain traditions and silk road transmission of Buddhism that spread Buddhism to East and Southeast Asia.[3]
Definitions[edit]
Several definitions of Tantra exist.
Traditional[edit]
The Tantric tradition offers various definitions of tantra. One comes from the Kāmikā-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.[4]
A second, very similar to the first, comes from Swami Satyananda.
Tantra embodies two sanskrit words: tanoti (expands) and trayoti (liberates)... It is the system by which you liberate or separate the two aspects of consciousness and matter - purusha and prakriti or Shiva and Shakti.[5]
A third comes from the 10th-century Tantric scholar Rāmakaṇṭha, who belonged to the dualist school Śaiva Siddhānta:
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.[6]
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar[note 2] 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."[7]
Scholastic[edit]
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.[8]
Anthony Tribe, a scholar of Buddhist Tantra, offers a list of features:[9]
- Centrality of ritual, especially the worship of deities
- Centrality of mantras
- Visualisation of and identification with a deity
- Need for initiation, esotericism and secrecy
- Importance of a teacher (guru, ācārya)
- Ritual use of maṇḍalas
- Transgressive or antinomian acts
- Revaluation of the body
- Revaluation of the status and role of women
- Analogical thinking (including microcosmic or macrocosmic correlation)
- Revaluation of negative mental states
Western[edit]
Robert Brown [10] notes that the term "tantrism" is a construct of Western scholarship, not a concept from the religious system itself. Tāntrikas (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 Mantramārga.
- 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 āgamas; Āgamic is a synonymous adjective.
History[edit]
Golden Age of Hinduism[edit]
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"[11] (ca. 320–650 AD[11]), which flourished from the Gupta Empire[12] (320 to 550 AD) to the fall of the Harsha Empire[12] (606 to 647 AD). During this period power was centralised, trade increased, legal procedures standardised and literacy grew.[12] Mahayana Buddhism flourished, but the orthodox Brahmana culture began its rejuvenation with the patronage of the Gupta Dynasty.[13] The position of the Brahmans was reinforced,[12] and the first Hindu temples emerged during the late Gupta period.[12]
Late classical period[edit]
See also: Late classical age and Medieval Hinduism
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".[14][note 3] 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."[15] This was reflected in the Tantric mandala, which could depict the king at its centre.[16]
The disintegration of central power led to religious regionalism and rivalry.[17][note 4] Local cults and languages developed, and the influence of "Brahmanic ritualistic Hinduism"[17] diminished.[17] Rural devotional movements arose with Shaivism, Vaisnavism, Bhakti and Tantra,[17] although "sectarian groupings were only at the beginning of their development."[17] Religious movements competed for recognition from local lords.[17] Buddhism lost its stature, and began to disappear from India.[17]
During this period Vedanta changed, incorporating the Buddhist emphases on consciousness and the working of the mind.[19] Buddhism, supported by the ancient Indian urban civilisation, lost influence to the traditional religions rooted in the countryside;[20] in Bengal, Buddhists were persecuted. However, it was also incorporated into Hinduism when Gaudapada reinterpreted the Upanishads in the light of Buddhist philosophy.[19] This also marked a shift from Atman and Brahman as a "living substance"[21] to "maya-vada".[note 5] where Atman and Brahman are seen as "pure knowledge-consciousness".[22] According to Scheepers, it is this "maya-vada" view which dominates Indian thought.[20]
Spread of Tantra[edit]
Tantric movements led to the formation of a number of Hindu and Buddhist esoteric schools. It has influenced the Hindu, Bön, Buddhistand Jain religious traditions and spread with Buddhism to East and Southeast Asia.[3]
Chronological use of term[edit]
A survey of the literature yields a variety of uses for "tantra":
| Period | Scripture or author | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1700–1100 BC | Ṛgveda X, 71.9 | Loom (or weaving device)[1] |
| 1700-? | Sāmaveda, Tandya Brahmana | Essence (or "main part", perhaps denoting the quintessence of the Sastras)[1] |
| 1200-900 | Atharvaveda X, 7.42 | Loom (or weaving device)[1] |
| 1400-1000 | Yajurveda, Taittiriya Brahmana 11.5.5.3 | Loom (or weaving device)[1] |
| 600-500 | Pāṇini on Aṣṭādhyāyī | Tissue obtained from the frame (tantraka, derived fromtantra) |
| 600-300 | Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa | Essence (or main part; see above)[1] |
| 350-283 BC | Chanakya[24] on Arthaśāstra | Strategy |
| 300 AD | Īśvarakṛṣṇa author of Sānkhya Kārikā (kārikā 70) | Doctrine (identifies Sankhya as a tantra)[25] |
| 320 | Viṣṇu Purāṇa | Practices and rituals (śakti, Viṣṇu and Durgā cults with the use of wine and meat)[26] |
| 320-400 | Poet Kālidāsa on Abhijñānaśākuntalam | Deep understanding or mastery of a topic[27] |
| 423 | Gangdhar stone inscription in Rajasthan[28] | Daily practices and rituals of Tantric cult (Tantrobhuta)[29] |
| 500-600 | Chinese Buddhist canon (Vol. 18–21: Tantra (Vajrayāna) orTantric Buddhism[30] | Set of doctrines or practices for obtaining spiritual enlightenment (including iconography of the body withcakras, nāḍīs and mantras) |
| 600 | Kāmikāgama or Kāmikā-tantra | Extensive knowledge of principles of reality (tattva andmantra)[31] and bearer of liberation[32] |
| 606–647 | Sanskrit scholar and poet Bāṇabhaṭṭa (in Harṣacarita[33]and in Kādambari), in Bhāsa's Cārudatta and in Śūdraka'sMṛcchakatika | Set of practices and rituals, with mandalas and yantras for propitiation of goddesses or Matrikas [29][34] |
| 788–820 | philosopher Śankara | System of thought, or set of doctrines and practices[35] |
| 950–1000 | Bhaṭṭa Rāmakaṇṭha (philosopher)[36] | Divinely-revealed set of doctrines or practices concerning spiritual worship[37] |
| 975–1025 | Philosopher Abhinavagupta in his Tantrāloka | Set of doctrines or practices, teachings or Śaiva doctrine |
| 1150–1200 | Jayaratha, Abhinavagupta's commentator on Tantrāloka | Set of doctrines or practices, teachings or Śaiva doctrine (as in Tantrāloka) |
| 1690–1785 | Bhāskararāya (philiosopher) | System of thought or set of doctrines or practices'[38] |
Practices[edit]
Rather than one coherent system, Tantra is an accumulation of practices and ideas. Because of the wide range of communities covered by the term, it is problematic to describe tantric practices definitively.
Goal[edit]
Tantric ritual seeks to access the supra-mundane through the mundane, identifying the microcosm with the macrocosm.[39] The Tantric aim is to sublimate (rather than negate) reality.[40] 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.[41]
Tantric path[edit]
For Tibetan Buddhist ideas, see Anuttarayoga Tantra.
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 balance the energies in the body/mind.
- 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:
- Purification
- Elevation
- "Reaffirmation of identity in pure consciousness"[40]
Classification[edit]
Avalon contrasts "ordinary" [42] and "secret ritual[s]".[43] 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[edit]
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 [Jontro or Gagdets] denotes the means by which a person is expected to lead their life.[citation needed]
You need knowledge [Mantra], practical/Ritual knowledge of Action[tantra], and a Gadgets [Yantra, Geometric picture]
The mantra and yantra are instruments to invoke higher qualities, often associated with specific Hindu deities such as Shiva, Shakti, orKali. Similarly, puja may involve focusing on a yantra or mandala associated with a deity.[44]
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[edit]
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 thedevadasis, and are preserved in the Melattur style of Bharatanatyam by Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer.[citation needed]
Visualisation[edit]
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.[45] 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).[46]
Classes of devotees[edit]
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).[47]
Vanamarga (secret ritual)[edit]
The secret ritual prompted Heinrich 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.[48]
Worship with the Pañcatattva 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.[43][50]
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 Mahābhūta.[51]
Sexual rites[edit]
See also: Neotantra
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2011) |
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.[52] 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.[52] These constitute an offering to Tantric deities. Later developments in the rite emphasize the primacy of bliss and divine union, which replace the bodily connotations of earlier forms.[52]
Doctrines[edit]
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 nondualforms, rejected the values of Patañjalian yoga; instead, it offered a vision of reality as self-expression of a single, free and blissful divine consciousness under Śiva.
The world is real[edit]
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" (nāśivaṃ vidyate kvacit),[53] bringing freedom from ignorance and the cycle of suffering (saṃsāra).
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.[54]
Evolution and involution[edit]
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).[40]
Shiva and Shakti are generally seen as distinct. Tantra affirms that the world and the individual jiva are real, distinguishing itself fromdualism and the qualified non-dualism of Vedanta.[40]
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."[40]
Scripture[edit]
Main article: Tantras
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,[55] Ganapatya,[56] Saura[57] and Shakta forms, and individual tantric texts may be classified as Shaiva Āgamas, Vaishnava Pāñcarātra Saṃhitās,[58] and Shakta Tantras. The word Tantra includes all such works.[59]
Influence on Asian religions[edit]
The Tantric method affected every major Indian religion during the early medieval period (c. 500–1200 CE); the Hindu sects of Shaivism,Shaktism, Vaishnavism and also Buddhism and Jainism developed a well-documented body of Tantric practices and doctrines, and Islam in India was also influenced by Tantra.[60] Tantric ideas and practices spread from India to Tibet, Nepal, China, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnamand Indonesia.[61][62] Tibetan Buddhism and some forms of Hinduism show the strongest Tantric influence, as do the postural yogamovement and most forms of American New Age spirituality.
Hinduism[edit]
Vedic tradition[edit]
Main article: Vedic
Orthodox Brahmanas incorporate Tantric rituals into their daily activities (ahnikas). Gayatri-avahanam is a common element ofSandhyavandanam in southern India.[63] Orthodox temple archakas of several sects follow rules laid out in Tantric texts; for example, priests of the Iyengar sect follow Pañcaratra agamas.
However, it has been claimed that orthodox Vedic traditions were inimical to Tantra. André Padoux notes that, in India, tantra rejects orthodox Vedic tenets.[64] 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.[65] Many orthodox Brahmans who accept the authority of the Vedas reject the Tantras.[66] Although later Tantric writers wanted to base their doctrines on the Vedas, some orthodox followers of the Vedic tradition denigrated Tantra as anti-Vedic.[67]
Shaiva Tantra[edit]
Main article: Shaivism
The tantric Shaiva tradition consists of the Kapalikas, Kashmir Shaivism and Shaiva Siddhanta. The word "Tāntrika" is used for followers of the Tantras in Shaivism.[note 7]
Yoga[edit]
Shaiva tantra produced the Hatha Yoga manuals, such as the 15th-century Hathayoga Pradīpikā and the 16th-century Gheranda Samhitā, from which modern yoga derives. The earlier (pre-Tantric) form of yoga, dating back to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, became known asRaja Yoga:
Yoga as it has been inherited in the modern world has its roots in Tantric ritual and in secondary passages (pādas) within Tantric scriptures. The practices of mantra, āsana (seat/pose), sense-withdrawal (pratyāhāra), breath-regulation (prānāyāma), mental (mantric) fixation (dhāranā), meditation (dhyāna), mudrā, the subtle body (sukshma shārīra) with its energy centers (chakras, ādhāras, granthis, etc.) and channels (nādīs), as well as the phenomenon of Kundalinī 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 Sūtra, they were greatly expanded upon, ritualized, and philosophically contextualized in these medieval Tantras.[68]
Buddhist Tantra[edit]
Main article: Vajrayana
Vajrayana includes scriptures written by the Indian Mahasiddhas.[69] 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.[70]
Western views[edit]
John Woodroffe[edit]
The first Western scholar to seriously study Tantra was John Woodroffe (1865–1936), who wrote about Tantra under the pen name Arthur Avalon and is known as the "founding father of Tantric studies".[71] 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.[72]Woodroffe practised Tantra and, while trying to maintain scholastic objectivity, was a student of Hindu Tantra (the Shiva-Shakta tradition).[73]
Further development[edit]
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.[74] 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".[75]
Modern world[edit]
Following the first Tantric presentations, popular authors (such as Joseph Campbell) brought Tantra to the attention of Westerners. Although Neotantra uses some concepts and terminology of Indian Tantra, it often omits one (or more) of the following: reliance onguruparampara (the guidance of a guru), meditation and moral and ritual rules of conduct.
As Tantra has become more popular in the West, it has undergone a transformation. It was seen as a "cult of ecstasy", combining sexuality and spirituality to correct Western repressive attitudes towards sex.[76] Hence for many modern readers Tantra is now 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.[77]
Responding to criticism of modern Western Tantra, Geoffrey Samuel, a historian of Indian and Tibetan Tantra writes:
‘Tantra’ as a modern Western sexual and spiritual practice, however complex and contested its origins in Asia, was and is more than a fringe phenomenon of the 1960s and 1970s counterculture. On the contrary, it took up themes of considerable depth and significance within Western culture, and synthesized them creatively with borrowings from Buddhist and Hindu sources. Its slow but steady growth since the 1970s suggests that its potential has not yet been exhausted, and I would contend that to dismiss it as an empty and superficial expression of the “spiritual logic of late capitalism” is to miss the possibility of a development of real value.[78]
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.[79]
Urban says he does not consider this "wrong" or "false", but "simply a different interpretation for a specific historical situation."[80]
See also[edit]
Hindu tantra
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Buddhist tantra (Vajrayana)
|
Related topics
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Notes[edit]
- ^ Sanskrit: तन्त्र, often simply means "treatise" or "exposition". Literally it san be said to mean "loom, warp"; hence "principle, system, doctrine, theory", from the verbal root tan "stretch, extend, expand", and the suffix tra "instrument", anglicised as tantrism ortantricism
- ^ 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
- ^ In the east the Pala Empire[14] (770–1125 CE),[14] in the west and north the Gurjara-Pratihara[14] (7th–10th century),[14] in the southwest the Rashtrakuta Dynasty[14] (752–973),[14] in the Dekkhan the Chalukya dynasty[14] (7th–8th century),[14] and in the south the Pallava dynasty[14] (7th–9th century)[14] and the Chola dynasty[14] (9th century).[14]
- ^ This resembles the development of Chinese Chán during the An Lu-shan rebellion and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960/979), during which power became decentralised end new Chán-schools emerged.[18]
- ^ The term "maya-vada" is primarily being used by non-Advaitins. See [web 1][web 2][web 3]
- ^ Avalon calls the Secret Ritual Panchatattva. Panchatattva has a number of meanings in different traditions. The term "panchatattva" is also employed in Gaudiya Vaishnavism.[49]
Neotantra, or tantric sex, is the modern, western variation of tantra. This includes both the new age and modern Western interpretations of traditional Indian and Buddhist tantra. Some of its proponents refer to ancient and traditional texts and principles,[1][2] and many others use tantra as a catch-all phrase for "sacred sexuality", and may incorporate unorthodox practices. In addition, not all of the elements of Indian tantra are used in neotantric practices, in particular the reliance on a guru parampara.
Contents
[hide]Tantric sexuality[edit]
See also: Tantra § Sexual rites
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2011) |
As tantric practice became known in western culture — a development that started at the province of Qazvin in Persia at the end of the 18th century,[citation needed] and that has escalated since the 1960s—it has become identified with its sexual methods in the West. Consequently, its essential nature as a spiritual practice is often overlooked. The roles of sexuality in tantra and in neotantra, while related, are actually quite different, reflecting substantial differences in their cultural contexts.
Some frequently appearing aspects of neotantra, such as animal magnetism, are similar to the 19th century sexual techniques calledKarezza used in the Oneida Community; see coitus reservatus.
In neotantra the most important features of sexual practice revolve around the experience of subtle energies within one's sensual embodiment, and the accessing of these energies both to enhance pleasure and to challenge our egotism into its dissolution. Thus, tantric sexuality often cultivates ecstatic consciousness as well as increased spiritual awareness of the erotic consciousness that pervades one's human embodiment as well as everything that contextualizes this embodiment.
Tantric sexual methods may be practiced solo, in partnership, or in the sacred rituals of groups. The specifics of these methods are often kept secret, and passed from practitioners to students in an oral tradition. It must be remembered that genuine tantric spiritual practice is merely one aspect of a comprehensive spiritual path of meditation—and that the sexual and erotic aspects of tantra cannot be authentically engaged in without adequate preparation and discipline.
In sum, neotantric sexuality is just one dimension of a spiritual path that is devoted and dedicated to the challenge of becoming aware, in every moment of our embodied lives, of the supreme flow of the sacred lifeforce itself—the sacred unity of love.
In Vajrayana Buddhism, tantric sexual practice (Sanskrit: Maithuna, cf. Tibetan:Yab-Yum) is one aspect of the last stage of the initiate's spiritual path, where s/he, having already realised the voidness of all things, attains enlightenment and perpetual bliss.[3]
Practitioners[edit]
Many teachers of this version of tantra believe that sex and sexual experiences are sacred acts, which are capable of elevating their participants to a higher spiritual plane.[4] They often talk about raising Kundalini energy,[5][6] worshiping the divine feminine, activating thechakras,.[7] In this context, the word "tantra", generally refers to the set of techniques for cultivating a more fulfilling sexual or loving relationship. On the other hand, there are also some truly dedicated scholars and teachers in the field of modern tantra.
Guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, later known as Osho, used his version of tantra in combination with breathing techniques, bio-energy, yoga, and massage in some of the groups at his ashram. He is the author of many books on meditation, taoism, buddhism, and mysticism, and at least six on tantra. One of them is Tantra, The Supreme Understanding, in which he unpacks the verses of the "Song of Mahamudra", by Tilopa. In addition out of his discourses on the Vigyan Bhiarav (or Vijnaya-bhairava), the 112 practices for enlightenment resulted in the much longer The Book of Secrets.[8] His students continue to develop his concepts.
One of Osho's students, Margot Anand, founded a school called "Skydancing" tantra. She is the author of dozens of books including theArt of Everyday Ecstasy and the Art of Sexual Magic. Another modern tantrika is Daniel Odier who believes that desire can be a valid pathway to transcendence.[9] Sexologists Annie Sprinkle and Joseph Kramer (Sex educator) are two examples of practitioners who teach sacred erotic massage.
In 1997 Deborah Anapol convened a national Celebration of Eros, "a Conference on Sacred Sexuality, bringing together for the first time, teachers from Tantric, Taoist, Sufi, Buddhist, Jewish, Pagan, Wiccan, Occult, Native American, and Afro-Caribbean traditions."
Criticisms[edit]
Georg Feuerstein, a German Indologist who also trained in tantra, writes in the epilogue of his book Tantra: Path of Ecstasy:
"Many are attracted to Neo-Tantrism because it promises sexual excitement or fulfillment while clothing purely genital impulses or neurotic emotional needs in an aura of spirituality. If we knew more about the history of Tantra in India, we would no doubt find a comparable situation for every generation." He goes on to say, "Today translations of several major Tantras are readily available in book form... This gives would-be Tantrics the opportunity to concoct their own idiosyncratic ceremonies and philosophies, which they can then promote as Tantra."[10]