Tantra

Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र) is from the root tan, meaning to extend, to weave, or to spread[1]. The literal sense is something woven, extended, or systematized; in religious usage tantra names a cluster of esoteric ritual and contemplative traditions, and the texts that codify them[2]. The term appears in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain contexts with somewhat different uses.

tantra is one of the most misunderstood religious terms because it is often reduced to sensational fragments.

Hindu tantra developed extensively from roughly the 6th century onward. Shakta tantra (centered on the Goddess), Shaiva tantra (centered on Shiva), and Vaishnava tantra (centered on Vishnu) developed sophisticated theology and practice. Tantric methods include elaborate visualization, mantra recitation, yantra (sacred diagram) use, ritual gesture (mudra), and (in some traditions) practices involving substances and actions usually considered forbidden in mainstream Hindu society. The transgressive elements function within specific ritual contexts under strict initiation.

Buddhist tantra developed in India from the 6th-7th centuries and spread to Tibet, Japan (Shingon), and other Asian regions. Vajrayana Buddhism is essentially Buddhist tantra. Methods include deity yoga, mantra recitation, mandala practice, and elaborate initiation (abhisheka) ceremonies. The relationship with a qualified teacher is treated with particular care because of the intensity of the methods.

The popular Western association of tantra with sexual practice is a significant distortion. Sexual practices exist in some tantric traditions but are a minor part of the overall picture, are highly contextualized within elaborate ritual frameworks, and are not characteristic of tantra in general. The reduction of tantra to neotantra sexual practice in 20th century Western contexts has produced something quite different from classical tantra.

Tantra is often misunderstood as transgressive or antinomian. While certain tantric practices involve ritualized transgression of ordinary norms (the famous five Ms in some Shakta tantra), this is highly contextualized and rare[3]. The vast bulk of tantric practice is ritual, contemplative, and ethical work within specific theological frameworks.

Tantra studies has developed extensively. David Gordon White's Tantra in Practice[3], Andre Padoux's writings on tantric mantra, and many others have built the field. Modern scholarship has worked hard to distinguish classical tantric practice from popular Western neotantra. Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain tantra each have their own scholarly literatures.

• Kiss of the Yoginiby David Gordon White
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• Hindu Tantric and Sakta Literatureby Teun Goudriaan and Sanjukta Gupta
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