Tantra (eBook)

Fromthe Introduction Tantra,the Great Spiritual Synthesis of India Thethousands of evils arising from one's birthcan be removed by means of practice. —,Matsyendra-Samhita(7.20a) Definitions Tantraisa Sanskrit word that, like the term yoga,hasmany distinct but basically related meanings. At the most mundane level, itdenotes 'web' or 'woof.' It derives from the verbal root tan,meaning'to expand.' This root also yields the word tantu(threador cord). Whereas a thread is something that is extensive, a web suggestsexpansion. Tantracanalso stand for 'system,' 'ritual,' 'doctrine,'and 'compendium.' According to esoteric explanations, tantraisthat which expands jnana,whichcan mean either 'knowledge' or 'wisdom.' The lateAgehananda Bharati, an Austrian-born professor of anthropology at SyracuseUniversity and a monk of the Dashanami order, argued that only knowledge can beexpanded, not the immutable wisdom.Butthis is not entirely correct. Wisdom, though coessential with Reality andtherefore perennial, can be expanded in the sense of informing the spiritualpractitioner more and more. This process is like placing a sponge in a shallowpool of water. It gradually soaks up the water and becomes completely suffusedwith moisture. Thus while wisdom is always the same, it can also,paradoxically, grow inside a person. Or, to put it differently, a person cangrow to reflect more and more of the eternal wisdom. Buttantraisalso the 'expansive,' all-encompassing Reality revealed by wisdom. Assuch it stands for 'continuum,' the seamless whole that comprisesboth transcendence and immanence, Reality and reality, Being and becoming,Consciousness and mental consciousness, Infinity and finitude, Spirit andmatter, Transcendence and immanence, or, in Sanskrit terminology, nirvanaandsamsara,orbrahmanandjagat.Herethe words samsaraandjagatstandfor the familiar world of flux that we experience through our senses. Historically,tantradenotesa particular style or genre of spiritual teachings beginning to achieveprominence in India about fifteen hundred years ago—,teachings that affirm thecontinuity between Spirit and matter. The word also signifies a scripture inwhich such teachings are revealed. By extension, the term is often applied totexthooks or manuals in general. Tradition speaks of 64 Tantras,thoughas with the 108 Upanishadsthisis an ideal figure that does not reflect historical reality. We know of manymore Tantras,thoughfew of them have survived the ravages of time. Apractitioner of Tantra is called a sadhaka(ifmale) or a sadhika(iffemale). Other expressions are tantrikaortantra-yogin(ifmale) and tantra-yogini(iffemale). An adept of the Tantric path is typically known as a siddha('accomplishedone,' from sidh,meaning'to be accomplished' or 'to attain') or maha-siddha('greatlyaccomplished one,' that is, a great adept). The female adept is called siddha-angana('womanadept,' from anga,meaning'limb' or 'part'). The Tantric path itself is frequentlyreferred to as sadhana(fromthe same verbal root as siddha),andthe spiritual achievement of this path is called siddhi(havingthe dual meaning of 'perfection' and 'powerfulaccomplishment'). Siddhicanrefer either to the spiritual attainment of liberation, or enlightenment, or tothe extraordinary powers or paranormal...