Tantra 1 Tantra Sri Yantra in non-traditional colors An article related to Hinduism •• Hindu •• History • Hinduism portal • Hindu Mythology portal 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, Bön, 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 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. The second comes from the 10th-century Tantric scholar Rāmakaṇṭha, who belonged to the dualist school Śaiva Siddhānta: Tantra 2 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: 1.1.Centrality of ritual, especially the worship of deities 2.2.Centrality of mantras 3.3.Visualisation of and identification with a deity 4.4.Need for initiation, esotericism and secrecy 5. Importance of a teacher (guru, ācārya) 6.6.Ritual use of maṇḍalas 7. Transgressive or antinomian acts 8.8.Revaluation of the body 9.9.Revaluation of the status and role of women 10.10.Analogical thinking (including microcosmic or macrocosmic correlation) 11.11.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. 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. Tantra 3 History Golden Age of Hinduism Tantrism originated in the early centuries of the common era, developing into a fully articulated tradition by the end [5] [5] of the Gupta period. This was the "Golden Age of Hinduism" (ca. 320–650 AD ), 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 [8][9] [8] larger kingdoms emerged, with "countless vassal states". (770–1125 CE ), in the west and north the [8] [8] [8] [8] Gurjara-Pratihara (7th–10th century ), in the southwest the Rashtrakuta Dynasty (752–973 ), in the Dekkhan [8] [8] [8] [8] the Chalukya dynasty (7th–8th century ), and in the south the Pallava dynasty (7th–9th century ) 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, Bön, 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": Tantra 4 Appearance of term "Tantra" in scriptures[21] Period Scripture or author Meaning Ṛgveda [2] 1700–1100 X, 71.9 Loom (or weaving device) BC Tandya Brahmana 1700-? Sāmaveda, Essence (or "main part", perhaps denoting the quintessence of [2] the Sastras) Atharvaveda [2] 1200-900 X, 7.42 Loom (or weaving device) Taittiriya Brahmana [2] 1400-1000 Yajurveda, 11.5.5.3 Loom (or weaving device) 600-500 Pāṇini on Aṣṭādhyāyī Tissue obtained from the frame (tantraka, derived from tantra) Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa [2] 600-300 Essence (or main part; see above) [22] 350-283 BC Chanakya on Arthaśāstra Strategy Sānkhya Kārikā kārikā [23] 300 AD Īśvarakṛṣṇa author of ( 70) Doctrine (identifies Sankhya as a tantra) Viṣṇu Purāṇa 320 Practices and rituals (śakti, Viṣṇu and Durgā cults with the use of [24] wine and meat) Abhijñānaśākuntalam [25] 320-400 Poet Kālidāsa on Deep understanding or mastery of a topic [26] [27] 423 Gangdhar stone inscription in Rajasthan Daily practices and rituals of Tantric cult (Tantrobhuta) 500-600 Set of doctrines or practices for obtaining spiritual enlightenment Chinese Buddhist canon (Vol. 18–21: Tantra (Vajrayāna) or [28] cakras nāḍīs Tantric Buddhism (including iconography of the body with , and mantras) Kāmikāgama Kāmikā-tantra 600 or Extensive knowledge of principles of reality (tattva and [29] [30] mantra) and bearer of liberation [31] 606–647 Sanskrit scholar and poet Bāṇabhaṭṭa (in Harṣacarita and in Set of practices and rituals, with mandalas and yantras for [32] Kādambari), in Bhāsa's Cārudatta and in Śūdraka's Mṛcchakatika propitiation of goddesses or Matrikas [33] 788–820 philosopher Śankara System of thought, or set of doctrines and practices [34] 950–1000 Bhaṭṭa Rāmakaṇṭha (philosopher) Divinely-revealed set of doctrines or practices concerning [35] spiritual worship 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) [36] 1690–1785 Bhāskararāya (philiosopher) System of thought or set of doctrines or practices' 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] Tantra 5 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: 1.1.Purification 2.2.Elevation 3.3."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.