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Stories of cremation grounds, skulls and shocking Aghori practices are the legends and myths of Tantra.
Few realize that the classification of Tantra as a distinct religious system is a purely western construct, or that the study of Tantra as such began only recently, in the late 1800’s. While Tantra may be alive and well in the West, within India, Tantra is rarely heard of and, when it is, it is most often associated with the occult.
Early Study: Hindu Roots
Early western academics studying the history, culture, literature and language of India (Indologists) mistakenly believed the practices and convictions they found in texts called Tantra were different from other, more conventional, Hindu religious traditions. Today, anyone who has studied Hinduism, or has a friend who is Hindu, knows the spiritual traditions of Hinduism are complex and diverse, even within themselves. Therefore, distinguishing any one practice or belief as purely Tantra is a nearly impossible task.
The very nature of Hinduism is both mystical and scientific. To understand Tantra, one must understand Hinduism. While there are also Tantra streams that are Buddhist, it is commonly believed that those, too, arose from Hinduism and, from there, developed into the Tantric Buddhism found in China, Tibet, Nepal and Japan.
What follows is a tragically brief and completely subjective synopsis of Hinduism given for the sole purpose of laying some groundwork for the exploration of the history of Tantra. If you find yourself intrigued by the information, please dive deeper into this vast and colorful religion on your own to get the bigger picture.
Three Main Elements of Hinduism: Brahman, The Vedas and Moksha
There are three main elements that compose the core of Hindu belief: Brahman, the Vedas, and Moksha.
Brahman (not to be confused with the Hindu god, Brahma, or the brahmin caste) is the One Supreme Reality. Brahman defies description, yet exists as everything. The goal of Hinduism is to reach back to Brahman, the pure spirit of the universe. Brahman is beyond time and space; never began, will never end.
The Vedas are the oldest Hindu scriptures, composed of verses called mantras which were originally passed down from generation to generation as an oral tradition. The Vedas are considered śruti, which means “what is heard”, rather than smṛti, “what is remembered”. For this reason, it is believed that the Vedas are not a static collection of scriptures, but a living, growing, dynamic communication between the One Supreme Reality and man through sound and vibration.
Moksha is liberation from suffering and the endless cycle of death and rebirth. It is the return to Brahman, the realization of the Self as the One Supreme Being. The new-age spiritual term for Moksha might be “awakening”.
What Classifies Tantra As Tantra?
Those of you already familiar with Tantrism will see, even in this short description of the most basic elements of Hinduism, the great similarity between Hinduism and what we know today to be Tantra. So, what is it that makes Tantra, Tantra? Here are a few points that define Tantra. Even among these, there is great overlap with Hinduism in general.
- Tantrics believe enlightenment is possible within one lifetime, while the practitioner is still alive. This is known as Jivanmukti. Within Hinduism, enlightenment is seen as a process that takes many lifetimes.
- Renunciation is not a requirement to attain Moksha within Tantrism. Householders, i.e., those with wives, husbands, children, homes and careers, can aspire to Jivanmukti. Within Hinduism, the aspirant either becomes a renunciate early in life, or lives the life of a householder and waits until later in life, after children are grown and career goals satisfied, to begin the spiritual journey toward Moksha.
- In Tantrism, there is no discrimination in terms of caste or gender. In most Hindu sects, spiritual study is reserved for men and then, only men within the brahmin caste.
- Tantric practices revolve around the harnessing of a power, called Shakti, that is both human and cosmic. Tantricas form a relationship with this power and learn to channel it through their bodies to realize their goals, both spiritual and mundane. The modern day, western name for this energy might be “kundalini”.
- The guru is an extremely important part of Tantrism. The guru is the teacher who is also the deity and the student as well. This is a wonderful example of the Tantric precept that the universe folds in on itself, the sacred and mundane are one and the microcosm is the macrocosm.
- Ritual, a set of actions performed for their religious significance and power - is the most basic definition of Tantra.
- The use of mantra (sacred sound), yantra (sacred geometry) and asana (specific body positions) are key elements of Tantra.
- Diving into worldly desires and engaging in forbidden activities - eating of meat, drinking of alcohol and ritualized sex, etc. - as means to attain spiritual liberation.
- Direct experience of the ultimate through life experience as opposed to representational understanding of the ultimate through conceptual truths.
- The practitioner is the deity, the deity is the practitioner. Another example of microcosm, macrocosm and non-duality, there is no separation between the deity and the practitioner.
Tantra Timeline: The Goddess Cults
It is impossible to mark the beginnings of Tantra without highlighting Shaktism and the Goddess cults. Evidence of the Goddess cults date back to the Upper Paleolithic period: “The earliest example of an Indian mother goddess figurine dates to the Upper Paleolithic. Found in the Belan Valley near Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh by the late G. R. Sharma, the image is made of bone and is carved in the round; in shape it resembles a harpoon. On the basis of carbon 14 determinations, it has been dated between 23,840 (plus or minus 830 years) B.C. E. and 17,765 (plus or minus 340 years).” (Katherine Ann Harper & Robert L. Brown, The Roots of Tantra)
Colorful stones with natural triangles upon them were also found in the same area and appeared to be of the same era. These stones were the early predecessors of the most sacred of all Tantric yantras, the Sriyantra, the Goddess in geometric form.
Owing to the fundamental significance of the temporal (fertility) and the spiritual (Shakti) of the feminine, it is likely these cults existed even before the Upper Paleolithic period and certainly before the Vedas - perhaps since the very genesis of human existence.
The most important text in Shaktism is the Devi Mahatmya, composed in the fourth century, C.E.. Here, for the first time, ". . . the various mythic, cultic and theological elements relating to diverse female divinities were brought together in what has been called the 'crystallization of the Goddess tradition.’” (C. Mackenzie Brown, The Devi Gita: The Song of the Goddess: A Translation, Annotation and Commentary)
Three Streams of Tantra: Shaktism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism
There are three major streams of Tantra: Shaktism; the path of the Goddess, Shaivism; the path of Shiva and Vaishnava; the path of Vishnu (Krishna). The Shakta tradition, as we have just discussed, is most likely the womb from which the other two streams emerge. Shaktism can be traced back to the Upper Neolithic period.
Tantric Shaivism, itself, divides into two streams. The first being “the right current”, Shaiva Siddhanta. Shaiva Siddhanta is dualistic, followers believe that The One Supreme Reality and man are two different entities. The second, “the left current”, is non-dual and is referred to as Non-dual Tantric Shaivism. The Vijyana Bhairava Tantra, a chapter of the Rudrayamala Tantra, is a key text of the Trika school of Kashmir Shaivism (a Non-dual Tantric Shaivism school of Tantra). Shaivism can be traced back to the early fourth and second centuries, B.C.E. The birth of Tantric Shaivism can be traced back to the fourth and fifth centuries, C.E.
The most well-known Vaishnava Tantrics are the Hare Krishnas. The Hare Krishna path is the Bhakti path, the path of devotion. Vaishnavas cultivate a relationship with the One Supreme Reality as the beloved. Vaishnavism can be traced back to the fourth century, B.C.E.
Tantra Timeline: The Tantras
The first Tantric scriptures date back to the fourth century, C.E., though it is commonly believed the Tantras were very much alive as an oral tradition hundreds, if not thousands of years before. Tantra rose to it’s height of popularity in India in the ninth or tenth centuries and faded nearly completely out of existence late in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
This is a timeline of some of the well known Tantras. “Tantras”, in this case, refers to texts illuminating spiritual philosophy and practice.
Mahavidya Tantra . 4th century, C.E.
Rudrayamala Tantra . 8th century, C.E.
Laksmi Tantra . 9th or 10th century, C.E.
Kularnava Tantra . 10th century, C.E.
Kalivilasa Tantra
Kalikapurana . 14th century, C.E.
Kamaratna Tantra
Mahanirvana Tantra
Neo-Tantra: Modern Day Tantra Teachings and Osho
Today’s surge of popular interest in Tantra comes to us via the Indian philosopher and mystic, Osho. In the early 1970‘s and 1980‘s, Osho delivered several talks on “The Tantra Vision”. These talks revolved around the Vijyana Bhairava Tantra and the lives of the ancient Tantric masters; Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa and Milarepa.
At the Osho ashram in Pune, India, experiential courses were created where individuals could explore Neo-Tantra; a combination of ancient Tantric practices and modern day human awareness techniques.
Closing: Inspiration
I hope this brief summary has inspired you to dig deeper, to discover Tantra for yourself. It is a journey that becomes more exhilarating with every step.
“The ultimate goal of human life, according to Tantrism, is to internalize the cosmos and unify the inner vibrations with the outer.” Lina Gupta, The Roots of Tantra
Bibliography
Harper, Katherine A., and Robert L. Brown. "The Roots of Tantra." State University of New York Press, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2012.
Wallis, Christopher D., and Ekabhūmi Ellik. Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition. The Woodlands, TX: Anusara, 2012. Print.
Srinivasan, A. V., “Hinduism”. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. Print.
Osho. "Meditation, the Science of the Inner: The Osho Experience." Meditation, the Science of the Inner: The Osho Experience. Osho, n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2012. www.osho.org.
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Chandra Bindu Tantra Institute
www.chandrabindutantrainstitute.com
310.592.1293
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