Major Philosophical Thinkers and Schools: Tantricism
Tantricism (or Tantra) represents a distinctive and pervasive strand within Indian religious life — a body of esoteric practices, texts, and beliefs centred on mantras, mandalas, and secret rites, aimed at spiritual power and liberation. For UPSC History Optional aspirants, Tantricism is significant both for its distinctive philosophical and social features — its spirit of revolt against caste restrictions, its centrality of the body, and its emphasis on the guru — and for its pervasive influence across nearly all schools of Hinduism and the Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism, as well as its wider impact on Jainism, Islam, and Sikhism in South Asia. This article examines the nature and origins of Tantricism, its salient features, and its distinct manifestations within Hinduism and Buddhism.
Tantricism
- Tantrism is the search for spiritual power and ultimate release by means of the repetition of sacred syllables and phrases (mantras), symbolic drawings (mandalas), and other secret rites elaborated in the texts known as Tantras (“Looms”).
- Tantrism is an umbrella term for Tantric practices, theology, philosophy, and texts; Tantra practices vary widely in their rituals and beliefs, making it hard to define in exclusive terms.
- A key feature of these traditions is the use of mantras, and thus they are commonly referred to as Mantramarga (“Path of Mantra”) in Hinduism, or Mantrayana (“Mantra Vehicle”) and Guhyamantra (“Secret Mantra”) in Buddhism.
- They have borrowed heavily from their parent religions — Hinduism and Buddhism — and have influenced them in turn; however, some common themes are:
- belief in magic and the attainment of magical powers through practice;
- realisation of the self as deity;
- violent and sexual practices; and
- extreme devotion to god or to the Guru.
- They have borrowed heavily from their parent religions — Hinduism and Buddhism — and have influenced them in turn; however, some common themes are:
- Starting in the early centuries of the common era, newly revealed Tantras centring on Vishnu, Shiva, or Shakti emerged; there are tantric lineages in all main forms of modern Hinduism, such as the Shaiva Siddhanta tradition, the Shakta sect of Shri Vidya, the Kaula, and Kashmir Shaivism.
- In Buddhism, the Vajrayana traditions are known for tantric ideas and practices, based on Indian Buddhist Tantras; these include Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, Japanese Shingon Buddhism, and Nepalese Newar Buddhism.
- Although Southern Esoteric Buddhism does not directly reference the Tantras, its practices and ideas parallel them.
- Tantricism was very popular in northeastern India and Tibet, with some of its rituals derived from Tibetan practices.
- Tantricism was open to all castes, as well as to women; it has been suggested that Tantricism represents a simplification of Vedic worship.
- Tantric practice was centred on prayers, mystical formulae, magical diagrams and symbols, and the worship of a particular deity.
- The mother image was accorded great worship, since life is created in the mother’s womb; in this way, it is connected with the worship of Shakti.
- The Guru held the highest place in Tantricism.
Origin of Tantrism
- The origin of Tantra is disputed: some claim it to be as ancient as the Indus Valley Civilisation, though historical proof can only be found from the medieval era onward.
- It is believed that Tantrism originated in the early centuries CE and gradually developed into an actual pantheon by the end of the Gupta period.
- The spread of Buddhism to East Asia and Southeast Asia gave rise to the introduction and evolution of Tantra in these regions as well.
Salient Features of Tantrism
- The salient features of Tantrism are as follows:
- Spirit of Heterodoxy;
- The Spirit of Revolt: it professed the equality of all, encouraged free social interaction among all castes, and allowed unrestricted access to ritual worship for all — in blatant opposition to existing Brahmanic traditions;
- Ritualism;
- Centrality of the Body: the human body is regarded as the earliest medium through which truth can be realised, with the body and its faculties employed in the practice of sadhana;
- The Ultimate Reality as Bi-polar;
- Realisation as the Union of Polarities: liberation from bondage is the chief goal of Tantrism;
- The Pursuit of Siddhis;
- Predominance of Female Deities;
- Deities of Terrifying Nature; and
- Emphasis on Guru and Diksha: Tantrism is a dangerous path for those who are initiated without the guidance of a competent Guru, and no sadhaka should attempt it alone.
Nature of Influence on Both Hinduism and Buddhism
- Tantra has other connotations as well, both in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions; it may apply to any of the scriptures that usually deal with the worship of Goddess Shakti, the Sacred Feminine in the Hindu pantheon.
Hinduism
- According to Hindu tantrism, the entire universe is considered to be the divine stage where Shiva and Shakti carry on the drama of life; Tantra deals with ritual and spiritual practices to attain the grace of Shakti, with the aim of achieving liberation from the darkness of ignorance, and thus also attaining immortality.
- Today, Tantra basically exists within the Shakta, Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shaurya, and Ganapatya traditions; though each of these cults has its own texts and treatises, there is no clear line of demarcation between them, and all include the basic tenets of Tantrism.
- Extolled by some as a short-cut to self-realisation and spiritual enlightenment, left-hand tantric rites are often rejected as dangerous by most orthodox Hindus; the popular perception of Tantra among Hindus, as espoused in Indian journalism, equates it with black magic.
- Tantra is said to exist for spiritual seekers in the age of Kaliyuga, when Vedic practices are considered no longer suited to the current state of morality, and Tantra is regarded as the most direct means to realisation.
- In traditional pockets of Tantric practice in India — such as in Assam, near the venerated Hindu temple of Kali at Kamakhya; in parts of West Bengal; in Siddhanta temples of South India; and in Kashmiri Shiva temples in the north — Tantra has retained its true form.
Buddhism
- Tantric Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana Buddhism, is an ancient and highly complex system of Buddhist philosophy.
- What sets Buddhist Tantrism apart from all other sects are its rituals, which use the Upaya (or “skilful means”) aspect to attain Godhead, rather than relying on meditation alone.
- Tibet, too, has a very strong Buddhist Tantric tradition, which continues today, albeit with many of its monasteries transplanted to India; it claims to be a right-hand path, in contrast to the more varied Hindu counterparts, which include both left-hand and right-hand practices.
Conclusion
- Tantric Hindu and Buddhist traditions influenced a number of other religious traditions, both within South Asia and in other parts of the world; because tantric traditions first emerged in South Asia, their impact there is naturally the most significant.
- The South Asian traditions influenced by tantric traditions to some degree include Jainism, Islam, and Sikhism.
