Tantrism Reference library
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
.... Tantrism also exerted considerable influence on Jainism. In a narrower sense Tantrism refers to doctrines and practices embodied in specific Śaiva and Śākta texts called Tantras. Tantrism is multilevelled and Tantric texts range from crude magic to the sophisticated metaphysics of theologians such as Abhinavagupta . Certain concepts, however, are common in Tantrism, for instance, the male-female polarity in which Śiva is passive and Śakti active. (Tantric Buddhism reverses this polarity with passive female prajñā and active male upaya .) Tantrism...
Tantrism Quick reference
A Dictionary of Asian Mythology
... With its roots in pre-Aryan ( see Aryans ), pre-Hindu ( see Hinduism entries) India, Tantrism stands as an alternative of sorts to the orthodox Hinduism of the Vedic ( see Vedic entries) tradition. It emphasizes the feminine aspect of a bipolar absolute and makes use of a spiritual practice known as sādhana , which can lead to a unification of the two poles and liberation or mokṣa ( see Mokṣa ) in our corrupt Kaliyuga or Kali age. The body is of great importance in sadhana as liberation may be achieved through bodily perfection. Thus, yoga ...
tantrism Quick reference
World Encyclopedia
... Term for religious systems within Buddhism , Jainism , and Hinduism that are based on esoteric practices recorded in sacred texts called Tantras. For Hindus and Jains, the Tantras are post-Vedic ( Vedas ) texts telling how to fulfil sexual desires and attain spiritual experiences. They contain spells and mantras and give instructions on yoga and meditative techniques for purifying and controlling the body and mind. For Buddhists, the Tantras are writings attributed to Buddha explaining how the believer may attain...
Tantrism in the West Reference library
The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature
... in the West Since at least the second half of the twentieth century, the Asian tradition known as Tantra or Tantrism has had a powerful impact on Western spirituality and on the relationship between religion and nature in the West. A vast and complex body of traditions that spread throughout the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions since at least the fifth century, Tantrism has long held a profoundly ambivalent place in the Western imagination. When it was first discovered by European orientalist scholars in the nineteenth century, Tantrism was typically...
Tantrism
Mantra Yoga
Bhūtaśuddhi
Nāth
Sat cakra bheda
Vajroli mudra
Yāmala
Dūtī pūjā
Mahāvairocana-sūtra
Kālīkula
Kulārṇava Tantra
left-hand tantra
Uṣṇīṣa-vijaya
Tantric Creation
