What is Tantra? A Short Q and A
Ramesh Bjonnes
Tantra is a complex subject and not easy to define or explain. Here is my take on this based on my experiences and studies.
- How would you define tantra?
I define Tantra as an “intuitional science,” a practical yogic path of liberation from physical and mental bondages. Tantra is a heart-centered and emancipatory path to attaining conscious union with the Divine. The Sanskrit definition I prefer for the word Tantra is that it is derived from tan plus tra. The root verb tan means “to expand,” and tra means “to liberate.” Tantra is thus the process of attaining liberation from all bondages by utilizing the fundamental cosmic energy, or Shakti, and, through physical and mental yoga, to awaken the experience of cosmic consciousness, or Shiva.
The word Tantra can also be interpreted in another way. Each being has an acoustic expression. In Sanskrit, ta is the acoustic root of dullness or inertness. Hence, Tantra is the process of liberation from the state of ta. This path is signified by a sutra my teacher, Anandamurti, often referred to: Taḿ jád́yát tárayet yastu sah tantrah parikiirtitah. This can be translated as “That which redeems human beings and paves the way for their emancipation from the bondages of inertia is called Tantra.”
Tantra is essentially a practical path, and based on its yogic practices, its philosophy has evolved. The major portion of the science of intuition in the Vedas, on the other hand, is mainly theoretical; only a small portion is practical. In Tantra, ninety percent of the intuitional science is practical, and only a smaller portion is theoretical.
Tantra can be characterized as a yogic path with the following characteristics: 1) Initiation, or Tantric diksa, from a guru or an authorized representative of the guru. 2) A personal mantra vibrated by a realized guru, a Mahakaula, is imparted to the student, in addition to many other meditation lessons 3) A path in which yantras, or sacred diagrams, are used in meditation. 4) A yogic path in which the meditation lessons are kept in secret and only imparted to “qualified” students. 5) There are various schools of Tantra, which can loosely be defined through three branches: A) Left-hand-tantra (Vama Marga), in which antinomian practices and occult powers, or siddhis, are central. B) Right-hand tantra, in which idol worship and rituals are essential. C) Middle-path-tantra (Madhya Marga), in which the primary focus is yogic meditation using pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and other practices central to yoga, such as in Laya Yoga. In Madhya Marga, the Panchamakaras, or the Five M rituals of using wine and sexual practices, etc., are all refined and internalized, and thus, the practice of maituna, sexual union, here refers to spiritual union. Maituna practice is thus the attempt at raising the kundalini force to the highest and seventh cakra through meditation to create union through the use of your own physical-psychic energy, or kundalini Shakti, and your inner, spiritual consciousness, or Shiva. 6) Tantra is thus characterized by its emphasis on using energy through raising the power of kundalini upwards by piercing the various cakras in the central spinal channel, the sushumna, as a path of spiritual liberation. 7) Tantra is, according to Anandamurti, Satyananda, and other gurus and scholars, the original yoga as taught within the ancient Shaiva tradition.
2. How do practices that derive from a tantrik worldview differ from those of others?
The Tantric worldview that I am familiar with can be summarized in the following sutra from the Ananda Sutram text of Anandamurti: Shiva Shaktyatmakam Brahma, which means that Brahma, or cosmic consciousness, is the composite of Shiva (Purusa, consciousness) and Shakti (Prakrti, energy). In this sutra, Anandamurti explains that Tantra, unlike Vedanta, is nondual and dual. The Supreme Entity, Brahman, is One, but has two aspects: the cognitive principle and the operative principle, namely Shiva and Shakti.
The Tantric triad of One in Two and Two in One mark the fundamental philosophical difference between the nondualism of Tantra and the nondualism of Vedanta. In the latter philosophy, the world is an illusion, while in the former, it is real. The practice of Tantra is not about escaping the world but about living in the world in sacred worship. Tantric practices embrace physical yoga, asanas, and pranayama, as well as meditation and devotional chanting, or kirtan. Inherently, Tantric yoga is devotional, a form of bhakti yoga, and theistic in that the Divine is both personal and impersonal. Tantric yoga is not about “stilling the fluctuations of the mind,” as in Patanjali’s definition of yoga, but about merging the mind with consciousness through the transmutational ecstasy of chanting and meditation. And unlike the jnana yoga of Vedanta, tantric yoga blends all three forms of yoga — jnana, karma, and bhakti yoga as a form of worship, service, and devotion to the Divine.
3. What does the renaissance of tantra in contemporary spiritual communities say about our current moment?
This renaissance is a contemporary search for a genuinely holistic expression of yoga, one that is both physical and mental, both ecstatic and intellectual, both spiritual and worldly. In tantra, modern-day yogis have found a contemplative practice, philosophy, and lifestyle that is not just for ascetics but also householders, for people living in the world. The renaissance of tantric yoga is also an expression of contemporary people’s search for inner meaning, for community, for a return to awe-inspired wholeness. Moreover, contemporary spiritual communities see in tantra a practice and lifestyle that does not negate the world but rather embraces the natural and mechanical world as an expression of the Divine. Thus, to those of us who desire a more integrated spiritual lifestyle, we find in tantra a worldview and a practice that is ancient yet contemporary, that is both spiritual and deeply ecological, that is both philosophically rational and spiritually inspiring.
4. What is the role of deity in a tradition that positions itself as “non-dual”?
Tantric meditation combines mindfulness, concentration, and devotional practices. Mindfulness is practiced throughout the meditation, but without concentrated devotion using mantras or a deity, the practitioner will not be able to reach the deeper union of conscious awareness that Tantric yogis aspire to. Since Tantra sees the world as an expression of the Divine, as an expression of consciousness (Shiva), the world is also conscious. According to Tantric philosophy, Shiva and Shakti are never separate; wherever there is Shiva, there is Shakti. Thus, a piece of art, or anything material, is an expression of Shiva as well as Shakti. Sacred art and diagrams, such as yantras, are expressions of the Divine.
Similarly, a cakra, or energy center in the body, is an expression of Shiva/Shakti energy. Thus, in meditation, sacred forms, diagrams, and sacred sounds, such as mantras, are tools for the mind to focus on. The first process during Tantric meditation is to withdraw the mind (pratyahara), then focus the mind in a cakra (dharana) and by employing a mantra or a deity image to merge the mind in a deeper flow (dhyana), and finally, through ecstatic union experience oneness with consciousness (Shiva), or samadhi. By utilizing a deity or a mantra, the mind can deeply concentrate because, without one-pointedness of mind, one cannot merge into the subtler level of consciousness.
The deity, then, is used as an expression of consciousness or Divinity, to enable the mind to focus so that consciousness can emerge or be revealed from within. As it is said, we churn the milk so that butter can emerge. Likewise, the use of the deity in concentrated bhakti worship or a deity in silent meditation is the churning of the mind into consciousness. In this way, Shakti energy is employed to reveal the inherent Shiva in us as the expressionless form of pure “cosmic butter.”