Tantra and Hinduism: Shared Philosophy, Common Faith - Essay Example

Tantra and Hinduism: Shared Philosophy, Common Faith There are very few reliable sources for determining when Tantra became incorporated within the various aspects of Hindu belief and practice. It is generally accepted that Tantras are not part of the ancient orthodox Vedic writings but were roughly consequent, each pervading and influencing the other. Tantric teaching basically accepted and followed the Hindu gods and provided for their worship. This similarity of ritual may help account for the introduction of Tantra into Hindu rituals. In The Tantra: Its Origin, Theories, Art, and Diffusion from India to Nepal, Victor Fic postulates that Tantra may have become incorporated into Hinduism in much the same way that Hinduism infiltrated India’s aboriginal tribal cults, and thus gradually spread throughout the Indian subcontinent (Fic, year, p. 71). The incremental nature of this process may account for the scarcity of available information on the origins of tantric Hinduism, but Fic quotes Lalan Prasad Singh in pointing out that “the incorporation of indigenous tribal fertility cults, magical practices and other beliefs and rituals” has been confirmed by various studies (Ibid). Thus, we may say with some confidence that the means by which Tantra became integrated within the three modes of Hinduism were facilitated by the medium of ritual. Sacrifice - ritual Thomas E. Donaldson refers to Hinduism as a continuum with many points of evolution; Name 2 its practices having generally led to total substitution for other, pre-Hindu religious belief systems (2002). Tantra proved to be complementary though its creed, which emphasizes the body and the individual, came under criticism from the early Vedic scholars. However, tantric worship of Hindu gods and goddesses, such as Shiva and Shakti, was facilitated through the medium of various meditative intercessors, such as incense, flowers, perfume, singing and dancing (Magee, 1989, p. 18). It is through these celebrations of the deities of the Hindu pantheon that the meditative contemplation of puja came into use, featuring the meditative contemplations of a mantra or yantra. But it is principally through the common religious medium of the gods and the Hindu mode of ritualistic worship that Tantra intermingled with Hinduism. Tantra interjected a kind of magical, proactive means for gaining control of the temporal world, which had an element of unpredictability. “Tantric ritual is about powerful and dangerous forces, which must be encountered and dealt with for the good of the community. These forces can only be manipulated by specialist priests and ritualists, and even then there is a risk that things can ‘go wrong’” (Samuel, 2008, p. 317). The presence of sexual ritual, which the early Vedic scholars reviled, has been much misunderstood as something gratuitous, even debased and degrading. As such, Tantra introduced a new and potent physical means of finding transcendence through a bodily discipline. The act of sex became “the vehicle of illumination itself; for it was in orgasm that the deity revealed itself as the transcendental core of the energies of cognition and action, the unity of light and emptiness” (Ibid). Early tantric sexual ritual included the use of semen, blood and various pigments – its goal was to generate power through the breaking of Name 3 taboo (Ibid). Wisdom – yoga There is a palpable force to the mode of wisdom, and to its achievement through the discipline of yoga. Tantric yoga’s origins, as with ritual, are obscure, though its introduction as a practice can be traded to the Upanishads. Many of the mystical pathways of inner transcendence that are so closely identified with Hinduism are the products of yoga, including asceticism, meditation and salvation through hallucination (Hopkins, 1901). The Upanishadic meaning of yoga has to do with restraint of the senses; in fact, in this early period “yoga” and “restraint” have more or less equivalent meanings (Ibid). What followed was the systematization of yoga, which took place roughly between 300 and 500 A.D., emerging as a system concerned with the integration of the body and mind (Spiritual Teachings, 1995). All of this represents the evolution of an early, perceived need to move past the physical restraints of life by altering one’s consciousness, one’s reality. This tantric wisdom was fully part of the Hindu tradition by the 11th century; by this time, “tantric theory and practice begin to have profound and observable affects (sic) on ‘mainstream’ Hinduism” (Brooks, 1990, p. 3). It is during this period that the teachings of tantric yoga “gain popularity and influence the works of non-tantric writers” (Ibid). However, evidence of yoga positions used in ancient shamanism can be found in the Rig-Veda and was an important part of the practical, intermediary role of shamans (Yoga History, 2011). Enlightenment was the ultimate goal of the practitioner. To this, Tantra added the dimension of deity yoga, in which Name 4 “one joins one’s own body, speech, mind and activities with the exalted body, speech, mind, and activities of a supramundane being, manifesting on the path a similitude of the state of the final effect of practicing the path” (Hopkins, 1990, p. 91). Thus, we see again the natural affinity between Tantra and Hindu not only in the worship of deities but in their role as mediums for the attainment of enlightenment. This led to the development of “Highest Yoga Tantra,” which encompasses both the transcendent belief in enlightenment but also a sexual component. In fact, “enlightenment” became the goal of sexual ritual as well; the term “mind of enlightenment” can also be a reference to human sexual fluids, “to the white and red essential fluids that both males and females have” (Hopkins, 1990, p. 93). Many believe that the singular pairing of compassion and sexual union which is a hallmark of Highest Yoga Tantra was the result of tantric philosophy and is among the most significant contributions of the Tantra to the development of that particular wisdom that marks Hindu ritualistic practice. The history of Tantra in India suggests that yoga may have been the very path by which tantric philosophy melded with Hinduism. Yogic wisdom is said to have originated with Shiva and come from pre-Aryan India. In fact, the practice of yoga was unknown in the Vedas, which were written by India’s Aryan invaders (Bjonnes, 2007). In spite of the Aryan incursions, Shiva’s tantric teachings, including the wisdom of yogic spirituality, continued to predominate in India and Indian culture and religious practice (Ibid). As such, the tantric wisdom may well have been more influential to the evolution of Hinduism, as we know it today, than the Vedas themselves. In fact, the early presence of tantric wisdom also helped make Hindu a religion “of the people,” whereas in its Name 5 earliest incarnation it had largely been the province of the Brahmans. Although genetic findings suggest that the influx of the Aryans likely took place in waves of migration, and thus may require a reassessment of the Tantra-Vedas timeline, the power and durability of Tantra in the evolution of Hinduism is undeniable. Faith - devotion The core pursuit of tantric Hinduism is the comingling, or joining, of mind and body in the pursuit of the hidden self. This is considered the most difficult and important aspect of the individual’s karmic journey. Tantra’s aim is to “liberate and transform” the body and mind so that the hidden self can find its true expression (Hindu Website, 2010). This is the true nature of the relationship between Tantra and Hindu and provides the common ground upon which their respective teachings came together. The common misperception is that this union of mind and body is achieved through the practice of sexual ritual. In truth, the practice of faith through the performance of devotion began with the practice of very simple daily expressions of worship. These may include prostrating oneself before the deity, purification through fasting and bathing, meditation, breathing exercises and through various other means (Hindu Website, 2010). “In pure devotional forms of worship, the body and the mind are offered to God as an act of supreme sacrifice and inner detachment, thereby allowing the divine forces to descend and do their work of inner purification and transformation” (Ibid). The union of mind and body in Tantra provides a kind of devotional framework for the practice of faith. Thus, devotional worship existed as a common ground upon which the Hindu and tantric beliefs seek the union of Name 6 mind and body. It may be said that when it comes to joining mind and body, Tantra and Hinduism define a hand-in-glove relationship. Other forms of worship are of little use in this vital spiritual pursuit without the tantric devotional forms. Mantra, or ritual chanting, and yantra, or the use of objects in worship, are of little use if mind and body are not in step (Hindu Website, 2010). In this, perhaps more than any other way, Vedic and tantric philosophy mirrored each other and were intrinsically complementary. In faith, as in other modes, tantric and Hindu belief systems were from a very early period, logical extensions of each other. It is simply difficult to determine precisely where each began and where they initially overlapped. Conclusion Tantra and Hinduism proved sympathetic philosophies that evolved together into one of the world’s greatest and most widely practiced faith traditions. Tantra and Hinduism are intertwined among the disciplines of sacrifice, wisdom and faith; adherence to a common pantheon of gods and goddesses; and the devotee’s quest for the union of body and mind. In summation, it may be accurate to state that Hinduism provided the “body” which the “soul” of Tantra could inhabit and animate. It is indeed difficult to imagine the dissemination of Hindu ritual and devotional practices throughout the world without the intercession of tantric devotional observances that took a religion once dominated by the upper caste and made it a sensual and easily accessible form of worship. Name 7 Works Cited Bjonnes, Ramesh. “The History of Tantra and Yoga. Our Challenge.” Ananda Marga Association of Yoga Educators, 2007. Web. Brooks, Douglas Renfrew and Bhaskararaya. The Secret of the Three Cities: An Introduction to Hindu Sakta Tantrism. Chicago, IL: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1990. Print. Fic, Victor M. The Tantra: Its Origins, Theories, Art, and Diffusion From India to Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan, and Indonesia. New Delhi, India: Abhinav Publications, 2003. Print. “History and Schools of Tantra, Tantric Rituals and Practices in Hinduism and Buddhism.” Hindu Website, 2010. Web. Hopkins, E. Washburn. “Yoga Technique in the Great Epic.” Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 22, 1901. Web. Hopkins, Jeffrey. “Tantric Buddhism, Degeneration or Enhancement: The Viewpoint of a Tibetan Tradition.” Buddhist-Christian Studies, Univ. of Hawaii, 1990. Web. Magee, Michael. Shri Matrika Bheda Tantra. Delhi, India: Indological Book House, 1989. Print. Samuel, Jeffrey. The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century. New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2008. Print. Name 8 “The Secrets of Hindu Worship: The Role of Mantra, Tantra and Yantra in Hinduism.” Hindu Website, 2010. Web. “Yoga History.” Yoga: The Art of Meditation, Breathing, Relaxation and Spirituality. 2011. Web. Read More