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Tantras ("Looms" or "Weavings") refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Although Buddhist and Hindu Tantra have many similarities from the outside, they do have some clear distinctions.^{citation needed}

Classes of Hindu Tantra

The word Tantra also means technique or method. Hence, the Hindu Tantra scriptures refer to techiques for achieving a result, which in most cases is self-realization.

The Hindu Tantras total ninety-two scriptures, where sixty four are purely Ābheda (literally "without differentiation", or monistic), known as the Bhairava Tantras or Kashmir Śaivite Tantras, eighteen are Bhedabheda (literally "with differentiation and without differentiation" or monistic cum dualistic), known as the Rudra Tantras), and ten are completely Bheda (literally "differentiated" or dualistic), known as the Ṣiva Tantras. The latter two (Rudra Tantras and Ṣiva Tantras) are used by the Śaiva Siddhantins, and thus are sometimes referred to as Śaiva Siddhanta Tantras, or Śaiva Siddhanta Āgamas.^{citation needed} 

Revelation

Hindus consider the tantras to be divine revelations, or Śruti, imparted by Ṣiva (Shiva) in the form of Svacchandanath, who created each tantra as a combination of his five universal energies, or shakti: cit śakti (energy of all-consciousness), ānanda śakti (energy of all-bliss), īccha śakti (energy of all-will), jñāna śakti (energy of all-knowledge), kriya śakti (energy of all-action). The Tantrika Parampara, or 'Tantric tradition' may be considered parallel or intertwined with the Vaidika Parampara or 'Vedic tradition'. It is said that Svacchandanath illuminated the universe, beginning the Sat Yuga, or 'golden age', by revealing these tantras. Through the ages, as the mahasiddha or 'great masters' of the tantras hid themselves to escape the touch of the increasingly worldly people, these teachings were lost during the Kali Yuga or 'degenerate age'. As a part of Ṣiva's grace, Ṣiva took the form Śrikanthanatha at Mount Kailaṣ and revealed the ninety-two Hindu tantras to Durvasa and then disappeared into the Ākaśa or ether.^{citation needed}

Origin

In the Nath Tradition, legend ascribes the origin of Tantra to Dattatreya, a semi-mythological yogi and the assumed author of the Jivanmukta Gita ("Song of the liberated soul"). Matsyendranath is credited with authorship of the Kaulajnana-nirnaya, a voluminous ninth-century tantra dealing with a host of mystical and magical subjects, and occupies an important position in the Hindu tantric lineage, as well as in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.

Function

In contradistinction to the Vaidik ritual, which is traditionally performed out-of-doors without any idols nor emblems, the Taantrik ritual is largely a matter of temples and idols. The Tantra-s are largely descriptions and specifications for the construction and maintenance of temple-structures together with their enclosed idols and linga-s -- an example of type of text is the Ajita Mahaatantra. ¹ Another function was the conservation as state-secrets of texts for use by royalty to maintain their authority through rituals directed to deities controlling the political affairs-of-state -- an example of this is the S`aarada-tilaka Tantra. ²

References

• Lakshmanjoo, Swami. Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme. ISBN 1-58721-505-5
• Dhallapiccola, Anna. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. ISBN 0-500-51088-1
• Walker, Benjamin (1983). Tantrism: Its Secret Principles and Practices. Borgo Press. ISBN 0-85030-272-2

See also

• Kashmir Śaivism
• Tantra

Further reading

• Bagchi, P.C.; Magee, Michael (trans.) (1986). Kaulajnana-nirnaya of the School of Matsyendranath Varanasi: Prachya Prakashan. 
• Woodroffe, John. Mahanirvana Tantra (Tantra of the Great Liberation). Retrieved on 2007-05-17. 

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 13 November 2008, at 01:35.

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