TANTRA

What makes Tantra distinct is that it is a duality, on one hand a purely philosophic theology, and on the other a metaohysical practise. Like most esoteric sects, it is culturally symbiotic. It exists under the guises of local deities and cultural rituals, or unassuming roadside shrines. In a land where Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic faiths collide, often in violence, Tantra exists intact and sublimated. This is often unconscious, a part of what is available should someone seeking the mystic path desire a life of deeper devotion than the average layperson. For westerners, an education in theology, even a ministry is available for the asking. So it is with the Eastern world. One may pursue the life of a Brahmin (Hindu priest), one may devote themselves to a monastery, or you can seek out one of the mad living Tantric saints, the guru, and question them about the alternatives.

What we are discussing here is very basic theory and terminology, and believe me it was difficult deciding what to leave out. Beacause this is written by a westerner, it is approached somewhat anthropologically, as data which is available for the study. I could not, living in America, begin to guess how the orthodoxy reacts and treats Tantra, nor for a moment can I believe I require a master to open my eyes for me. Undoubtedly, this may change - all in good time. One positive note, which has made Tantra seem all the more approachable to me, is the subject of human condition. The famous Hindu caste system is, formally, illegal. Nevertheless it is unlikely that a lower cast individual is allowed success pursuing the Brahminic path. One element Tantra has long been noted for, well into the past of the caste system, is that anyone is permitted to participate, no matter the caste, and that any person is permitted entrance into a Tantric circle of practice [chakra].