Tantra: A manual of or a particular path of sadhana laying great stress upon japa of a mantra and other esoteric practices relating to the powers latent in the human complex of physical, astral, and causal bodies in relation to the cosmic Power usually thought as the Divine Feminine.

(See also: Tantra, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Tantra toning: a means of raising and releasing energy in the body. Its theory posits chakras and a Vibrational healing power in the human voice.

(See also: Tantra toning, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

White Tantra: grandfather of hatha yoga. It includes pranayama. Practicing White Tantra balances the positive and negative energies of the body.

(See also: White Tantra, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

SkyDancing Tantra: Westernized form of Tantra developed by Margo Anand, author of The Art of Sexual Ecstasy and the bestseller The Art of Sexual Magic. SkyDancing Tantra is an approach to sexual ecstasy that borrows from bioenergetics, NLP, shamanism, and transpersonal psychology. It awakens vitality and hidden powers of the brain. The Fall 1997 New York Open Center catalog described the expression SkyDancing as an ancient metaphor for the ability to reach ecstatic states when love is experienced as a joyful meditation.

(See also: SkyDancing Tantra, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

LEFT-HANDED TANTRA

A euphemism for sex magick.

(See also: LEFT-HANDED TANTRA, Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul, )

Mantra-tantra-sastra (Sanskrit) A scripture on the science of magic and incantation.

(See also: Mantra-tantra-sastra, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

swa-tantra:

swa-tantra (sva-thanthra). Freedom.

(See also: swa-tantra, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Mantra Tantra Shastras (Sanskrit). Works on incantations, but specially on magic.

(See also: Mantra Tantra Shastras, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )

Tantras (Sanskrit) Loom, the warp or threads in a loom; a rule or ritual for ceremonial rites. Religious treatises teaching mystical and magical formulas for the attainment of magical powers, and for the worship of the gods; treating of the evolution of the universe and its destruction; the adoration of the divinities; the attainment of desired objects, especially of six superhuman faculties; and methods of union (usually given as four) with the supreme divinity by contemplative meditation. They are mostly composed in the form of dialogues between Siva and his divine consort or sakti Durga, who is worshiped as a personified female power.

The tendency of these works for long ages has been towards black magic. "The origin of the Tantras unquestionably goes back to a very remote antiquity, and there seems to be little doubt that these works, or their originals, were heirlooms handed down from originally debased or degenerate Atlantean racial offshoots. There is, of course, a certain amount of profoundly philosophical and mystical thought running through the more important tantrika works, but the tantrika worship in many cases is highly licentious and immoral" (OG 17;1).

(See also: Tantras, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Tantra

1)    The word tantra refers to certain Hindu and Buddhist scriptures, or the rituals and practices described therein. They deal especially with meditative techniques and rituals involving sexual practices.

2)    A word invented to describe the Hindu and Buddhist "scriptures" (which are actually called Sutras and Vedas) which show people "shortcuts" to getting Prajna ("enlightenment").

(See also: Tantra, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

tantra: (Sanskrit) "Loom, methodology."

1)    Most generally, a synonym for shastra, "scripture."

2)    A synonym for the Agamic texts, especially those of the Shakta faith, a class of Hindu scripture providing detailed instruction on all aspects of religion, mystic knowledge and science. The tantras are also associated with the Saiva tradition.

3)    A specific method, technique or spiritual practice within the Saiva and Shakta traditions. For example, pranayama is a tantra. Tantra generally involves a reversal of the normal flow of energies. Its perspective is that the inner self is most important, and outer life is secondary. Tantra causes the life force to flow up through the sushumna. Many are the methods for overcoming the unovercomeable. Fallen into the hands of the unscrupulous, these techniques become black magic (abhichara).

(See also: Tantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Mahanirvana Tantra: (Sanskrit) "Treatise on the great emancipation." An 11th-century advaita scripture dealing with mantra and esoteric rituals.

(See also: Mahanirvana Tantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Rudrayamala Tantra: (Sanskrit) Little known text dealing with worship.

(See also: Rudrayamala Tantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Tantra

Tantra (which means "woven together") is a term loosely applied to a system of Hindu yoga in which the union of male and female principles is revered. In practice, this has led to a form of physical ritual in which slow love-making is seen as a path to the divine and forms a path to the experience of spiritual ecstasy. A modified version of Hindu Tantra can also be found in Tibetan Buddhism.

(See also: Tantra, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

 Tantras:

treatises on ritual, meditation, discipline, etc.

(See also:  Tantras, Body Mind and Soul)

Kularnava Tantra: (Sanskrit) A leading scripture of the Kaula school of Shaktism. It comprises 17 chapters totaling 2,058 verses which focus on ways to liberation, with notable chapters on the guru-shishya relationship.

(See also: Kularnava Tantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Bodywork Tantra: Meditative derivative of chakra healing and Zen Shiatsu developed by shiatsu schoolmaster Harold Dull. It encompasses Co-Centering, Tantsu, and Watsu.

(See also: Bodywork Tantra, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

vasana daha tantra: (Sanskrit) "Subconscious purification by fire."

Daha means to burn, a tantra is a method, and vasanas are deep-seated subconscious traits or tendencies that shape one's attitudes and motivations. Vasanas can be ether positive or negative.

One of the best methods for resolving difficulties in life, of dissolving troublesome vasanas, the vasana daha tantra is the practice of burning confessions, or even long letters to loved ones or acquaintances, describing pains, expressing confusions and registering complaints and long-held hurts.

Writing down problems and burning them in any ordinary fire brings them from the subconscious into the external mind, releasing the supressed emotion as the fire consumes the paper. This is a magical healing process.

See: lekhaprartha havana, vasana.

(See also: Vasana daha tantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

vasana daha tantra: (Sanskrit) "Subconscious

purification by fire." Daha means to burn, a tantra is a

method, and vasanas are deep-seated subconscious traits or

tendencies that shape one's attitudes and motivations.

Vasanas can be ether positive or negative. One of the best

methods for resolving difficulties in life, of dissolving

troublesome vasanas, the vasana daha tantra is the practice

of burning confessions, or even long letters to loved ones or acquaintances, describing pains, expressing confusions

and registering complaints and long-held hurts. Writing

down problems and burning them in any ordinary fire

brings them from the subconscious into the external mind,

releasing the supressed emotion as the fire consumes the

paper. This is a magical healing process.

See: lekhaprartha

havana, vasana.

(See also: Vasana daha tantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

A Theosophical definition of Tantra(s) :

Tantra(s)

(Sanskrit) A word literally meaning a "loom" or the warp or threads in a loom, and, by extension of meaning, signifying a rule or ritual for ceremonial rites. The Hindu Tantras are numerous works or religious treatises teaching mystical and magical formulae or formularies for the attainment of magical or quasi-magical powers, and for the worship of the gods. They are mostly composed in the form of dialogs between Siva and his divine consort Durga, these two divinities being the peculiar objects of the adoration of the Tantrins.

In many parts of India the authority of the Tantras seems almost to have superseded the clean and poetical hymns of the Vedas.

Most tantric works are supposed to contain five different subjects: (1) the manifestation or evolution of the universe; (2) its destruction; (3) the worship or adoration of the divinities; (4) the achievement or attainment of desired objects and especially of six superhuman faculties; (5) modes or methods of union, usually enumerated as four, with the supreme divinity of the kosmos by means of contemplative meditation.

Unfortunately, while there is much of interest in the tantric works, their tendency for long ages has been distinctly towards what in occultism is known as sorcery or black magic. Some of the rites or ceremonies practiced have to do with revolting details connected with sex.

Durga, the consort of Siva, his sakti or energy, is worshiped by the Tantrins as a distinct personified female power.

The origin of the Tantras unquestionably goes back to a very remote antiquity, and there seems to be little doubt that these works, or their originals, were heirlooms handed down from originally debased or degenerate Atlantean racial offshoots. There is, of course, a certain amount of profoundly philosophical and mystical thought running through the more important tantric works, but the tantric worship in many cases is highly licentious and immoral.

See also: Tantra(s, Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul)

bodhi tantra: (Sanskrit) "Wise methods; ways of wisdom." See: sadhana, tantra.

(See also: Bodhi tantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)