Susanne Mrozik review of Hugh B. Urban, Tantra (original) (raw)
Related papers
Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Hinduism and Tribal Religions, 2020
Forthcoming overview article on Hindu tantric traditions.
Tantra Reilluminated: An Emic View of Its History and Practice
Tarka , 2022
Tantra has received increasing interest among scholars and the public in recent years. Its historical origins and practices, however, are not so well understood. Sometimes misinterpreted or misrepresented, traditional Tantra is often veiled in a mist of popular myths. In the Indian imagination, Tantra is generally considered to be a dark art of magic, while in the West, it is popularized as an expression of sacred sex. However, these simplifications and misconceptions are beginning to change. In this essay, Tantric history and practice are viewed from inside the tradition rather than mainly from textual sources.
International Workshop on Tantric Studies (January 23-27, 2017)
The aim is to examine tantric scriptural and post-scriptural literature, much of which is unpublished or must be studied using numerous manuscripts. The Ratnatrayaparīkṣā is a ninth-century Kashmirian work in over 300 stanzas that deals at length with all manner of tantric notions connected with sound, language and sonic creation. A short commentary by the famous twelfth-century South Indian theologian Aghoraśiva has been published, but large fragments of what seems to be an older, more exploratory and theologically intriguing commentary of unknown authorship survive in a manuscript in Mysore. The Sarvajñānottara is a non-dualist tantra that survives in a fragmentary ninth-century codex from Nepal, as well as in many damaged South Indian manuscripts. Its text can only fully be reconstructed, however, with the additional help of Aghoraśiva's dualist commentary, a further interest of which is that it consistently subverts the text's non-dualism by ingenious distortions. The Mokṣakārikā is a work on liberation by the earliest tantric theologian of whom works are known to survive, Sadyojotiḥ (c. 675–725). A tenth-century commentary by the Kashmirian thinker Bhaṭṭa Rāmakaṇṭha has been published, but a recourse to manuscripts reveals that it can be improved on every page.
Tantra as Experimental Science in the Works of John Woodroffe
Occult Roots of Religious Studies, 2021
John Woodroffe (1865–1936) can be counted among the most influential authors on Indian religious traditions in the twentieth century. He is credited with almost single-handedly founding the academic study of Tantra, for which he served as a main reference well into the 1970s. Up to that point, it is practically impossible to divide his influence between esoteric and academic audiences – in fact, borders between them were almost non-existent. Woodroffe collaborated and exchanged thoughts with scholars such as Sylvain Lévi, Paul Masson-Oursel, Moriz Winternitz, or Walter Evans-Wentz. His works exerted a significant influence on, among many others, Heinrich Zimmer, Jakob Wilhelm Hauer, Mircea Eliade, Carl Gustav Jung, Agehananda Bharati or Lilian Silburn, as they did on a wide range of esotericists such as Julius Evola. In this light, it is remarkable that Woodroffe did not only distance himself from missionary and orientalist approaches to Tantra, but he also identified Tantra with Catholicism and occultism, introducing a universalist, traditionalist perspective. This was not simply a “Western” perspective, since Woodroffe echoed Bengali intellectuals who praised Tantra as the most appropriate and authentic religious tradition of India. In doing so, they stressed the rational, empirical, scientific nature of Tantra that was allegedly based on practical spiritual experience. As Woodroffe would later do, they identified the practice of Tantra with New Thought, spiritualism, and occultism – sciences that were only re-discovering the ancient truths that had always formed an integral part of “Tantrik occultism.” This chapter situates this claim within the context of global debates about modernity and religion, demonstrating how scholarly approaches to religion did not only parallel, but were inherently intertwined with, occultist discourses.
Selected fragments of the book Principles of Tantra
Selected fragments of: Principles of Tantra Volume I and II. Arthur Avalon. The TantraTattva of Shriyukta Shiva Candra Vidyârnava Bhattacârya Mahodaya Published by Virendra N. Tiwari for Shivalik Prakashan, First Edition Delhi 2011
Tantric Studies: Issues, Methods, and Scholarly Collaborations
In this first of two essays on the history of the Society for Tantric Studies (from the Oxford Journal of Hindu Studies, 2011;4:221-230) I will briefly consider some of the major themes and issues that have been central to Tantric Studies. The formation of the Society for Tantric Studies (STS) in 1984 has very much been a response to addressing these issues. I will then provide an overview of the development of the STS in its earliest years, and conclude with some comments on the four essays in issue 2001;4 of the Oxford Journal of Hindu Studies.
Scientific and beneficial aspects of tantra cult
Revista Científica Arbitrada de la Fundación MenteClara, 2016
This article endeavors to identify and isolate the scientific and beneficial from falsehood, superstition and mysticism surrounding tantrism. Among the various ancient Indian religious and semi-religious practices, tantra cult has got the most widespread recognition and popularity all over the world. The reason for this popularity of tantra has hardly been from academic, spiritual or philosophical interests. On the contrary, it has been associated with promises of achievements of magical and supernatural powers as well as promises of enhancement of sexual power and intensity of sexual enjoyment, and restoration of lost sexual potency of old people. In India, tantra cult has assumed a bad reputation among ordinary people. Mystery, guilt psychosis and fear have also been associated with this esoteric cult. Tantra itself is not a religion but it has penetrated most of the major religious and sub-religious communities not only in India but also in Tibet, China, Japan and many other countries (especially Asian). In India there are innumerable tantra-based societies and individual tantriks as gurus (teachers) with their circles of disciples. Nevertheless, there are many aspects of tantra which are scientifically verifiable and the effects of which are beneficial for individuals and the human society. Accordingly, at the end of the article, some studies proving decreased stress levels as a result of tantra practices are highlighted. This work also aims at inspiring more competent and erudite researchers to carry forward the task herein initiated. Resumen Este artículo se propone identificar y aislar lo científico y beneficioso de la falsedad, superstición y misticismo que envuelve al tantrismo. De todas las prácticas religiosas y semireligiosas antiguas de la India, el culto tántrico es el que ha conseguido el mayor reconocimiento y la mayor popularidad en todo el mundo. La razón de esta popularidad no ha sido el interés académico, espiritual o filosófico. Por el contrario, se lo ha asociado con promesas de obtener poderes mágicos y sobrenaturales, como también promesas de mejorar la potencia sexual y la intensidad del disfrute sexual y restablecer la potencia sexual perdida en las personas mayores. En la India, la gente común le confirió una mala reputación al culto tántrico. El misterio, la psicosis de culpa y temor también se asocian a este culto esotérico. El tantra en sí no es una religión pero ha penetrado en la mayoría de las comunidades religiosas y subreligiosas no solo de la India sino también de Tíbet, China, Japón y muchos otros países (especialmente asiáticos). En la India, son innumerables las asociaciones de tantra y los tántricos individuales en calidad de gurús (maestros) con sus círculos de discípulos. Sin embargo, son muchos los aspectos del tantra que son científicamente demostrables y sus efectos son beneficiosos tanto para los individuos como la sociedad en su conjunto. En esta línea, al final del artículo se destacan algunos estudios que demuestran la reducción de los niveles de estrés como resultado de las prácticas tántricas. Este trabajo también apunta a inspirar a más investigadores competentes y eruditos a continuar con la tarea aquí iniciada.