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Tantra
Tantra , in both Hinduism and Buddhism, esoteric tradition of ritual and yoga known for elaborate use of mantra , or symbolic speech, and mandala , or symbolic diagrams; the importance of female deities, or Shakti ; cremation-ground practices such as meditation on corpses; and, more so in Hindu than in Buddhist tantra, the ritual use of wine, meat, and sexual intercourse. Tantric practices use both ritual and meditation to unify the devotee with the chosen deity. In Hindu Tantra, practice is graded into three types, corresponding to three classes of devotees: the animal, i.e., those in whom the guna, or quality, of tamas (darkness) predominates; the heroic, those in whom the guna of rajas (activity) predominates; and the divine, those in whom sattva (goodness) predominates (see Hindu philosophy ). The practice of the heroic devotee entails actual use of the five elements, called the five m 's: fish ( matsya ), meat ( mamsa ), wine ( madya ), aphrodisiac cereals ( mudra ), and sexual intercourse ( maithuna ). The animal devotee, not yet ready for the heroic practice, performs the rituals with material symbols; for the divine devotee the rituals are purely internal and symbolic. The object of the rituals, attainable only by the divine devotee, is to awaken kundalini energy, which is identified with Shakti, and merge with the Godhead. In Buddhist Tantra, or Vajrayana, in contrast to the Hindu, the female principle of "wisdom" ( prajna ) is seen as static, whereas the male, or "means" ( upaya ), is active. In Buddhism, rituals that appear to break basic moral precepts have for the most part been dropped, but the complex meditation practices have been retained.
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"Tantra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Tantra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Tantra.html "Tantra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Tantra.html |
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Tantra
Tantra (Skt., ‘extension’, ‘warp on a loom’). A text of Tantrism. The word is also sometimes used as a synonym for āgama and in a general sense for Tantric doctrine. Tantra denotes specifically Śaiva and especially Śākta texts, though a clear distinction is often difficult to make. Some Vaiṣṇava texts are also called Tantras, such as the Lakṣmi Tantra of the Pañcarātra. The teachings of the Tantras are esoteric, concerning macro-microcosmic correspondence, phonic evolution (see MANTRA), esoteric anatomy, and Kuṇḍalinī yoga. Central place is given to the transformation of desire (kāma) to a spiritual end; the metaphor used is of removing a thorn by a thorn.
Tantras take the form of a dialogue between Śiva and the Goddess (Devī). Either the Goddess asks questions and Śiva replies (āgama), or vice versa (nigama). The distinction between āgama and nigama can also refer to that between Tantra and Veda. The most important Śākta Tantras are the Nityaṣodaśikārṇava, the Yoginīhṛdaya, the Tantrarāja, the Kulārṇava, all written between 1000 and 1400 CE, and the 18th-cent. Mahānirvāṇa Tantra. See also TANTRIKA; TANTRISM. |
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JOHN BOWKER. "Tantra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Tantra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Tantra1.html JOHN BOWKER. "Tantra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Tantra1.html |
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Tantra
Tan·tra / ˈtəntrə; ˈtan-/ • n. a Hindu or Buddhist mystical or ritual text, dating from the 6th to the 13th centuries. ∎ adherence to the doctrines or principles of the tantras, involving mantras, meditation, yoga, and ritual. DERIVATIVES: tan·tric / -trik/ adj. tan·trism / -ˌtrizəm/ n. tan·trist / -trist/ n. |
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"Tantra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Tantra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tantra.html "Tantra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tantra.html |
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tantra
tantra a Hindu or Buddhist mystical or magical text, dating from the 7th century or earlier. The word is Sanskrit, and means literally ‘loom, groundwork, doctrine’, from tan ‘stretch’.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tantra." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tantra." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-tantra.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tantra." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-tantra.html |
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Tantra
Tantra (beliefs, practices, etc.): see TANTRISM.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Tantra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Tantra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Tantra.html JOHN BOWKER. "Tantra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Tantra.html |
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tantra
tantra. See tantric Buddhism.
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "tantra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "tantra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-tantra.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "tantra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-tantra.html |
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tantra
tantra
•jarrah, para, Tara
•abracadabra, Aldabra
•Alhambra • Vanbrugh
•Cassandra, Sandra
•Aphra, Biafra
•Niagara, pellagra, Viagra
•bhangra, Ingres
•Capra • Cleopatra
•mantra, tantra, yantra
•Basra
•Asmara, Bukhara, carbonara, Carrara, cascara, Connemara, Damara, Ferrara, Gemara, Guadalajara, Guevara, Honiara, Lara, marinara, mascara, Nara, Sahara, Samara, samsara, samskara, shikara, Tamara, tiara, Varah, Zara
•candelabra, macabre, sabra
•Alexandra • Agra • fiacre
•Chartres, Montmartre, Sartre, Sinatra, Sumatra
•Shastra • Maharashtra • Le Havre
•gurdwara
•Berra, error, Ferrer, sierra, terror
•zebra • ephedra • Porto Alegre
•belles-lettres, Petra, raison d'être, tetra
•Electra, plectra, spectra
•Clytemnestra • extra
•chèvre, Sèvres
•Ezra
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Cite this article
"tantra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tantra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-tantra.html "tantra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-tantra.html |
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