Tantra

Tantra (; Sanskrit: तन्त्र, lit. 'expansion-device, salvation-spreader; loom, weave, warp') is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed in the Indian subcontinent, beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, initially within Shaivism and Shaktism, and subsequently in Mahayana Buddhism and Vaishnavism. Tantra presents complex cosmologies, viewing the body as divine and typically reflecting the union of Shiva and Shakti. Tantric goals include Siddhi (supernatural accomplishment), bhoga, and Kundalini ascent; while also addressing states of possession (āveśa) and exorcism. The term tantra in the Indian traditions also means any systematic broadly applicable "text, theory, system, method, instrument, technique or practice". The tantras focus on sādhanā, encompassing dīkṣā, rituals, and yoga, within a framework that includes bodily purification, divine self-creation through mantra, dhyana, pūjā, mudrā, and the use of yantras or maṇḍalas, despite variations in deities and mantras. A key feature of tantric traditions is the use of mantras, thus they are commonly referred to as Mantramārga ('Path of Mantra') in Hinduism, Mantrayāna ('Mantra Vehicle') and Guhyamantra ('Secret Mantra') in Buddhism. In Buddhism, the Vajrayana traditions are known for tantric ideas and practices, which are based on Indian Buddhist Tantras. They include Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, Japanese Shingon Buddhism and Nepalese Newar Buddhism. Although Southern Esoteric Buddhism does not directly reference the tantras, its practices and ideas parallel them. In Buddhism, tantra has influenced the art and iconography of Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism, as well as historic cave temples of India and the art of Southeast Asia. Tantric Hindu and Buddhist traditions have also influenced other Eastern religious traditions such as Jainism, the Tibetan Bön tradition, Daoism, and the Japanese Shintō tradition. Certain modes of worship, such as Puja, are considered tantric in their conception and rituals. Hindu temple building also generally conforms to the iconography of tantra. Hindu texts describing these topics are called Tantras, Āgamas or Samhitās. Though Western views often equate Tantra with sex, scholars emphasize that sexual practices in tantric traditions are rare, highly restricted to initiated adepts, and serve as a means of spiritual transcendence rather than an end in themselves.