Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition

by Christopher D. Wallis

a way of seeing and understanding reality that can challenge and illuminate you to the deepest levels of your being.

In other words, Tantra spreads (tan) wisdom that saves (tra). Here the second verbal root has a double meaning, for it alludes to the fact that Tantrik practices give us a means of strengthening and protecting ourselves from worldly harm, as well as bestowing the ultimate spiritual liberation (more on this later). We could equally well say that a tantra is a device (tra) for expanding (tan), as a mantra is a device for working with the mind (man), and a yantra is a device for controlling (yan). Modern teachers like to mention that the verbal root √tan means “stretch, expand,” saying that Tantra is so called because it stretches our

awareness and expands our capacity for joy. This is a good example of a modern interpretive etymology, and though it is not found in the original sources, it is very much in their spirit. In premodern India, those people

I should note here that the language of this definition is colored by the fact that the author is a dualist (which might surprise you, since all the Tantrik teachings that have come to the West are from nondualist sources).

proper initiation to the Tantrik path,

Second,

“ritual worship” of a form of the Divine. Now,

Third,

two goals of all Tantrik

spiritual f...

This state is usually called mokṣa or mukti in Sanskrit

or “liberation” or “freedom”).

The second refers to the goal of worldly enjoyment and prosperity, which enco...

and all good things of the tangible world; it is usually called sidd...

The fact that the Tantra is legitimately directed at both of these goals is one thing that sets it apart from other Indian religious traditions...

The Tantrik scriptures themselves are always said to be spoken by a form of God

Kashmīr Shaivism

Stanzas also maintained a sect-neutral—but clearly nondualistic—philosophical stance. The central concept of this work of great beauty and spiritual power is that God is nothing but the vibrant pulsation of Consciousness, moving through successive phases of expansion and contraction. The Stanzas received no fewer than seven commentaries, one by the author himself and two others of note by Kṣemarāja and Rājānaka Rāma, a disciple of Utpala Deva (of whom more will be said). THE PRATYABHIJÑĀ LINEAGE