It would be wide off the mark to claim that we know all about tantra and have experienced the essence of it in reality. That’s a highly tedious process for one lifetime, given its vastness, subjectiveness and depth as a spiritual discipline.
But just like everything in the material and ethereal planes evolves with time, Tantra has had to evolve with the collective flow of consciousness. For those who intend to walk this path towards their spiritual goals, it’s crucial to anchor the beginnings firmly in the right fundamentals of the ancient philosophy to fulfil their spiritual quest.
That’s what we intend to do in this blog—provide insights that will remove misconceptions around Tantra spirituality and put the spotlight on the modern-day relevance of the ancient tradition.
The subject of Tantra and Tantric texts, although rooted in the 6th Century in the east, have fascinated missionaries, orientalists, psychologists and spiritualists across the west during the 19th and early 20th centuries. With origins in India and Tibet, Tantra’s psycho-spiritual, philosophical, and transformative dimensions have been widely explored globally over the centuries.
Let’s talk about one of the most evident of all misinterpretations of Tantra — that it is all about sexual practices. This misconception has prevailed across the society—be it amongst the worldly city folks or the naïve spiritual pilgrims.
The synonymous consideration of “Tantra spirituality” and “sex” is a gift of colonial and pre-modern culture. Sir William Jones, an Indo-European orientalist from the 18th century, studied Shaiva-Shakta traditions—an essential ingredient in tantra spirituality—during his tenure as a jurist in Bengal. His work laid the groundwork for later Western studies of Indian philosophy and spirituality, but western cultural biases and misunderstandings of Tantra spirituality roused critics of his work.
Then came John Woodroffe (birth name Arthur Avalon), who played a significant role in introducing tantra to a wider western audience during the 19th and 20th centuries. Though more sympathetic and scholarly in his approach, critics believed his work often emphasized the mysticism and “exotic” aspects of Tantra spirituality without adequately addressing the historical and cultural context.
Tantra’s core philosophical principle is the recognition of the unity of all existence—non-duality (Advaita), where everything is undeniably interconnected. The sacred and the mundane are not separated, but form a union of divine nature. Western scholars often misinterpreted this, either oversimplifying it or misapplying the concept to fit Western ideas of dualism and materialism.
Western scholars of the time, influenced by Christian dualistic thinking (spiritual versus material), often viewed Tantric practices in terms of binary opposites and taboos: light versus dark, good versus evil, or sacred versus profane. They had difficulty understanding Tantra’s non-dual approach, which integrates and transcends opposites into a unified whole.
Western interpretations often reduce the non-duality of Tantra to simple oppositions (like male/female or spirit/matter) rather than appreciating the nuanced and transcendent relationship between these forces.
For example, some Western scholars have mistakenly framed Shiva and Shakti (the two metaphysical core concepts and creative pantheons in tantra) as merely male and female, thereby reducing tantra to a discussion about gender relations or sexuality, rather than understanding the deeper metaphysical and energetic unity these concepts represent.
Max Muller, along with many other 19th century European Indologists, undoubtedly deserve the credit for their painstaking effort in translating and interpreting sacred Indian text. But their Euro-centric approach tried to fit Tantra spirituality into the Christian moral framework, which colored the reputation of Tantra in the west as a practice of suspicion, mysteries, and extremes.
During the 1960s and 1970s, as part of the counterculture movement, Tantra spirituality was increasingly associated with free love and sexual liberation in the West. Books, workshops, and teachers began promoting Tantra as a path to sexual enlightenment, focusing on practices like Maithuna (ritual sexual union) as the core of Tantric philosophy. This shift ignored Tantra’s deeper spiritual and meditative aspects, reducing it to a sexual technique rather than a comprehensive spiritual discipline.
The evolution of Tantra in the 20th century and its misinterpretations have been shaped by various socio-cultural, spiritual, and intellectual movements. Despite the growing global interest in Tantra, the misunderstandings and distortions from earlier periods—particularly those stemming from colonial-era Western scholarship—have persisted, and in some cases, have been amplified.
In the 20th century, some scholars began to correct these misconceptions and offer more nuanced interpretations of Tantra. Woodroffe’s book The Serpent Power (1919) helped to shift the perception of Tantra from a “depraved” system to a sophisticated spiritual tradition, focusing on Kundalini awakening and non-duality. Modern scholars like Alexis Sanderson, a leading expert in Shaiva Tantra, and Paul Dundas have corrected earlier misunderstandings, providing a more academic and accurate interpretation of Tantric texts and practices.
Etymologically speaking, the word Tantra originates from the Sanskrit root “tan,” meaning “to weave,” “extend,” or “spread,” and “tra,” meaning “instrument” or “method.” Together, Tantra can be understood as a “framework,” “system,” or “technique” that weaves various aspects of existence into a unified whole.
Figures like Swami Vivekananda and Aurobindo helped introduce Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra to the Western world, often framing them within broader spiritual and philosophical contexts. Osho challenged the Western misconceptions of Tantra as merely a system of sexual practices. He explained that sexuality is only a small part of Tantra, and its purpose is to transcend ego and merge with the divine. He spoke of Tantra’s essence as a path of non-duality (Advaita), where the mundane and the sacred are not separate.
Tantra spirituality may seem a complex paradox, especially when viewed through the lens of its teachings and practices. Tantra is both a path to spiritual liberation and a profound engagement with the material world, which can seem contradictory.
In the Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, a mystical dialogue between Shiva (Bhairava) and Shakti (Bhairavi), the practice of Maithuna is symbolic of the union between the divine masculine (Shiva) and divine feminine (Shakti).
Verses 68 to 74 out 112, as given by Shiva to Shakti, talk about sexual union as a means of attaining enlightenment. This union goes beyond the physical act of sex to teach the seeker (sadhaka) about merging of opposites,the integration of the consciousness (Shiva) with the energy (Shakti), and the realization.
Tantra spirituality is essentially a journey to know Shiva, the pure consciousness, and Shakti, its dynamic energy. Tantra is not just a system of practice, but a philosophy of life that teaches us to embrace existence in all its dimensions as a means of spiritual awakening.
Going beyond its sexual nuances, tantra spirituality teaches that liberation does not require abandoning the world but involves a deep awareness of life as it unfolds in the present moment. This moment is where one can witness the divine union and Shiva and Shakti in the microcosmos within, the dynamics of which mirrors that of the macro-cosmos above.
