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Tantric Sadhana
Just as philosophical doctrines vary among the many schools and lineages that constitute the Tantric tradition, so also do the
 | forms of sadhana or spiritual disciplines that are associated with them. In many cases the philosophical emphasis of a particular school is reflected in the forms of sadhana characteristic of that school. For instance, the advaita doctrine of Kasmir Saivism supports an understanding of liberation as pratyabhijna or the immediate recognition of one’s identity with Siva which is consistent with the discriminative approach of jnana-yoga, while the maintenance of a subtle yet irrevocable distinction between the pasu and the Lord in Saiva Siddhanta is more conducive to the devotional approach of bhakti-yoga. In all cases, though, the doctrinal differences between the Tantric schools and lineages are variations on the common theme that empirical existence is not ultimately different from the Divine, and this principle coincides with an approach to sadhana that seeks the Divine in and through sense experience and the body.
This principle is grounded in the activity of Sakti as the Mother of creation and as individuated in the form of kundalini. The former role both expresses and legitimates a reverence for the feminine that translates in practice into women being eligible to fully participate in the rituals, initiations and disciplines of Tantric sadhana. (In a similar manner, the divine nature of manifestation justifies the acceptance of all sincere aspirants regardless of caste distinctions.) The latter role leads to an emphasis in Tantric sadhana on awakening the latent divinity of the body which has as its primary focus the stimulation of kundalini-sakti. This focus is informed by an understanding of the subtle physiology of the human body as presented in the Yoga Upanisads. These texts draw upon the classical yoga system of Patanjali as well as detailing a range of practices that work upon the cakras and nadis, more of which will be said in the next section.
The esoteric correspondences that are assumed to exist between the subtle physiology of the human body and the cosmos as a whole are underpinned by the creative power of Sakti and mediated by a host of deities, rituals and symbols. The use of these mediating agents as supports in the yogic disciplines of dharana (concentration) and dhyana (meditation) mark a significant contrast with their classical use where liberation (kaivalya) is the irrevocable separation of the purusa from prakrti. In Tantric sadhana these disciplines are ritualised by the process of nyasa (from the verb root nyas = ‘to place’) which identifies parts of the human body with specific deities and symbols in order to embody the forces they represent. This process is facilitated by the use of mantras (repeated words or phrases), yantras (intricate and repetitive geometrical patterns) and mudras (gestures usually made with hands and/or fingers), all of which consolidate and align the subtle forces of the body to particular deities by focussing the attention of the sadhaka on concrete representations of these. Under the effect of nyasa, then, the disciplines of dharana and dhyana are translated into a means of realising correspondences between the individual and the cosmos, and this in order to awaken in the sadhaka an experience of the seamless and pervasive presence of the Divine in all creation.
Against the background of orthodox Hinduism’s tendency towards worldly renunciation and ritual purity, the willingness of the Tantric tradition in general to embrace all aspects of life is no better exemplified than in its approach to sexuality. From images of Siva and Sakti in escatic embrace to the sexual rituals of the notorious panca-makara, Tantra recognises sexuality both as a striking expression of the unity underlying seemingly disparate aspects of experience and as a potent means of awakening kundalini-sakti. Even though ritual sexual union is not a necessary feature of Tantric sadhana, its employment underlines the manner in which asceticism is supplanted in Tantra by a consistent conception of the proper utilisation of the body and sense experience.
The two main paths of Tantric sadhana are distinguished by their attitude to the practice of panca-makara (or panca-tattva as it is also known). The vama-marga or left-hand path endorses its use while the more conventional daksina-marga or right-hand path enacts the practice symbolically. Fundamental to both paths, and indeed all Tantric schools, is the direction of a qualified guru who acts as an intermediary between sadhakas and their chosen deva, initiates the sadhaka into various disciplines, and who transmits an influx of sakti (saktipata) that may ignite or enhance the sadhaka’s spiritual development.
In the sections that follow some of the most widely practiced yogas associated with contemporary Tantric sadhana will be discussed in more detail. Ultimately, though, Tantric sadhana cannot be confined to the practice of particular disciplines as its aim is to seek a living unity with the Divine by embodying the ideal of sahaja (literally ‘togther born’) or perfect spontaneity. In this state every moment is experienced without suppression, in perfect attunement with the unfolding of Sakti’s manifestation, and in the delight (ananda) of Siva’s presence in all.
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