Tantra and power - the "religion" of the elites?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The word "tantra" for some reason is strongly associated with sex, and moreover, many believe that it is only an abbreviation of the phrase "tantric sex". However, this is far from being the truly remarkable feature of this spiritual trend. Much more interesting is the fact that tantra is a purely elite teaching, especially "imprisoned" for power.

The word "tantra" for some reason is strongly associated with sex, and moreover, many believe that it is only an abbreviation of the phrase "tantric sex". As a result, almost every specialist on this topic, if he begins to write something popular, is forced to begin his text by exposing the fallacy of such an equation. There is no doubt that Tantrism is indeed imbued with gender symbolism and not only symbolism. However, this is far from being its truly remarkable feature. Sexual symbolism, the motive of intercourse and fertilization are characteristic of all cultures and have been developed by them to one degree or another. The fact that this was especially developed by Tantrism is not so interesting. Quite another thing is interesting - tantra is a purely elite doctrine, in a special way "imprisoned" for power.

Nicholas Roerich. Madonna Protector (Holy Patroness). 1933

Many do not associate yoga and spiritual psychotechnics with power. It seems as if all yogis are simply meditating in forests and monasteries, only caring about their own enlightenment. However, in the East, possession of spiritual practices, possession of spiritual experience and power are practically synonymous. And this is not surprising.

Idam Kalachakra in a love union yab-yum with his wife Vishwamati

What has always been necessary for Eastern rulers, who were fed up with hundreds or even thousands of concubines, not to mention everything else? What interested them in general? They were interested in two things: spirituality as such and what would help them to manage. Both the sages gave them, and in return these sages and the traditions to which they belonged, by definition, received control over the mind of one or another emperor, or even entire generations of rulers. Power was needed by the sages and their traditions to realize their ideas about the ideal world order. At the same time, it should be noted that such ideas about the ideal world order could sometimes be monstrous.

In the West, philosophy exists as something that seems to be purely secular and intellectual (although in fact there is also a big question here). In the East, however, there is no other philosophy other than religious. Therefore, an oriental sage is always a spiritual guide and preacher, a holder of some kind of spiritual tradition. Actually, these lines of spiritual traditions in a complex way clarified the relationship both with each other and with the authorities, which was and still is the most important part of political history.

So, tantra is not "tantric sex", but in the strict sense of the word, in general, just a certain type of texts. There are sutras and there are tantras. However, these texts, of course, refer to a certain spiritual and philosophical direction, which can be summarized as tantra. Relatively speaking, there is Hindu Tantra and Buddhist (it is usually called Vajrayana). Why conditionally? Here is what the Buddhist Yevgeny Torchinov writes in his now classic book "Introduction to Buddhology":

Evgeny Alekseevich Torchinov

That is, not only did both Tantrisms develop in parallel, but also in the Kalachakra Tantra we deal with their syncretism. Let's add to this, let's say, a very high "elasticity" of everything that is associated with gender identity, inherent in this culture. So, for example, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, whose official reincarnation is the Dalai Lama, can appear in a male guise, but matriarchal traits are much stronger in his image. But that's not all. Torchinov writes:

As you can easily see, the Hindu and Buddhist tantras have the same origin - the ancient Dravidian (pre-Indo-European) cults. These cults were associated with the worship of one or another hypostasis of "great mothers", the most famous of which are the goddesses Kali and Durga. Actually, Tantrism is, to put it very roughly, that direction that, as it were, further enhances both in Hinduism and Buddhism the spirit of the ancient dark matriarchy. The strengthening of the influence of this spirit can actually be traced from the Vedas, and this process Mircea Eliade called "the rise of mothers."

Durga's image in dance

Sri Devi Nrithyalaya

Inside Hinduism and Buddhism, Tantrism occupies a dominant position within their institutions. The fact is that tantra promises the achievement of the highest religious goal of liberation already in this life, and not like "ordinary" Buddhism and Hinduism - during many births and deaths. If the "ordinary" orthodox Buddhist or Hindu basically only makes offerings and worship to deities, then the Tantrist is engaged in spiritual practices and achieves certain results - personality transformation. What it is is a separate and poorly studied question. But the fact that such a devout practice leads to some kind of results and that the adepts who achieve them occupy the highest levels in the spiritual and imperious hierarchy is beyond doubt.

Moreover, this "architecture" (and it is something that interests us especially here) is recorded in many countries. Thus, in all major Tibetan schools (Nyingma, Kadam, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug) there are two different initiations: for "ordinary" Buddhists and for Tantric ones. The fact is that tantric practices imply a lot that should not be done by an "ordinary" orthodox Buddhist. Therefore, when initiating into the tantric direction, the adept cannot swear that he will not do what the "ordinary" faithful should not do. This state of affairs is fixed in two different "lines" of initiations. As you can easily see, it is the tantric line that is the "lift" to the higher hierarchies.

The leading role in Tibet has long been occupied by the Gelug school of yellow hats. At its core is the aforementioned Kalachakra Tantra. The Dalai Lama initiates this tantra personally and quite officially. However, the main thing is that the Dalai Lama is not just a spiritual leader, but a theocratic ruler. That is, he is power. Moreover, a certain syncretism of the Hindu and Buddhist tantras in the person of the Dalai Lama takes place not only because, as Torchinov told us above, that the Kalachakra Tantra inherits the concept of Shakti from Hinduism, but also because the Dalai Lama is considered the reincarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara … And the image of Avalokiteshvara has a pre-Buddhist prehistory and refers first to Shaivism, and then to that very Dravidian matriarchy.

Dalai Lama conducts Kalachakra initiation in Bodh Gaya in 2003

The main patron saint of Nepal, saint Matsyendranath, who lived around the 10th century, is revered as the embodiment of Avalokiteshvara. However, he was by no means a Buddhist, but a Shivaite. And the cult of Shiva, as it has been more or less established today, has a pre-Indo-European genesis.

However, if such syncretism can be considered, relatively speaking, natural (after all, there is only one Indian culture), then the connection of tantra with Confucianism and Japanese Shinto is hardly. Nevertheless, the penetration of tantra into China and Japan with many "syncretic" consequences is an indisputable fact.

As I said above, the tantric tradition was initially "sharpened" for a certain type of interaction with the authorities, being able to respond to its irrevocable requests. Already one of the earliest and most significant tantric texts, the Guhyasamaja Tantra ("Tantra of the Intimate Cathedral") tells the following very revealing story.

Mahasiddha Matsyendranath

Anandanath

Once upon a time there was an Indian king, Indrabodha, and he had 500 concubines. And then he sees that someone is flying past him. He learns that this is Buddha along with his five hundred disciples. Buddha tells him about his teachings, about asceticism and that the whole world is an illusion and is imbued with suffering. The king admired the Buddha's preaching, but noticed that although he was ready to become a Buddhist, he was still a ruler and had to fulfill his “earthly” duties, and even 500 concubines would miss him. After that, he asked the Buddha if it was possible, within the framework of his teaching, to somehow combine the higher and the lower. To which the Buddha replied that it was quite possible, and told the king the tantra of Guhyasamaja in detail.

The Chinese and Japanese emperors could not refuse this either. What is happening today in modern China and Japan is a separate question. But the fact that the line of Tantric Buddhism of the Shingon school moved to Japan from China, and having managed to fool the Chinese authorities, is a fact.

Statue of Guanyin from the Liao era (907-1125) from Shaanxi. (Chinese hypostasis of Avalokiteshvara)

Rebecca arnett

It was brought to Japan by the famous monk Kukai in 804. He studied with the monk Hui Guo. Hui Guo was a disciple of Amoghavajra, and he, in turn, was a disciple of Vajrabodhi. Both Amoghavajra and Hui Guo, and many of Vajrabodhi's disciples (for example, the monk I-Xing) were in various qualities under the Chinese emperors. And they were treated kindly by them, then they fell into disgrace.

Monument to Kukai

Jnn

As a result, one way or another, Taoist-Buddhist syncretism developed in China, which, on the whole, repeated the spiritual and imperious "architecture" I spoke about above. Only in China did Confucianism play the role of "ordinary" Buddhism and Hinduism.

What Confucius worshiped is still not known exactly. Most likely it was Tao. The main thing is that Confucius forbade even to be interested in metaphysical questions. That is, Confucianism, in principle, is a teaching about the correct performance of rituals, but, as it were, without a metaphysical "head".

With regard to this feature of Confucianism, the famous orientalist Aleksey Maslov expressed himself bitingly and definitely: "Confucianism is an epistemological" empty shell ", an absolute volume that can be filled with almost any content."

Alexey Maslov

Amaslov.me

By the time the Tantrists arrived in China, the role of this "content", the metaphysical "head" was played by the Taoists, who then entered into difficult relations with the adherents of Tantric Buddhism who came.

A little later, this "construction", in which at the top is tantra and below is Confucianism, migrated to Japan along with the teachings of the Shingon school.

In the article "The ritual structure of relations between the emperor and the Buddhist sangha in Japan in the Heian era (X-XII centuries) (on the example of the Buddhist ceremonies Misae and Misyuho)" orientalist Elena Sergeevna Lepekhova writes:

Elena Sergeevna Lepekhova

Quote from the video of E. S. Lepekhov. Classification of Buddhist teachings in the Tendai school and the theory of Lawrence Kohlberg. Save Tibet

That is, the Shingon Tantric school initiated the Japanese emperor into the ideal Buddhist rulers, chakravartins, passing on the cintamani pearl to him. What relation, after this ceremony, the Japanese emperor had to the national religion Shinto, and whether he had it at all, would require separate consideration.

As a result, we can say that the spiritual and political structure of power in the East implied that there would be some kind of teaching below, requiring only the performance of ceremonies and rituals, and above there was already a "power" tier. This tier was usually filled by Tantrists. As for the West, this "architecture" could sooner or later not fail to attract some part of its elite. For me, one of the obvious guides of such "architecture" in the West was Dante Alighieri, in whom the role of Confucianism or "ordinary" Buddhism or Hinduism began to be played by Roman law. However, this issue requires separate consideration …

John Waterhouse. Dante and Beatrice. 1915