[German Version]

(Sanskrit, “warp, loom; doctrine”). Tantra denotes a practical path (sādhanā) on which ritual, physical (Body control techniques: III), and mental techniques are used to achieve worldly pleasure (bhukti) and extraordinary proficiencies (siddhi), or to be delivered from all worldly ties (mukti) during one’s lifetime. The roots of tantra lie in the cultural sphere of India. There tantra denotes both a genre of religious and philosophical literature as well as the revelatory literature associated with Tantrism. Elements of tantra are also found in the Hind…