Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Vāmācāra (Sanskrit: वामाचार, Sanskrit pronunciation: [ʋaːmaːtɕaːɽɐ]) is a tantric term meaning "left-hand path" and is synonymous with the Sanskrit term vāmamārga. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] It is used to describe a particular mode of worship or sadhana (spiritual practice) that uses heterodox things to sublimate for spiritual growth.
Taboo-breaking elements are only practiced literally by "left-hand path" tantrics (vāmācārin-s), whereas "right-hand path" tantrics (dakṣiṇācārin-s) do not follow these. [ 1 ] In the Vamachara tradition, adherents engage in literal consumption and use of the Five Ms, often in the context of ritual feasts ( ganachakra ), along with ...
The terms have their origins in tantra: the right-hand path (RHP, or dakṣiṇācāra) applied to magical groups that follow specific ethical codes and adopt social convention, while the left-hand path (LHP, or vāmācāra) adopts the opposite attitude, breaking taboos and abandoning set morality.
Vajrayāna (Sanskrit: वज्रयान; lit. 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Mantranāya ('path of mantra'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Buddhist tradition of tantric practice that developed in Medieval India.
Many hand mudrās evolved for use in rituals, especially within tantra. Others developed as iconographical symbols for depictions of deities in statues and paintings. Others were developed for non-verbal story telling in traditional dance. In the Hevajra Tantra hand mudrās are used to identify oneself to the goddesses at different holy sites.
Reference is made in the early 9th century to vama (left-hand) Tantras of the Kaulas. [101] Literary evidence suggests Tantric Buddhism was probably flourishing by the 7th century. [ 63 ] Matrikas, or fierce mother goddesses that later are closely linked to Tantra practices, appear both in Buddhist and Hindu arts and literature between the 7th ...
The central ritual of these groups was the gaṇacakra, a night-time sacramental circle, usually outdoors, often in a cremation ground or similarly spooky and 'powerful' location, with distinctly antinomian elements. These included the ritual use of sexuality, although it is not clear how far this was performed literally and how far symbolically.
Uchchhishta Ganapati is always shown with a naked consort, who is seated on his left lap. The god is generally depicted with four arms and holds a pasha, an ankusha and a ladoo or a modak (a sweet), while the fourth arm hugs the nude goddess around her hip. She holds a lotus or another flower in the left hand.