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The Diversity of Tantra
The process of assembling this bibliography revealed a bewildering array of literature available on Tantra, much of which is inconsistent and contradictory. Tantra is variously described as the royal road to sexual ecstasy (David Ramsdale,
Sexual Energy Ecstasy); the fast path to enlightenment (Miranda Shaw,
Passionate Enlightenment: Women in Tantric Buddhism); a method of deepening intimacy in a couple relationship (Margo Anand,
The Art of Sexual Ecstasy); an esoteric religion (Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet); a metaphysical and magical practice (Hyatt and Duquette,
Sex Magic, Tantra, and Tarot); a form of meditation (Osho, The Book of Secrets: The Science of Meditation); an element of mystical practice used for multiple public/private purposes, often to enhance the power of the guru (Jeffrey Kripal,
Kali’s Child: The Mystical and the Erotic in the Life and Teachings of Ramakrishna); and much more.
This bibliography thus represents a reconnoitering of the Tantri terrain. It may be viewed as an initial sorting, into large categories, of the extant material on Tantra. Within each category, particularly the two large divisions of Hindu Tantra and Tantric Buddhism, there is tremendous variability. Much of this diversity can be understood by looking at the historical unfolding of Tantric practice and philosophy over time, within the particular social and cultural contexts in which it existed. Two recent books provide useful overviews of this historical development, and the different cultural purposes which Tantra has served.
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