Yoga Tantra: Theory and Praxis in the Light of the Hevajra Tantra: A Metaphysical Perspective PDF
Preview Yoga Tantra: Theory and Praxis in the Light of the Hevajra Tantra: A Metaphysical Perspective
YOGA TANTRA: THEORY AND PRAXIS In the light o f the Hevajra Tantra A Metaphysical Perspective f i Dr. Tomy A u g u stin e B iblio theca In d o -B u d d h ica Series No.242 YOGA TANTRA: THEORY AND PRAXIS In the light o f the Hevajra Tantra A Metaphysical Perspective DR. TO M Y AUGUSTINE Sri S a tg v ru Publications A Division o f Indian Books C entre Delhi, India Published by Sri Satguru Publications, Indological and Oriental Publishers A Division of Indian Books Centre 40/5, Shakti Nagar, D elhi-110007 India All rights reserved. First Edition; Delhi, 2008 ISBN 81-7030-869-0 Printed at Sachin Printers, Delhi TO MY LOVING PARENTS, AND TO MY REVERED GURU PROF. ASHOK KUMAR CHATTERJEE FOREWORD Anybody who ventures to write on Tantrism disturbs a hornet’s nest. No other area in the entire range o f the philosophical scene in India is more bewildering and controversial than the philosophy o f Tantrism, whether Hindu or Buddhist. There are authors who give a very euphoric picture o f Tantras, considering this way o f life as a panacea o f all our ills, while a few authors go to the other extreme, painting it in dismal colours by interpreting it as a license to licentiousness. Not that dispassionate study is altogether lacking, but these are mostly from a historical or an orientalist point o f view, so that a strictly metaphysical analysis o f the system is rather rare. Dr. Tomy does well to take up a seminal text for an in- dep th analysis, situating it squarely in the Mahayana- Vajrayana tradition. He rightly treats Vajrayana as a continuation o f the central Mahayana concepts, giving the Madhyamika-Yogacara system as the background to which Tantric elements are grafted on. His essay is to be appreciated strictly as an analysis o f the metaphysical foundation o f a philosophico-religious system. He adheres closely to the text, without being diffident about bringing out its deeper philosophical implications, showing the Praxis springing from these foundations. Praxis is through and through informed by the theory, and this is very lucidly elicited by the author. Buddhahoood comprises two different elements - one noumenal and the other empirical, without any incompatibility between them. These are Prajna (Wisdom) and Kanina (Compassion). Buddha is thus bipolar in essence, one as the ultimate reality in itself, and the other being concerned with suffering mankind. This bipolarity is extended so as to cover everything that there is. Reality is bipolar, but there is a sort o f self-estrangement on its part, so that one element is alienated from the other. This is the root cause o f suffering. The spiritual demand is to bring them back to each other, the process o f healing being executed in different stages by the Praxis. Yoga is the name given to this process o f healing. Tantrism has never been in the main stream of philosophical thinking in India and misinterpretations are rampant because o f its esoteric character. Viewed objectively and analytically, without predilections, it sheds light on the darker recesses o f human psyche. Man's existential predicament is really being pulled at contrary directions, so that he cannot be at peace with himself. Tantrism shows the way out, by seeking to integrate these contrary pulls and thus achieving a holistic personhood. There are many other points o f acute perccpliveness in Dr. Tomy’s book. His treatment o f the oblique employment o f language in Tantric Mysticism, the significance of apparently meaningless utterances, the nature o f religious symbolism - to mention only a few - is penetrating and stimulating. I am convinced that his work would be well received by scholars and laymen alike. Scholars would find in it plenty that will interest them, and the enquiring laymen would discover a novel way o f life in which the burden o f guilt oppressing him could be eased. Prof. Ashok K u m a r C ha tte r jee Form er Head Department o f Philosophy and Religion Banaras Hindu University V a ran as i- 221 005 U.P PREFACE Vajrayàna is a difficult and delicate theme to explore. The main difficulty arises from its secretive and esoteric nature and the mystery surrounding the tantric texts and tantric loro. The cautious attempts to interpret these texts have been made with great apology, reluctance, and compunction. On account o f its overtly erotic elements it is disowned in scholarly circles as an illegitimate child of M ahâyâna’s tryst with Tantrism. Hence most scholars refuse to stand squarely by tantric tradition, let alone consider it as a viable template for human life. In recent years scholars o f diverse cultural, religious and ethical provenance have pitched in to interpret and possibly rehabilitate tantrism in the galaxy o f Indian religio-cullural tradition. Work on Vajrayàna has been limited mainly to editing and translating tantric texts. The area o f analysis and systématisation o f the doctrine and praxis contained in these texts remains largely a virgin territory. The orientalists, cultural anthropologists, philologists, sociologists, archaeologists, and historians have had their say on tantrism in general and Vajrayàna in particular yet, they have said almost nothing about, how Vajrayàna appeals to a student o f Buddhist philosophy and how he ‘makes sense’ out o f the tantric tradition. The task, albeit an uphill one, and the path lonely, as Vajrayàna is a road less travelled by, has proved to be a most rewarding research experience. From the plethora of ideas and practices, a system o f Vajrayànic theory and praxis seems to emerge. The eclectic and syncretic tendency o f Vajrayàna is responsible for the catholicity of its ideas, practices, and goals, which are mundane as well as supra mundane. The influence o f tantrism in general, and Vajrayàna in particular, has been so immense that it has genetically modified the Indian way o f life, if not the view o f life. Art, architecture, sculpture, painting and literature have all been flavoured by tantrism. Vajruydna has been able to enter the innermost chambers o f the human psyche and satisfy certain vital aspirations and yearnings o f man as no other system hitherto. So much so. even its amoral appearance attracts the ire only o f the scholar, not o f the commoner. At the completion o f this research project 1 am moved by profound gratitude and reverence for my revered Guntji. Prof. Ashok Kumar Chatterjee, without whose scholarly help and advice this thesis would not have come into existence. The numerous rounds o f discussions that we have had helped me understand the intricacies and the nuances o f Mahdydna philosophy on the one hand and of tantric tradition on the other, which (intricacies and nuances) are the bases on which Vajraydna. particularly the Hevajra Tantra. has been analysed. A doyen o f Mahdydna philosophy, versatile in Indian Philosophy as well as in Western thought, Guruji has been a source o f incisive insights and inspiration. His paternal prodding, uncompromising commitment to quality and scholarly precision will I cherish for years to come. I owe an immense debt o f gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Munni K. Agrawal, Reader in the Department o f Philosophy and Religion, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. She has accompanied me closely throughout the research period with able advice and maternal encouragement. In spite o f her busy teaching schedules, she has gone through the manuscript patiently and offered suggestions and recommendations, pointing out areas for further elaboration and clarification. This research work has been financed by the Ju n io r Research Fellowship aw arded to me by the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (I.C.P.R.), New Delhi, u n der the M inistry of H um an Resource
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