History Of Tantra Pg. 2
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
The tantric school of India, called the Daksinachari, follows the right hand path and symbolizes the five-fold sacrament. Wine is seen as symbolic of the knowledge that intoxicates, meat is taken to symbolize the mastery of speech, fish symbolizes the currents of energy that flow through the body, grain is the intense concentration of yogic meditation, while the sexual act is seen as a meditation on the primordial nature of creation. In other circles, the meat, fish, wine, and ritual sex were replaced by simple substitutes that were considered harmless from a karmic point of view. Wine was replaced by honey, meat by garlic or ginger, fish by sheep's milk, and the sexual act by fruits and shoots. The point is that even in sexual tantra there wasn't the pornographic connotation that often occurs in modern day representation of the tantra, which is a confused substitute for a truly holy and yogic way of being, living unified to the divine in all aspects of life.
Those who take part in tantric ritual for sexual pleasure only, or out of hedonism, only defeat themselves, sending themselves to a karmic hell realm. The original idea was for the senses to be conquered by leaving nothing unexperienced. Classical yoga seeks to overcome the distractions of the senses by basically ignoring them. Tantra, conversely, not only accepts the senses but assigns them a central role in the quest for gnosis. Even forbidden acts could be enjoyed by the worshipper, secure in the knowledge that if performed with a pure heart, they incurred no karmic taxes. Any examination of tantra usually dwells on the sexual aspect. However, most Tantrics of the many groups that would call themselves Tantric would not regard sex as the main ingredient in tantric worship.
What all tantras have in common is that they are scriptures for the common folk, unanimous in rejecting the elitism of caste systems of Hinduism. This is in part a reflection of the fact that the Great Mother Goddess and her consort Shiva have dark aboriginal origins. Tantra offered a kind of tabloid religion, full of fun, enjoyment, magic and properly awe inspiring.
Tantric practices were considered so potent that they were often conducted in secret, and aspirants required initiation. The practices themselves involve elaborate and meticulous visualizations, in which the practitioner mentally transforms himself or herself into a fully enlightened Buddha, with a resplendent body seated on a throne in the center of a marvelous palace (called a mandala), with speech that toned sacred syllables (called mantras), and with a mind that saw the ultimate reality directly. In tantra, enlightenment itself is a tool in order to help free others from suffering.
The
unique nature of the tantric path is its capacity to employ deeds that
are ordinarily prohibited in practices that speed progress on the path
to enlightenment. Ritual union is a means of unifying the mind of the
clear light and the immutable bliss of reality. Whether this intercourse
is to be performed in astral visualization or in fact and at what point
on the path it is to take place, is related to the personal proclivities
and depth of enlightenment of the individual.
The final step is the dedication of merit for practicing tantra to all
sentient beings, including family and loved ones as well as enemies, is
to become enlightened. The meditator then goes to refuge in the three
jewels, which are Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and usually the three roots
which are Lama, Yidam, and Dakini. These are spiritual light beings who
manifest in various forms to assist with the tantra. The meditator then
generates the aspiration toward enlightenment, the promise to achieve
buddhahood in order to liberate all beings in the universe from suffering,
and dedicates the merit of the practice toward that end. The tantrika
then cultivates the four immeasurable attitudes of life, compassion, joy,
and equanimity, before meditating on emptiness and reciting the purifactory
mantra, Om. The meditator next creates the deity mandala, and from emptiness
arises the deity's universe.