[Buddha-l] on eating meat

[Stephen Hodge]

Dear Kate,

Thanks for your appreciation.

> Yes.  I believe the term "Tantra" lit. means "That which has been brought
> together" and is a general title for the integrative esoteric schools of
> Hinduism and Buddhism.
Actually, the original meaning of "tantra" is "a loom" and "a thread, 
especially the warp threads on a loom".  From this the meaning is extended 
to "a continual sequence of something" -- though there are a lot of other 
meanings irrelevent here.  The Indo-Tibetan exegetical tradition understands 
the term to mean "continuity", alluding to the continuity of the cause, path 
and result, or the continuum that exists between the Buddha level and the 
human level, especially in terms of body, speech and mind.

> Chinese "right hand tantra" often prefers to call itself Mi Ching or Mi 
> Chiao (J: Mikkyo)
>  in preference to Tantra in order to distinguish itself from the Tibetan 
> and Hindu systems
>  as the Chinese do not go in for the sexual practices of the Hindu schools 
> or the sexual imagery of
> the Tibetan.

First, it should understood that the terms "left-hand" and right-hand" are 
quite inaccurate here. They are very late inventions of the colonial era in 
India (I think).  they occur nowhere in the traditional literature.  In any 
case, there is no such thing as "right-handed tantra" or "left-handed 
tantra" -- I think I discussed this a while back on this very list, so try 
checking the archives.  But you are right about "mi-jiao / mikkyo", though I 
believe that these too are late inventions.  Some tantras with sexual 
content to which you allude (eg Hevajra / Guhyasamaja) were introduced into 
China during the early Northern Song period, but they were both bowdlerized 
and virtually suppressed.  The Sarva-tathagata-tattva-samgraha itself has 
obvious though somewhat covert sexual implications, but these were carefully 
ignored by the Sino-Japanese traditions.  Note also the Vajra-dhatu and 
Garbha-dhatu / vajra and lotus symbolism -- if these are not sexual, I don't 
know what is, but again this understanding was carefully suppressed or 
ignored.  The medieval Japanese Tachikawa-ryu was unique in realizing and 
practising the sexual aspects of these materials, but they too were 
suppressed though perhaps more for political reasons.

Best wishes,
Stephen Hodge