Tantra and Other Scriptures

Tantra is nondualistic, upholding the identity of the individual soul with the Siva-Shakti. The tantras call the creative power Shakti, or God the Mother, and regard the universe as her play when she becomes mind and matter.

The Tantras developed elaborate rituals and symbols for those who needed them, and supplied most of the temple rituals in India. An important portion of the Tantras deals with kundalini yoga. According to the Tantras, there are seven levels of consciousness. Through certain prescribed exercises, the kundalini, or divine energy, rises through the different levels to the seventh level, where mystic union with the Supreme Lord occurs. Through normal spiritual practices, this process takes care of itself.

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