'Tantra' is an English loan word from Sanskrit referring to "any of numerous texts dealing with the esoteric practices of some Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain sects."1 In this sense the word is also used in Sanskrit when it refers to "a system of thought" or "a set of doctrines".2 In Sanskrit 'tantra' also refers to a loom or its lengthwise threads or to the therewith weaven cloth,3, 4, 5 and from there tantra is sometimes also understood as a web or a fabric.6 Other, less dominant, ways in which tantra is understood in Sanskrit is as a governance, an essence or a shortening.7 Sometimes 'tantra' is considered to be derived from the Sanskrit word 'tantri', meaning 'to explain,8 and as such tantra can then be taken to be an explanation. Compositionally 'tantra' consists of the words 'tan' and 'tra'. 'Tan' refers to an extension.9, 10 Sometimes also the word 'tanu', meaning 'body', is seen as root of 'tantra'.11 The second part of 'tantra', being 'tra', refers to a protection.12 So compositionally tantra may be understood as an extended protection or as a protected extension. Most of these meanings have a certain validity, as we shall see.
Now to understand tantra correctly a larger picture should be sketched. And the first lines thereof should indicate the duality of which both the cosmos and man consist, for both consist of the duality of spirit and matter.13 In the unification of these two on a cosmic scale creation as such comes to being, and on a human scale man as an individual soul.14, 15 Now such a unification of spirit and matter follows a cycle of involution, in which spirit is submerged in matter (the downward arc), and of evolution, in which matter is spiritualized (the upward arc).16 In the human cycle man has passed the turning point and is placed now somewhere halfway on the upward arc of evolution.17
So humanity as a whole is standing on the arc of evolution where matter is spiritualized. However every human individual has his own similar cycle.18 Within humanity the points of evolution of individuals may differ.19 At first the evolution of an individual progresses slow and more or less automatic under influence of the entirety of humanity, however in later stages, when the individual has ripened enough, he enters the spiritual path to consciously speed up his evolution, his spiritualization of matter.20
Now to this conscious spiritualization of matter two approaches are possible. The first approach takes spirit as the point of departure from which the matter of the bodies (such as the mental body, the emotional body, the subtle physical body and the gross physical body)21 is placed under its influence. This can be considered as a top-down approach and although slower than its opposite approach this method is considered more safe and secure. The opposite approach is the down-top approach. Here is departed from the matter of the body or bodies, which is manipulated to become receptive of spirit. This approach can give a faster spiritualization of matter, however it also is much more dangerous. For when one focuses on the manipulation of matter one may lose sight of its spiritualization as the goal. Losing sight of spirit one may get lost in the manipulation of the forces of matter and become a black magician.22 Another danger lurking in the down-top approach is that the manipulation of matter may arouse material forces that the bodies of the aspirant are not able to wield, leading to their destruction.23 In both cases the aspirant will have to repair the wrought havoc, leading to a serious delay of his evolutionary path. The parable of the hare and the tortoise may here be applicable.24
This above mentioned arousing of material forces has to do with the arousing of the so called kundalini fire, which regards the prime force of matter.25 This fire lies dormant in the lowest of the seven etheric centres of the subtle physical body, namely the centre at the base of the spine. The aspirant of the down-top approach will try to manipulate the awakening of the kundalini fire in that matter representing centre to let it flow along the spine through the five intermediary centres (the sacral centre, the solar plexus centre, the heart centre, the throat centre, the centre between the eyebrows) up to the spirit representing crown centre.26 This rising of the kundalini also happens at the conclusion of the path of the aspirant of the top-down approach, however in this latter case it occurs naturally and without much manipulation, and also in the latter case there is hardly risk of bodily destructions since the body then has become purified and refined enough through the influence of the spirit aspect to be able to conduct the kundalini fire.27, 28
So why would the down-top approach give quicker results than the top-down approach? The answer is: Because man has so far spent the largest time in his cycle on the downward arc of involution, focussing on the matter aspect. This focus is still ingrained in his consciousness, and the aspirant of the down-top approach seeks to make spiritual use of the tendencies that are inherent to the matter of his bodies. And one of the strongest tendencies hidden in the body is that of reproduction. This sex urge is represented by the sacral centre, which is very closely related to the centre at the base of the spine,29 and the aspirant of the down-top approach makes use of the powerful present sex energies to attempt to awaken the kundalini fire. Manipulation of the powers of sex, of the urge to procreate, is thus often contained in the practises of aspirants of the down-top approach.
Above some important elements of the down-top approach were mentioned, and tantra follows such an approach. Tantra regards "esoteric practices" or a "set of doctrines" within the down-top approach. These doctrines consider the duality of the male spirit (Shiva) and the female matter (Shakti) and their basic unity, which union is symbolically sought after through the practise of uniting a male with a female human body.30 In this strife for unification the matter aspect, Shakti, regarding in man the body, is put central.31 Thus it can be understood why 'tantra' is sometimes though to be derived from the root word 'tanu', meaning 'body'. And in this practise the dangers are acknowledged. That is why it is said that the raising of the kundalini and the practise of tantra should always be done under the guidance and protection of an accomplished teacher.32, 33 This is what the compositional meaning of 'protected extension' may refer to. Trying in practise to make the kundalini rise the bodily consciousness is extended towards a spiritual consciousness under the protection of a guru. That this down-top approach, also known as the left-hand path (in contrary to the top-down approach, being the right-hand path), is sometimes considered as a shortcut towards the spiritual goal makes the application of the meaning of 'shortening' on 'tantra' also plausible.34
Now this working towards the raising of the kundalini is done in stages, one on top of another.35 And also in actually raising the kundalini the fire passes one centre above another. Somewhat similar sequences can be seen also in the traditional weaving of a cloth whereby one widthwise thread on top of another is added, and thus the relation between tantra as an esoteric practise and as a loom can be laid, and this also explains 'tantra' referring to a fabric.
Now as said is in tantra the urge to procreate used and manipulated in order to bring about desired results. Sex practises are part of tantric practises, and it is this part specifically that has caught the attention of Western seekers. These seekers have cut the sex practises out of their original esoteric context and introduced them in the Western world rather isolated.36 Thus Eastern esoteric tantra has in the West mostly degraded to the engaging in loose sex relations under the excuse of practising spirituality.
Now such a superficial engaging in loose sex relations is not advised for aspirants of the down-top approach towards spiritualization. Isolated from the original context the spiritual meanings get lost. In some way this is also for the good, for with that loss also the dangers connected with tantra practises are reduced. Conductive for spiritual progression these practises are not however. This goes not only for the down-top approach but also for the top-down approach. Aspirants of the top-down approach towards spiritualization are advised to abstain from both Eastern and Western tantra.