EVOLA - What Tantrism Means to Modern Western Civilization

8/10/2019 EVOLA - What Tantrism Means to Modern Western Civilization

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What Tantrism Means to Modern Western

Civilization

Julius Evola

3,022 words

Translation anonymous, edited by Greg Johnson

Editors Note:

The following essay was originally published in English inEast and West, vol. 1, no. 1(April 1950): !".

One

One of the characteristics of the Hindu doctrine that may be described in a general way as Tantrism

is its claim to offer a formulation of the traditional doctrine that is only suitable to the last epoch of

the present cycle, ie, for the !ali "uga #otwithstanding its importance, it was little $nown in the

%est up to a short time ago &t is said that teachings, rituals, sciences, which might ha'e been

suitable during the primordial age ()atya "uga* are no longer suitable for a humanity li'ing in later

epochs, especially in the +dar$ age

Therefore, such a humanity can find, not in the -edas or in other ancient te.ts, but in the Tantras

and the /gamas, the $nowledge and the efficient techniue allowing it to attain the supreme goal of

man1 freedom from e'ery form of conditioned e.istence Thus the Tantras often present themsel'es

as a +fifth -eda as a further re'elation corresponding to the present phase of manifestation

They further state that former rituals ha'e become as inefficient as +a sna$e depri'ed of its 'enom

inasmuch as the pre'ailing ualification (adhikara) in man has undergone a complete change45

Howe'er, such a point of 'iew is not 'alid only in the spiritual +space of Hindu ci'ili6ation and

tradition, because the doctrine of the four ages has, so to spea$, a general 'alidity There are

%estern doctrines that correspond to the Hindu formulation of this doctrine &t is in fact sufficientlyclear that the last phase (+the iron age in %estern terminology* bears all the signs of modern

ci'ili6ation, the center of which is the %est25
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/s things are, one may be led to consider the e.tent to which the +rele'ance claimed by Tantrism

has a certain ob7ecti'e basis, particularly regarding %estern 8i'ili6ation

Two

Historically, Tantrism is connected with acharacteristic re'olution that began in &ndia towards themiddle of the first millennium 98 )ince that time, certain di'ine female figures)ha$tirise to

e'er:growing importance, accompanying Hindu deities which in the /ryan period appeared as

isolated and, in se'eral cases, e'en obtaining an ad'antage o'er them )ha$tism is one of the central

aspects of Tantrism

#ow, from a metaphysical point of 'iew, the +di'ine couple is a symbol of the two principal

aspects of e'ery cosmic principle1 the male deity representing the the unchangeable and

transcending aspect and the female one representing power, strength, force of manifestation, and, in

a certain sense, also the acti'e and immanent aspect Therefore, the appearance of )ha$tism in the

ancient Hindu:/ryan world, apart from its popular and de'otional forms, is a barometrical sign of a

change in beliefs &t tells us how, compared to the former consciousness of man, which was focusedon the realm of being, the +manifestation and +action aspects of the deity were felt more directly

and too$ on a special importance 35

#ow there is no uestion whether in this we ha'e simultaneously also the basic character of modern

%estern ci'ili6ation, in which immanentism is the by:word ;urthermore, the chief meaning of the

word )ha$ti is capacity to act, authority, and power )peculati'e Tantrism concei'es the world, life,

and man as e.isting essentially as a sort of power &t spea$s of an acti'e +9rahman


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The ritual Tantric secret (pancatattva)proclaims the non:e.istence of the antithesis between

asceticism and en7oyment, betweenyoga and bhoga &t promises the possession of the one and of

the other, pointing out that the place of liberation is in this world and not in the other one (yoga

bhojate, mokhyate samsarah).

The obser'ance of moral rules as well as of 'isible rites is, in such circles, declared to pertain onlyto thepacu, to the man bound, obtuse, and resembling an animal, while Tantrism promises the

esoteric $nowledge that ma$es one free and brea$s all chainsC5

On the basis of this, one might be tempted to spea$ of a +modern and e'en a +%estern Tantrism

/nd yet in doing so a misunderstanding would certainly arise These con'ergences do not erase a

fundamental difference in planes and tendencies Only by ac$nowledging this difference would it be

possible to admit that Tantrism may lead the way for a %estern elite that does not want to become

the 'ictim of those e.periences whereby an entire ci'ili6ation is on the 'erge of being submerged

;irstly, it is worth stressing the point that in Tantrism the enhancing of forces, truths, and

ualifications pre'ailing in the !ali "uga does not allow a lower le'el, nor does it allow the datumof e.istence, to be considered as an ultimate appeal and still less (as in the case of many of our

immanent philosophies* as something that must be and must also be glorified

The 'alues belonging to the highest spiritual reali6ation, such as the ancient Hindu metaphysical

tradition concei'ed it, are maintained The actual problem of our age is to find the method to carry it

into effect This method, 7ustly compared to +riding on the bac$ of a tiger, may be summed up in

this principle1 +&n order to obtain freedom, one must employ those same forces that ha'e led to the

downfall

Four

To find the right way in this respect, one must bear in mind that, in the Tantric theory of

manifestation, the actual pre'alence of the )ha$tic element in a gi'en phase (the descending phase,

pravrtti-marga* does not mean anything when compared to the ratio of metaphysical subordination

of the )ha$ti to the principle opposed to it, )hi'a, Aurusha, or whate'er the +male of the )ha$ti

may be called &n this way some points of reference already e.ist that are completely missing in the

modern 'iews of %estern acti'ism, of which, in a certain sense, they are the re'erse

&n point of fact, according to Hindu and also Tantric 'iews, all action, dynamism, and becoming has

a female and negati'e character On the contrary, whate'er is permanent, unchangeable, and central

has a truly male and positi'e character, possessing the gift of light and being, or, in other words, isthe +Dord of the )cepter (vajra-dhara).

This point, therefore, establishes a definite difference between modern hori6ons and those

belonging to the higher forms of Tantrism &f, in a modern world, it is possible to ascertain a

saturation of the )ha$tic element, particularly in its lowest, materialistic and irrational aspects, the

)hi'aitic counterpart is lac$ing The latter may be termed the true spiritual 'irility, closely

connected to 'alues, tendencies, and sciences e'en the ideas of which are now lost in the %est

/nd all this is, instead, ta$en in due consideration by Tantrism, and not in terms of a merely abstract

speculation but as a reali6ation &t is thus clear to see what meaning this tendency may ha'e for

people who, e'en if ta$en as indi'iduals in themsel'es, want to impose a limit to forces whichotherwise would only result in dissolution


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Five

)ha$ti is the basis of Tantric life, but the method consists in understanding it with an intensity

which, in a certain sense, renders it self:consuming and ma$es of it an instrument of transformation

and transfiguration for an ob7ecti'e change of plane &t must not he forgotten that the main

characteristics of Tantric deities must he considered as symbols of destroying forces, +nude,unfettered, superior to all laws !ali, ?urga, or, in some aspects, )hi'a:Eudra himself ha'e such a

nature as to be simultaneously the deities of pure transcendence and of internal liberation

&n this connection, a +sacrificial tendency and a +transforming moment are to be found in all

Tantric methods, e'en in those that border on magic in a strict sense or on orgiastic re'elry, 7ust as a

sacred and initiati'e framing is inseparable to all metaphysics and from the Tantric idea of the world

considered as a +power This again represents a line of separation, and it is easy to understand fully

the condition in which the %estern ideal of the affirmation of the )elf and its freedoms may a'oid

destructi'e re'olutions, of which we ha'e already certain grim forebodings

Six

Dea'ing aside the more e.terior and materialistic aspects of the modern ci'ili6ation of action, it is

now necessary to consider what, in a certain sense, may be ta$en as its central artery &t is the

tendency to glorify man, which began during the Eenaissance and which, in passing through critical

idealism, ethical rationalism, and the +autonomous morals of the categorical imperati'e, has

arri'ed at the training of pure will power and the ideal of the superman

The basis of this tendency remains, on the whole, on a naturalistic, indi'idualistic, and intellectual

plane &n such a way, it ends in a blind alley &f we consider it seriously, it is eui'alent to a

saturation of strength which, gi'en the limitations of human nature, can only end in a short circuit,

in the collapse of the superman into the demonic or into forms of +they are raised to me with

e.ercises, already condemned by ancient wisdom as a dangerous de'iation from a true spiritual

reali6ation

There, where one halts in ad'ance of these e.treme conseuences, it seems clear that, in the %est,

the only $nown solution is to gi'e up and to allow religion, in its mysticalFhumanitarian aspects and

forgi'eness, to come bac$ into the world

#o less than any other initiatic teaching, e'en %estern ones, "oga in general, and Tantric and

-a7rayanic "oga in particular, tells us that this alternati'e may be o'ercome and that a clear path

actually e.ists, e'en if according to the saying of the !atha$a panishad it loo$s li$e wal$ing on ara6or>s edge %hat the %est needs to learn here is that it is a uestion of an essential and ontological

change in nature

To spea$ of a +superman may lead to a misunderstanding The %estern superman e.presses the

e.treme limit or potentiality of the human species, while in "oga it is the bridge from one species to

another one, and, as a goal, it is the detachment from e'ery ualified state, be it human or di'ine,

that one stri'es to reach through a positi'e techniue confirmed by a multi:millennial tradition, a

state that has nothing in common with a demonic state of the intellect and with the pre'arications

peculiar to the religion of materialistic man

&t is therefore ob'ious to see where the road ends and a new one begins &n specific reference to theTantra, there are tendencies in common with the %estern 'ocation to reali6e an independent and

so'ereign will


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9ut, in the first place, this 'ocation no longer appears as +Duciferian or +titanic, but, one might

say, as +Olympian, if one bears in mind the same Tantric symbolism according to which the )ha$ti

embraces the impassible +di'ine male made of light and bearing a scepter and to whom she is the

raiment of power

)econdly, in following this course it is necessary to do things seriously. /n e.ceptional ualificationis reuired 8arefulness and an intense concentration are also reuired, and these ha'e nothing in

common with the e.ercises of immanent or 'oluntary philosophy and, in a general way, with simple

mental attitudes

Thirdly, the illusions and pride of the indi'idual self, of what in Hindu terms might be called the

)amsaric )elf or the )elf of elements (hutatma) which is practically the only one $nown to the

great ma7ority of modern %esterners, must be forsa$en &n fact the destruction of this )elf is the

condition of true freedom and true power, so that it is the aim of a good number of "ogi techniues

as well as of the Tantric ones, e'en if they are of a ?ionysian or orgiastic character

Seven

/ll this pertaining to the !ali "uga must be $ept in mind by e'ery %esterner who, although

remaining in the same trend in which the predominant forces of his ci'ili6ation ha'e de'eloped,

desires once more by 'irile means to pa'e the way towards the higher spheres which he had

forsa$en under the prete.t of conuering the world

Other factors must also be ta$en in consideration in order that illusion may not arise and that the

contribution of Hindu spirituality of the "oga type be well understood

/s already hinted, Tantrism follows abo'e all as regards "oga the way of Hatha "oga, and

this also appears to coincide with modern %estern tendencies, because contempt for the body is

replaced by the ideal of complete mastery o'er it 9ut this mastery is internal. &n spite of the lac$ of

comprehension due to certain publications di'ulged in the %est, it has nothing of a physical and

physiological character

9ut the ways leading to the body and originating from the interior, from the +subtle, and along the

lines of which also supernormal e.periences may de'elop as e.plained in the teaching we are

dealing with present great difficulties for the ma7ority of %esterners on account of internal

century:old processes ha'ing almost a constitutional character To modern man the inner side of the

body is closed in the same way as is closed the e.ternal reality according to its aspects which are

not simply physical, sensiti'e or space:occupying "oga points out to the %esterner the way to befollowed so that the soul may in reality master the body and in accordance with the same ancient

%estern theory of the relation between macrocosm and microcosm disco'er in the body thus

mastered and rendered conscious, the source of unusual powers &t remains, howe'er, to be seen in

what measure anyone may follow this way and acuire a real $nowledge of these processes

The last point to be ta$en in consideration, particularly because it is generally misconstrued in

%estern publications, is that it would be difficult to neglect, in reali6ations of this $ind, the

transmission of gi'en +influences of a spiritual and super:indi'idual character brought about by

regular organi6ations of initiation Just as the short:circuits mentioned abo'e may be caused by

immanence and will, one must also point out the difficulty for the indi'idual to surpass himself,

unless e.ceptional cases are ta$en in consideration, as compared to the whims of a decepti'e self:affirmation %e should remember how the greatest uropean scholar of Tantrism, )ir John %ood:


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roffe, told us that he could not accept the conditions reuired of him to enter in relations of

something more than a simple doctrine with Tantric initiatic organi6ations

Eight

&n conclusion, what we ha'e stressed before is hereby confirmed On the one side there is thus acorrespondence between some fundamental Tantric ideas and some predominant tendencies of the

modern spirit, on account of which one can seriously notice a certain basis in the Tantra>s claim to

present an idea suitable to the last age, ie, to the present day On the other hand, a well:defined line

of demarcation e.ists between the two dominions, in the e.position of which we ha'e spared no

effort

The capability of certain specially ualified %estern minds to cross this line corresponds to the

measure in which one can remain faithful to the principal way followed by their ci'ili6ation without

thereby being led towards a crisis without solution They could change, at least on their own

account, a strong poison into a healing medicine The force that causes some to fall, causes in others

a resurrection and participation in something supreme and shining, beyond those powers withoutcenter and scope that belong to the dar$ ages

Notes

4 %ith reference to all this, see for e.ample1!ahanirvana "antra, &, 4I &&, K, 4B &-, BK

"arapradipa, 4 )hi'a )hiandra1 "antratattava, trans into nglish by /rthur /'alon ()ir John

%oodroffe*, "he Serpent #o$er: "he Secrets o% "antric and Shaktic &oga (Dondon1 Du6ac L 8o,

4I4I*

2 ;or comparisons among the 'arious formulations of the doctrine of the four ages and its

utili6ation in general metaphysics of history, see Julius 'ola,'evolt gainst the !odern orld,

trans Guido )tucco (Eochester, -ermont1 &nner Traditions, 4IIC*, part &&

3 The fact that in certain aspects )ha$tism must be considered as a re'i'al of a pre:/ryan archaic

substratum does not alter the aforementioned interpretation

B D ?e Da -allee Aouissin,ouddhisme (Aaris, 4MIM*, BM

C ;or more on Tantrism, see Julius 'ola, "he &oga o% #o$er: "antra, Shakti, and the Secret ay,

trans Guido )tucco (Eochester, -ermont1 &nner Traditions, 4II2*

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EVOLA - What Tantrism Means to Modern Western Civilization