Tantra names a vast range of texts and practices that arose from around the fifth century CE. They teach initiation, mantra, deity yoga, maṇḍala and the subtle body, and many regard the world and the body as manifestations of divine power rather than obstacles. Tantra shaped Śaiva, Śākta, Vaiṣṇava, Buddhist and Jain practice alike.
Tantra
A family of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions using ritual, mantra, visualization and energy to realize the divine in embodied life.