A Union of Fire and Water: Embodying the Cosmos in Hindu

The Hindu Tantric traditions of the Indian medieval period (ca. 800-1200 c.e.) formulated and embodied in practice a vision of the sex act as a uniquely powerful and exalted means for experiencing the Upanisadic dictum that the self (atman) is in fact the Divine Reality (brahman).  And in this context, the body is clearly identified as an alchemical medium by which a myriad of mystical sounds (mantras), power centers (cakras), energy conduits (nadis), and fluids (dravyas) are to activated, harnessed, transmuted, and exchanged in the context of ritualized union (maithuna).  This union functions as the catalyst for a transformation of consciousness that makes God-realization an embodied reality.

Jeffrey Lidke is Assistant Professor of Religion at Berry College.  He is a specialist in the field of Hindu Tantra, particularly focusing on the Sarvamnaya Tantra of the Kathmandu Valley.  His publications include “Interpreting Across Mystical Boundaries:  An Analysis of  Samadhi in the Trika-Kaula Tradition.” ( Leiden:    Brille, 2005) and “A Union of Fire and Water: Sexuality and Spirituality in Hinduism,” ( ABC-CLIO, 2003). Dr. Lidke is the chair of the Intefaith Council at Berry College and is also an exponent of the Benares tradition of classical tabla.