Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र , “loom, warp”; hence “principle, system, doctrine”, from the two root words tanoti “stretch, extend, expand”, and trayati “liberation”), is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures (called “Tantras”).
An important characteristic of this movement was that it is a radically positive, world-embracing vision of the whole of reality as an expression of a joyous Divine Consciousness (for example, as the divine play of Shakti and Shiva.). Tantric spiritual practices and rituals aim to bring about an inner realization of this truth, bringing freedom from ignorance and rebirth in the process.
Tantric painting helps the maker to reach spiritual union through meditative painting and focused breathing. By focusing on the images in the works themselves, the viewer is encouraged to privately meditate.
