Tantra and Trinity
1. Tantric philosophy | Christian theology
Last week I hosted a workshop teaching the history and philosophy of Tantric spirituality. It was a wonderful experience with a great group of people. I explained a little bit about my history as a theologian and Anglican priest. I took the opportunity to contrast the Christian idea of God with Kashmir Shaivism’s concept of the divine.
Afterwards someone asked an interesting question. They were wondering about the possibility of common ground between these traditions. Do they in some way speak to the same reality?
I thought I might try and answer this question in today’s post.
The key idea is this: both Christianity and Tantric Shaivism see the world as essentially relational. They both propose a love relationship at the heart of the universe, but the kind of love they talk about is different.
This difference has important consequences for how we then live. Christianity’s version of love requires self-emptying and self-denial. The Tantric approach does not. Let me explain.
