The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2432 page)

tattvas
. From a state of union (
y
mala
) with the Lord she evolves through various subtle levels to impure, gross creation. This cosmic hierarchy is recapitulated in the body which is regarded as a microcosm.
In Tantric s
dhana the body is of central importance.
Maithuna
is of central importance, especially in left-handed Tantra (see below), leading to the Indian definitions of Tantra:
mukti
is
bhukti
(‘enjoyment’),
yoga
is
bhoga
(‘sensual pleasure’).
Tantric s
dhana consists of
p
j
(worship) and yoga. In many ways Tantric p
j
follows Vedic p
j
and is of three kinds:
nitya
, to be performed daily;
naimittika
, to be performed on special occasions; and
k
ma
, to affect a particular desire.
Tantrism has developed a sophisticated esoteric anatomy comprising of energy centres (
cakras
) connected by channels (nadis). This anatomy is visualized in Tantric yoga of which there are two important kinds,
mantra
and
laya
or
Ku
alin
.
An important classification in Tantra is between the right-hand path (daksin