their respective strong and gentle natures.^68 T ̄antric practice or sadhana ̄
utilizes cosmophysiology to transubstantiate the human being, to sanc-
tify the human being by practices that ‘dilate’ or ‘cosmicize’ the physical
body so the practitioner realizes her- or himself as literally one with the
Absolute that forms the whole of nature—physical and conscious.
Purity—physical and religious—is a major concern in Hinduism.
Tantra reevaluates the meaning of impurity, and recasts traditional associ-
ations between physical impurity and unholiness. A significant example is
that Tantra rejects the notion that the touch of a low-caste person would
make something impure. The equating of physical impurity with religious
impurity is rejected as well. For instance, body fluids are considered by
Tantra as physically unclean, but not unholy.^69 Tantra operates on the
principle that all aspects of the world, and particularly those of the human
psychophysical complex, are to be accepted and sublimated.^70 The word
‘sublimate’ derives from the Latin subl ̄ımare ̄ ‘to raise,’ [subl ̄ımus,
‘uplifted,’ ‘sublime’].^71 In the T ̄antric context, sublimatepertains to raising
the cruder physical level of being to its real status as divine. Renunciation
in Tantra does not mean asceticism, but “proper utilization of an ob-
ject.”^72 Contemporary Indian scholars and practitioners of Tantra ac-
knowledge that Tantra is subject to criticism because of the actions of
“hypocrites and pseudo-t ̄antrists,” who “actually worship their own ego
and gratify their senses and do nothing else.”^73 Sensationalized stereotypes
are put into perspective in chapter 4’s discussion of T ̄antric utilization of
life energy, including the sexual force, for spiritual attainment.
Body as the Ground of Well-being in ̄Ayurveda
Åyurveda is called “a principal architect of the Indian view of person and
body” by psychoanalyst Sudhir Kakar.^74 His fieldwork investigating
India’s healing traditions demonstrates that in some significant ways,
Åyurveda’s approach to the body diverges from traditional religio-
philosophical views. Although Yoga is well known for supporting the
health of body, Åyurveda is actually the Indian ́sastra ̄ or discipline di-
rectly concerned with health and healing. The word Åyurveda is com-
posed of ̄ayus, ‘life,’ and veda, ‘knowledge.’ Åyurveda means knowledge
of life and longevity, and designates a system of healthful living based on
knowledge. For personal health maintenance, Åyurveda makes recom-
mendations emphasizing diet, cleansing and rejuvenative measures, and
daily and seasonal regimen. As a system of medicine, Åyurveda has eight
branches and is thus called aÓsÓt ̄a ̇nga (eight-limbed)Åyurveda.
36 religious therapeutics