Critical analysis of the Kularnava Tantra -Part 1- A foreword corrupted by repressed sexuality

Abstract

This article was written to promote academic research on the Kularnava Tantra without the bias introduced by the "forewords" and introductions of the English and Spanish versions, which led to confusion regarding the object of study known as Tantrism. The aim of this article is to formally establish Tantrism as a philosophy/epistemology and to present researchers with this vision of humanity and society. Drawing on the experience of the House of Tantra, founded in 1992 in Berazategui, Buenos Aires Province, the variation in inquiries received from Spanish-speaking countries was analysed to determine their perception of Tibetan and Hindu tantric worship. This analysis reveals that this philosophy, as a worldview practiced as an official cult in Tibet until 1959 and in India in absolute secrecy due to political persecution, entered the West under the term "tantra" and gradually mutated in the popular imagination to become synonymous with slow, non-ejaculatory sex. This shift in perception among Spanish-speaking populations stems from the foreword written by Ramiro Calle for the Spanish edition of the Kularnava Tantra. This article aims to propose an alternative perspective on the text to encourage its reading with less subjective bias.