<p>I don't see tantra as "harnessing the power/energy of taboo acts". First, working with controversial subjects like alcohol, meat, sex, theft, lying, and killing is a relatively small part of tantra, I would say no more than 1/10th or even 1/20th, people just tend to exaggerate it. Second, I don't believe these subjects are worked in order to harness their taboo energy, but rather to help the practitioner go beyond some of the deeper-lying preconceptions that may be hiding in the dark corners of psyche easily accessible through controversial means.</p>

<p>For example, if someone has residual anxiety of emotional intimacy and openness, sex may be prescribed as a practice that involves direct open contact with another person. Same with drinking feasts, which may be prescribed as a practice of sincere communication etc.</p>

<p>There is also symbolic/metaphorical component to tantra as @Bakmoon said. In this line of thinking, "having sex with everything that moves" symbolizes "naked" (open, sincere) engagement with the world and "killing one's father" symbolizes abandoning the tendency to self-judge and watch oneself in favor of trusting one's fundamental sanity.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T02:02:36.000Z
2014-10-24T02:02:36.000Z
Andriy Volkov
<p>Tantric symbolism is always multifaceted. Although a lot of the imagery in Tantra is very taboo, there's more to it than just shock value. For example, the five nectars of urine, feces, menses, semen, and bone marrow aren't visualized in a skull-cup as an offering because they are transgressive, but because they represent the five aggregates, and refering to them as nectar represents that for an enlightened being they are innately pure. Even if someone doesn't find any particular part of Tantra to be taboo, they still would make sense in terms of their other symbolic aspects.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T01:46:20.780Z
2014-10-24T02:04:27.573Z
2014-10-24T02:04:27.573Z
Bakmoon
<p>Tantric rituals harness the power/engergy of taboo acts by including either actual or visualizations of alcohol, meat and sex into the ritual.</p>

<p>In that system, does it still work if people don't actually believe that there is anything wrong with drinking <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganachakra" rel="nofollow">alcohol, eating meat</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmamudr%C4%81" rel="nofollow">sex</a>?  Also, maybe I just am not familiar with tantra, but this list is 3 out of five of the five precepts. Do tantric rituals also harness the power of theft and killing?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-23T22:08:49.633Z
are you counting eating meat as breaking one of the 5 precepts?
Robin111
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-23T22:13:15.430Z
True, as discussed elsewhere, most sects don't make meat a 1st precept violation. Maybe they have to track down some meat that was specifically slaughtered for them, while they watched and listened to it happen.
MatthewMartin
<intoxicants><tantra>
How do taboo acts work in tantra if people don't see the acts as taboo?
# How do taboo acts work in tantra if people don't see the acts as taboo?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-23)

Tantric rituals harness the power/engergy of taboo acts by including either actual or visualizations of alcohol, meat and sex into the ritual.

In that system, does it still work if people don't actually believe that there is anything wrong with drinking [alcohol, eating meat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganachakra) or [sex](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmamudr%C4%81)? Also, maybe I just am not familiar with tantra, but this list is 3 out of five of the five precepts. Do tantric rituals also harness the power of theft and killing?

**Tags:** intoxicants, tantra

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: are you counting eating meat as breaking one of the 5 precepts?  
> **username_0**: True, as discussed elsewhere, most sects don't make meat a 1st precept violation. Maybe they have to track down some meat that was specifically slaughtered for them, while they watched and listened to it happen.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-10-24. Score: 1

I don't see tantra as "harnessing the power/energy of taboo acts". First, working with controversial subjects like alcohol, meat, sex, theft, lying, and killing is a relatively small part of tantra, I would say no more than 1/10th or even 1/20th, people just tend to exaggerate it. Second, I don't believe these subjects are worked in order to harness their taboo energy, but rather to help the practitioner go beyond some of the deeper-lying preconceptions that may be hiding in the dark corners of psyche easily accessible through controversial means.

For example, if someone has residual anxiety of emotional intimacy and openness, sex may be prescribed as a practice that involves direct open contact with another person. Same with drinking feasts, which may be prescribed as a practice of sincere communication etc.

There is also symbolic/metaphorical component to tantra as @username_3 said. In this line of thinking, "having sex with everything that moves" symbolizes "naked" (open, sincere) engagement with the world and "killing one's father" symbolizes abandoning the tendency to self-judge and watch oneself in favor of trusting one's fundamental sanity.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2014-10-24. Score: 1

Tantric symbolism is always multifaceted. Although a lot of the imagery in Tantra is very taboo, there's more to it than just shock value. For example, the five nectars of urine, feces, menses, semen, and bone marrow aren't visualized in a skull-cup as an offering because they are transgressive, but because they represent the five aggregates, and refering to them as nectar represents that for an enlightened being they are innately pure. Even if someone doesn't find any particular part of Tantra to be taboo, they still would make sense in terms of their other symbolic aspects.


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