The Neuroscience of Tantric Practice

Abstract This chapter is primarily concerned with tantric practice as spiritual training or self-cultivation within Buddhist and Hindu traditions. This process involves cognitive, emotional, and physical aspects of an integrated body-mind, and it appears to enable the achievement of exceptional levels of human ability. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a key part of this process. A series of neuroscientific studies has clarified the role of the neural system in tantric meditation, showing how tantric practice differs in fundamental ways from previously studied non-tantric forms of Buddhist and Hindu practice. This research opens the way to a new and more solidly grounded approach to the analysis and understanding of both tantric and non-tantric meditation techniques.