Transforming the Body by Mastering the Elements, Some Tantric Sources

Abstract The elements (mahābhūtas), the building blocks of the material world according to most Indian doctrinal systems, are used in various ways in tantric rituals. The most common use is in the ritual of purification of the elements (bhūtaśuddhi), which is a preparatory act before commencing tantric worship. Another technique is the mastery of the elements (bhūtajaya), in which the practitioner gains control over a given element by holding the breath or mind (or both) at specific places in the body. Successful performance of this practice (usually called fixation, dhāraṇā) brings great effects, particularly various bodily perfections. This chapter briefly introduces the bhūtaśuddhi ritual and then discusses the technique of mastering the elements in the sources of various tantric traditions (Śaivasiddhānta, Non-Saiddhāntika Śaivas, Pāñcarātra, and Buddhism).