RELI 348Tantric Traditions in Asia and Beyond (Spring 2016)

Dr. Ryan Richard Overbey

WF 11:0012:20
roverbey@wesleyan.edu
Religion Seminar Room, 171 Church Street
Office hours: W 09:0010:00; Th 09:0010:00 @ Religion Dept., Rm. 206

Religion 348
Magic, Sex, and Scholasticism: Tantric Traditions in Asia and Beyond
Course Description
The word tantra conjures many images: ritual feasts on illicit substances, sexual union in the service of religious
transformation, alchemical journeys, and explorations of the erotic, the terrifying, and the sublime. But what precisely
did tantra look like in practice? Were the worlds of tantra imagined by marginal outcastes? Monastic elites? Or were
they just the wild fantasies of Western imperialists?
In this course we will immerse ourselves in the worlds of tantra, through scriptures, ritual manuals, and art. We will
read scholarship on tantra to probe the social and philosophical contexts in which tantra thrived. Finally, we will
investigate the history of Western encounters with and appropriations of tantra, from Aleister Crowley to Sting.

Course Objectives
To master the social, intellectual, and ritual history of the Hindu and Buddhist tantric traditions
To become acquainted with current scholarly debates on the origins and development of the tantric traditions
To reflect critically on the history and current state of popular and academic Western discourses on Tantra

Responsibilities
Participation in the course is essential. Participation does not mean simply attending class and handing in written
assignments. Participation means active involvement in discussion. One need not know all the answers to speak up;
the classroom is a space where questions are especially valued. Come to every class prepared with your insights and
your questions. It will be assumed that all students will have completed the sessions reading BEFORE arriving to class.
You may be called on at any time to contribute to the class with your ideas and questions.
This class features close readings of important primary sources. To help guide our discussions you will write three 35
page critical reflection essays. In these essays you will engage deeply with Tantric religious texts and with scholarship
about Tantra. The quality of our discussions will be determined, in large part, by how seriously you take the task of
reading and writing these reflections.
The centerpiece of the class will be a final substantive paper, 1520 pages in length, exploring some aspect of Tantric
traditions and making use of both primary sources and relevant scholarship. The paper should be much more than a
book report; it should reflect both your ability to do library research and your ability to synthesize data and make your
own arguments about the material. The paper will be written in three phases:
A 2-3 page proposal for the final paper. The proposal should contain a brief summary of the papers topic
along with an annotated bibliography of sources you have consulted and plan to consult.
A complete rough draft of the final paper (1520 pages). The more complete and polished the draft, the more
likely you are to produce an excellent final draft.
The final paper (1520 pages) will be due Friday, 13 May, 12 PM.
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RELI 348Tantric Traditions in Asia and Beyond (Spring 2016)

Dr. Ryan Richard Overbey
WF 11:0012:20
roverbey@wesleyan.edu
Religion Seminar Room, 171 Church Street
Office hours: W 09:0010:00; Th 09:0010:00 @ Religion Dept., Rm. 206

Grading
Attendance and participation: 30%
Critical reflection essays: 3 x 10% = 30%
Paper proposal + bibliography: 5%
Paper rough draft: 10%
Final paper: 25%

Course Policies
Course website and syllabus updates: The Lotus Stra teaches us about upyakaualya, skillfulness in expedient
pedagogical techniques. In the Buddhist tradition, good pedgagogy is adaptive, adjusting to the proclivities and needs
of particular students. As the semester progresses, I may make changes to the syllabus to ensure that our collective
efforts are fruitful. If I do make changes to the syllabus, you will be notified via email, via the course website, and in an
announcement in class. Pay close attention to the course website for updates and announcements!
Decorum: Texting, cell phone conversations, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Tinder, Yik-Yak, &c. &c. are
simply not welcome in the classroom. If you feel compelled to surrender your privacy to rapacious Silicon Valley
marketeers, please do so outside our sacred halls of learning. With that said, you are free to use laptops or tablets, and I
will not monitor, parent, or police you in any way. I assume you are mature and responsible enough to come to the
classroom prepared and focused.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Wesleyan University is committed to ensuring that all qualified
students with disabilities are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from its programs and
services. To receive accommodations, a student must have a documented disability as defined by Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and provide documentation of the disability. Since
accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact Disability
Resources as soon as possible. If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact Dean Patey
in Disability Resources located in North College, room 021, or call 860-685-5581 for an appointment to discuss your
needs and the process for requesting accommodations.
Extracurriculars & Scheduling Conflicts: This syllabus contains the relevant deadlines for major assignments. You
must notify me by the second week of the term about any known or potential extracurricular conflicts (such as religious
observances, graduate or medical school interviews, or team activities). If you have a conflict on the due date of an
assignment, I am happy to accept an assignment turned in ahead of time. I will not accept assignments which are late
due to extracurricular scheduling conflicts. It is your responsibility to turn in the assignment on or before the due date.
Academic Honesty and Honorable Conduct: As a member of the Wesleyan community, you are expected to follow the
Wesleyan Student Honor Code. I take very seriously my commitment to teaching you the scholarly values of proper
citation and attribution. Accordingly, I will report all incidents of suspected academic dishonestywithout exception
to the Honor Board. If you have any questions about the proper citation practices, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Late Assignments: All late papers are deducted one letter grade per day late.

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RELI 348Tantric Traditions in Asia and Beyond (Spring 2016)

Dr. Ryan Richard Overbey
WF 11:0012:20
roverbey@wesleyan.edu
Religion Seminar Room, 171 Church Street
Office hours: W 09:0010:00; Th 09:0010:00 @ Religion Dept., Rm. 206

Required books
Davidson, Ronald M. Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement. New York: Columbia
University Press, 2002.
White, David Gordon. Kiss of the Yogin: Tantric Sex in its Asian Contexts. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Wedemeyer, Christian. Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism: History, Semiology, & Transgression in the Indian Traditions.
New York: Columbia University Press, 2013.
Urban, Hugh B. Tantra: Sex, Secrecy, and Power in the Study of Religion. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003.

Course Outline
F 22 January: Introductions
Begin reading for Wednesday!

W 27 January: Floods Tantric Body I

Web Flood, Gavin. The Tantric Body: The Secret Tradition of Hindu Religion. London: I.B. Tauris, 2006. Read Part I [pp. 196]
Web Hallisey, Charles. The Surprise of Scriptures Advice. In Religious Identity and the Problem of Historical
Foundation: The Foundational Character of Authoritative Sources in the History of Christianity and Judaism, edited by
Judith Frishman, Willemien Otten, and Gerard Rouwhorst, 2844. Jewish and Christian Perspectives Series 8. Leiden:
Brill, 2004.
Recommended reading:
Web White, David Gordon. Tantrism: An Overview. In Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed., edited by Lindsay
Jones, 89848987. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Thomson Gale, 2005.

F 29 January: Floods Tantric Body II

Web Flood, Gavin. The Tantric Body: The Secret Tradition of Hindu Religion. London: I.B. Tauris, 2006. Read Part II [pp.
99187]
Recommended reading:
Web Smith, Brian K. Tantrism: Hindu Tantrism. In Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed., edited by Lindsay Jones,
89878994. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Thomson Gale, 2005.
Web Hatley, Shaman. Tantric aivism in Early Medieval India: Recent Research and Future Directions.
Religion Compass 4, no. 10 (2010): 615628.

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RELI 348Tantric Traditions in Asia and Beyond (Spring 2016)

Dr. Ryan Richard Overbey
WF 11:0012:20
roverbey@wesleyan.edu
Religion Seminar Room, 171 Church Street
Office hours: W 09:0010:00; Th 09:0010:00 @ Religion Dept., Rm. 206

W 3 February: aiva traditions

Web Sanderson, Alexis. aivism and the Tantric Traditions, in The Worlds Religions, edited by Stewart Sutherland,
Leslie Houlden, Peter Clarke, and Friedhelm Hardy, 660704. London: Routledge, 1988.
Web Sanderson, Alexis. The aiva Age. Handout for Early Tantrism Workshop, Tky, 35 October 2005.
Web Davis, Richard H. Praises of the Drunken Peacocks In Tantra in Practice, edited by David Gordon White, 131145.
Princeton Readings in Religions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2000.
Recommended reading:
Web Sanderson, Alexis. The aiva Age: the Rise and Dominance of aivism during the Early Medieval Period.
In Genesis and Development of Tantrism, edited by Einoo Shingo , 41349. Institute of Oriental
Culture Special Series 23. Tky : Sankib Busshorin , 2009.

F 5 February: Davidsons Indian Esoteric Buddhism I

Davidson chs. 13 [pp. 1112]

W 10 February: Davidsons Indian Esoteric Buddhism II

Davidson chs. 45 [pp. 113235]

F 12 February: Davidsons Indian Esoteric Buddhism III

Davidson chs. 68 [pp. 236340]

W 17 February: Lets talk about (tantric) sex

Web Biernacki, Loriliai. Sex Talk and Gender Rites: Women and the Tantric Sex Rite. Hindu Studies 10 (2006): 185206.
Web Trzsk, Judit. Nondualism in Early kta Tantras: Transgressive Rites and their Ontological Justification in a
Historical Perspective. Journal of Indian Philosophy 42 (2014): 195223.
Web Brooks, Douglas Renfrew. The Ocean of the Heart: Selections from the Kularnava Tantra. In Tantra in Practice,
edited by David Gordon White, 347360. Princeton Readings in Religions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University
Press, 2000.

F 19 February: Whites Kiss of the Yogin I

Critical Reflection #1 due at beginning of class!
White chs. 12 [pp. 166]

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RELI 348Tantric Traditions in Asia and Beyond (Spring 2016)

Dr. Ryan Richard Overbey
WF 11:0012:20
roverbey@wesleyan.edu
Religion Seminar Room, 171 Church Street
Office hours: W 09:0010:00; Th 09:0010:00 @ Religion Dept., Rm. 206

W 24 February: Whites Kiss of the Yogin II

White chs. 34 [pp. 67122]

F 26 February: Whites Kiss of the Yogin III

Final paper proposal + bibliography due at beginning of class!
White chs. 57 [pp. 123218]

W 2 March: Whites Kiss of the Yogin IV

White chs. 89 [pp. 219272]

F 4 March: Women and goddesses in Tantra

Web Biernacki, Loriliai. Renowned Goddess of Desire: Women, Sex, and Speech in Tantra. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2007. Read Introduction + ch. 1, [pp. 360].
Web McDaniel, June. Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2004. Read ch. 1 [pp. 2766].
Web Goudriaan, Teun. The Wedding of Siva and the Goddess in the Kulalikamnaya. In Tantra in Practice, edited by
David Gordon White, 184194. Princeton Readings in Religions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press,
2000.

5 March20 March: No classSpring Break!

W 23 March: Buddhist Tantra in practice

Web Kapstein, Matthew I. King Kunjis Banquet. In Tantra in Practice, edited by David Gordon White, 5271. Princeton
Readings in Religions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2000.
Web Bentor, Yael. The Tibetan Practice of the Mantra Path According to Lce-sgom-pa. In Tantra in Practice, edited by
David Gordon White, 326346. Princeton Readings in Religions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press,
2000.
Recommended reading:
Web Cozort, Daniel. Highest Yoga Tantra: an introduction to the esoteric Buddhism of Tibet. 1986. Reprint,
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RELI 348Tantric Traditions in Asia and Beyond (Spring 2016)

Dr. Ryan Richard Overbey
WF 11:0012:20
roverbey@wesleyan.edu
Religion Seminar Room, 171 Church Street
Office hours: W 09:0010:00; Th 09:0010:00 @ Religion Dept., Rm. 206
Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2005. Read Parts 2 & 3 [pp. 39114]

F 25 March: Caamahroaatantra
Web George, Christopher S. The Caamahroaatantra, Chapters IVIII. American Oriental Series 56. New Haven,
Connecticut: American Oriental Society, 1974. Read the English translation [pp. 4485]

W 30 March: Wedemeyers Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism I

Critical Reflection #2 due at beginning of class!
Wedemeyer Introduction + chs. 12

F 1 April: Wedemeyers Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism II

Wedemeyer ch. 3 + Appendix I

W 6 April: Wedemeyers Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism III

Wedemeyer chs. 45 + Appendix II

F 8 April: Wedemeyers Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism IV

Wedemeyer ch. 6 + Conclusion

W 13 April: Western appropriations of Tantra: John Woodroffe & Aleister Crowley

Web Excerpts from John Woodroffes lectures, TBD
Web Excerpts from Francis King, The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O., TBD

F 15 April: Urbans Tantra I

Rough draft of final paper due at beginning of class!
Urban Introduction + chapter 1 [pp. 172]

W 20 April: Urbans Tantra II

Urban chapters 23 [pp. 73133]

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RELI 348Tantric Traditions in Asia and Beyond (Spring 2016)

Dr. Ryan Richard Overbey
WF 11:0012:20
roverbey@wesleyan.edu
Religion Seminar Room, 171 Church Street
Office hours: W 09:0010:00; Th 09:0010:00 @ Religion Dept., Rm. 206

F 22 April: Urbans Tantra III

Urban chapters 45 [pp. 134202]

W 27 April: Urbans Tantra IV

Urban chapter 6 + conclusion [pp. 203282]

F 29 April: The tntrikas of Barnes & Noble

Groups in class will report today on one of the following books, all downloadable from the course website:
Web Hyatt, Christopher S. and Lon Milo DuQuette. Sex Magic, Tantra & Tarot: The Way of the Secret Lover. 2nd
rev. ed. Tempe, Arizona: New Falcon Publications, 1996.
Web Mumford, Jonn. Ecstasy Through Tantra. 3rd rev. ed. 1988. Reprint, St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn
Publications, 2002.
Web Newcastle, Sienna. American Tantra: A Modern Guide to Sacred Sex. New York: iUniverse, 2009.

W 4 May: Final thoughts

Critical Reflection #3 due at beginning of class!
Students should come with a brief (5 minutes or fewer) presentation on their final paper, and be prepared to ask and
answer questions about your projects!

Friday, 13 May, 12 PM: Final paper due via email

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