A Cognitive Approach to Tantric Language
Religions November 30, 2016 DOI: 10.3390/rel7120139 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Tantra Metaphor Metonymy Conceptual blending Image Schema Mantra Maṇḍala |
| Key points | Argues that cognitive categories such as schema, metonymy, metaphor, and conceptual blending facilitate a deeper analysis of Tantric symbolic language and may apply to other mystical expressions. |
Abstract
By applying the contemporary theories of schema, metonymy, metaphor, and conceptual blending, I argue in this paper that salient cognitive categories facilitate a deeper analysis of Tantric language. Tantras use a wide range of symbolic language expressed in terms of mantric speech and visual maṇḍalas, and Tantric texts relate the process of deciphering meaning with the surge of mystical experience. In this essay, I will focus on some distinctive varieties of Tantric language with a conviction that select cognitive tools facilitate coherent reading of these expressions. Mystical language broadly utilizes images and metaphors. Deciphering Tantric language should therefore also provide a framework for reading other varieties of mystical expressions across cultures.