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==History of Tantra==
Legend ascribes the origin of Tantra to [[Dattatreya]], a semi-mythical Hindu yogi and the assumed author of the ''Jivanmukta Gita'' ("Song of the liberated soul"). Others see Lord Adinath, or [[Shiva]], as the first [[Guru]] of Tantra. Things become a little more clear with Matsyendranath ("Master of fish" - so-called either because he was a fisherman, or, less probably, because he discovered a tantra inside a fish). He is accredited with authorship of the ''Kaulajnana-nirnaya'', a voluminous ninth-century tantra dealing with a host of mystical and magical subjects, and occupies an important position in the Hindu tantric lineage, as well as in Tibetan [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism. His disciple, Gorakhnath, founded [[laya yoga]]. [[Hatha Yoga]] was penned by Swami Swatamarama as the secrets of Lord Adinath (another name for Shiva) in the 15th century.
Tantra evolved into a number of orders (''sampradaya'') and diverged into so-called "left-hand tantra" (''vaama marg''), in which sexual yoga and other antinomian practices occurred, and "right-hand tantra", in which such practices were merely visualised. Both groups, but in particular the left-hand tantrists, opposed many features of orthodox Hindu culture, particularly the [[caste]] system and [[patriarchy]]. Despite this, Tantra was accepted by some high-caste Hindus, most notably the [[Rajput]] princes. Hindu tantra even briefly enabled a yogic/sufi synthesis among some Indian Muslims. Nowadays Tantra has a large, though not always well-informed, following worldwide.
Buddhist and Hindu Tantra, though having many similarities from the outside, do have some clear distinctions. Scholars are unable to determine whether the Hindu or the Buddhist version of Tantra appeared first in history. [[Buddhist Tantra]] is always part of the [[Mahayana]] school of Buddhism, which has as main aim to help all sentient beings becoming free from problems (Dukkha), in order to achieve this aim, one should try to achieve Buddhahood oneself, in order to be the most profound teacher for others.
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