The Left Hand Path & The Right Hand Path
From Hindu Tantra, we are given the evocative term “Left Hand Path” to describe a wide range of religions and spiritual practices. In Sanskrit, the word is vamachara, or literally “left path”. In the Hindu religion, the word is used to describe tantric practices that violate the social and ethical norms of Hinduism. In the late nineteenth century, Helena Blavatsky adopted the word and introduced it to Western culture to describe sex magic and similar concepts: religious traditions or occult practices that are considered immoral. In the early twentieth century, Alistair Crowley took up the term and called certain associates of his occult circles “Brothers of the Left Hand Path.”
Since then, other occult or Satanic belief systems have also applied the label to themselves. In Tantra, the traditional Hindu way of achieving enlightenment is through the “right hand path” or dakshinachara. Practitioners of dakshinachara are vegetarian, meditate, and generally live very non-materialistic lifestyles focused on spiritual purity. In contrast, practitioners of the left hand path are very much focused on their carnal nature. They engage in ritual practices that include drinking, sex, animal sacrifice, and sometimes even cannibalism. However, Tantra regards each of these highly dissimilar sects as equally valid pathways to enlightenment. Traditional Hindus disagree and find the left hand path to be reprehensible and immoral.
Both Hindus and Tantrists agree, however, that the left hand path is more dangerous and not suitable for all practitioners. Even within the left hand path Tantra, sexual intercourse and alcoholic intoxicants are considered dangerous and off limits except in the very specific case that they are used in the course of a ritual. Additionally, some swamis emphasize that it is not necessary to engage in the literal acts of left hand tantra in order to perform the Tantric rights correctly. They note that symbols can be introduced to take the place of the taboo meat, sex, and alcohol.
