Can representation be transformative? resemblance, suggestion, and metaphor in tantric meditation

Abstract

Not all tantras are monistic in their worldview. The paradigm and the specific philosophers from tantric literature that I am engaging here come from a non-dual Saiva-Sakta paradigm. The key issues from tantric literature relevant to this conversation involve visualization or sustained meditation upon specific phonemes called 'mantras', geometric designs called 'mandalas', or images of the deity. Tantric rituals and gestures help address the enactive domain of representation. Complex manuals define sign-reference systems to contextualize representation grounded on cognitive dualism. Mainstream discourse on representation dichotomizes schema and categories against experience, and although this approach helps us contextualize some sets of tantric representation, it tends to miss the target meaning.