Sahajayana (in Tantric Buddhism)

[Full title: Tantric Buddhism in Orissa (Introduction) (2): Sahajayana]

The literal meaning of the word Sahaja is that which is inborn or originates with the birth. This is substantiated by the Hevajra Tantra. S.B.Dasgupta gives both the primary and secondary meaning of the word Sahaja when he says, “what is natural is the easiest (Early, straight or plain) and thus Sahaja” (Maharana 1995:152). Whereas Sahu (1958:137) defines it “the word Sahaja literally means that, which accompanies with the birth and manifests itself as the primitive and natural propensities in man. The path that leads man to realize the truth through satisfying these inborn and fundamental propensities is therefore, the most natural and easiest of all paths and hence, it is called the Sahaja path or Sahajayana”.

Lakshminkara or Bhagavati Laksmi is regarded as the profounder of Sahajayana. She was the sister of Siddha Indrabhuti, who promulgated Vajrayana. She was married to the son of Jalendra, the king of Lankapuri. She is the author of Advayasiddhi through which she taught her peculiar and novel doctrines and was very bold in preaching them.

She was against the idol worship of the Vajrayana pantheon along with their innumerable emanations. She insisted that “no suffering, no fasting, no bathing, no purification, no other rules of society are necessary, nor does one have to bow down before the images of gods, which are prepared of wood, stone or mud; one should with concentration offer worship to your own body, where all gods reside (Bhattacharaya 1958:77). So the Sahajias believed in the principle of satisfying all the needs of the physical body, which was the abode of all the tattvas, pithas and deities and without which no siddha can be attained. The whole yogic process of the Sahaja school is found to be based on a highly sublime aspect of sex, where the Sadhak is to embrace and indulge with the female (Sakti), who are variously addressed as Chandali, Dambi, Savari, Yogini, Nairatma, Sahajagungari, etc. This new concept, had a large following, the followers were called Sahajiyas. It is evident that the Jananasiddhi composed by her brother to a great extent influenced her and it is said she was his favourite disciple (Maharana 1958:153).