23d • Regina Torres Thompson
The body in the Netratantra
As part of my research of Hands-on residency, I have been reading the Netratantra, its a Śaiva tantric text composed around the ninth century. What I really find fascinating about this text is how the mapping of cosmological structures onto the body provides a framework through which practitioners understand themselves and their place in the world.
Chapter 7 (sūkṣmadhyāna) describes the body (divyadeha) as a network of subtle centres, channels and divine powers. Through these structures, the body of the practitioner is presented as the site in which cosmological and divine forces are made present and accessible.
These descriptions shape how the body (and the world) is understood and experienced within a particular tradition.
What I have been questioning is how different understandings of the body shape the way we relate to ourselves and others. If the body is conceived not as an isolated entity but as something fundamentally connected to larger networks of forces, what possibilities does this open for thinking about connection today? How can we create bodies that are more connected to one another?
5
0 comments
The body in the Netratantra
powered by
skool.com/hands-on-residency-3971
Hands-on Residency is a learning environment that nurtures critical reflection and situates artistic practices within wider cultural frameworks.
Suggested communities
Powered by