Once again, we’ll be running our OCHS Oxford Weekend School. This time it will be at the very gracious Balliol College and the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.
The theme for this weekend is Rethinking Tantra in which we look at one of Hinduism’s least understood traditions.
We’ve been running weekend schools for some years now and this year we’ve expanded and enhanced the programme. They are a great way for OCHS friends and students to come together to build a community of enquiry.
If you haven’t joined us yet, then I hope this will be your year.
What’s it about?
The most misrepresented of all Hindu traditions, Tantra is a complex interweaving of teachings and practices that pervades Vaiṣnava, Śaiva, Śākta, and Smarta traditions. Its roots can be traced back to Vedic times and its influence has spread to Jainism, Buddhism, and beyond.
While sex and secret ritual are an element of some practices, Tantra is much more than that. Tantric ideas have shaped core Hindu practices such as temple building, worship, mantra, yoga, ayurveda, meditation, and guru-disciple relationships. It is a part of everyday life.
This weekend will demystify Tantra and show that it is more than just esoteric teachings for the few, but is in fact the very fabric of the Hindu world-view.
When and where?
14–15 March 2020
Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies
(day one)
Balliol College Old Common Room
(day two)
