Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra
by Anonymous; Shaiva Tantric tradition
Primary text · Reading guide
The Short Answer
A historical Shaiva Tantric dialogue presenting 112 contemplative practices within a religious understanding of awareness.
Shaiva Tantra · Primary text
Before you begin
Tantra names multiple traditions, not a single book or a synonym for sexuality. This text belongs to a particular Shaiva context.
Reading lens: symbolic and religious interpretation; historical details are identified through the sources below.
Choose an edition
Christopher Wallis’s translation and introductory study identify the text and its setting. Keep modern adaptations distinct from a source translation.
A path through the book
Historical introduction
Locate the text in Shaiva Tantra before reading techniques.
The framing dialogue
Read the opening exchange before the individual contemplations.
Study selected passages
Use commentary to clarify terms; this guide is a reading map, not initiation.
Sources & editions
- Christopher Wallis: introduction and verse one ↗
Edition and reading reference.
An editorial reading guide with original summaries and source links. Modern translations remain the work of their named translators.
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Key Insights
The dialogue frames the practices within a religious worldview.
Translation choices shape how contemplative instructions are understood.
The text represents one strand within a much broader Tantric history.