Tantric deities personify various enlightened qualities and are the focus of esoteric religious practices (tantras) that aim to swiftly and radically transform a practitioner’s conventional understanding of reality. These secret practices require an initiation and direct instruction from a qualified tantric teacher.
Many forms of these deities, described in religious texts called tantras, can appear peaceful or wrathful. Tantric deities and practices are as diverse as people’s needs and capacities. These deities can have multiple heads, arms, and legs, symbolizing their many abilities. Female and male deities in sexual embrace represent the unity of wisdom (understanding of reality) and method (compassionate action)—the two aspects of the enlightened mind, the end result of awakening.
