YANTRA

(Sanskrit: instrument), in Tantric Hinduism and Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism, a linear diagram used as a support for meditation. In its more elaborate and pictorial form it is called a mandala (q.v.). Yantras range from those traced on the ground or on paper and disposed of after the rite, to those etched in stone and metal, such as are found in temples. When used along with yogic practices, the component parts of the yantra diagram take the believer along the different steps leading to Enlightenment. One characteristic yantra employed in the ritual worship of the goddess Sakti is the sriyantra (also called sricakra, wheel of Sri). It is composed of nine triangles: five pointing downward, said to represent the yoni, or vulva, and four pointing upward, said to represent the lingam, or phallus. The dynamic interplay is understood to be an expression of all the cosmic manifestations, beginning and ending with union at the centre, visualized as a dot (bindu).