Sarah Caldwell

ABSTRACT: This article suggests two apparently contradictory theses: namely that Swami Muktananda (1908-1982) was an enlightened teacher and practitioner of an esoteric form of Tantric sexual yoga, and that he also engaged in actions that were not ethical, legal, or liberatory with many disciples. These two theses are brought into creative tension through a developing Tantric hermeneutic. In discussing secrecy and power, the article addresses critical cultural, feminist, and psychological issues about sexual abuse and the importation of Asian religious tradi­tions into contemporary American society, and argues that what has hap­pened in the recent history of Siddha Yoga arises directly out of Tantra’s long history of dissimulation and secrecy. I suggest that a hybrid schol­arly sensibility might emerge out of the secret heart of the Tantric teach­ings, itself offering a way forward in the study of such traditions.