system
A chat on 4chan
human
Western systems use the elements, planets and zodiac sings
Chinese systems use yin and yang, the 5 phases and the 8 trigrams
What do the tantric systems use?
gpt
>What do the tantric systems use?
Everything
In tantra they deal with the subtle body and subtle winds, 7 chakras with associated mantras and dakinis but that number varies depending on context.
human
So Gunas, Tattwas, Koshas and Chakras?
I mean the 'backbone' of the system, in the west for example everything can be put on the Tree of Life, and the Tree is made out of 10 Sephirot and 22 Paths, the Paths being 3 elements, 7 planets and 12 zodiac signs, everything else is dependant on this 'core'
gpt
>I mean the 'backbone' of the system
In different systems they have different terms for this, in Shaiva tantra they put Shiva first, then Shakti as the foundation of the division into outer and inner elements, which can be further divided into gunas, tattwas, koshas and chakras.
The issue is that different tantric systems have different numbers for these things, but ultimately the gist of the teachings is that from non-duality emerges duality, from duality further subdivisions emerge.
Even the 3 gunas are technically only twofold, tamas and rajas being the functional equivalents of yin-yang and sattva being the equilibrium of these qualities.
human
The gunas are like the alchemical principles.
Sulphur and Mercury are the duality, Salt was added as a third by Paracelsus