("exercise on the left hand") This word implies a sort of tantric practice that makes ceremonial use of banned substances, such as the Five Forbidden Things (panchamakara), or encourages conduct that the orthodox would deem scandalous or objectionable in the hidden, ritual-based religious practice known as tantra.
When seen in a tantric setting, the use of typically banned
substances is considered as a powerful ritual weapon rather than a simple
permission.
The ultimate oneness of everything that exists is one of the
most widespread tantric conceptions.
From a tantric viewpoint, affirming that the whole cosmos is
one principle—often understood as the action of a certain deity—requires the
adept to abandon all dualistic ideas.
Because the adept defies society conventions barring use of
intoxicants, nonvegetarian food, and illegal intercourse in this ritual, the
"Five Forbidden Things" give a ceremonial mechanism for breaking down
dualism.
There has long been a controversy within the tantric
tradition concerning the propriety of such activities, and although the vamachara
practice employs these things in their natural forms, the dakshinachara
("right-hand") practice substitutes other objects for the banned
ones.
This contrast between "right" and "left"
hand also reflects the pervasive duality between right and left in Indian
culture, with the former seen as superior.
