The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1260 page)

 
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(Skt.). Both an important school of
Tantrism
whose adherents constitute the ‘family’ (
kula
) of
akti
, and a theological term with many levels of meaning. The Kaula school reinterprets the teachings of the
Kula
, rejecting the narrow sectarian bias of the Kula's
K
p
lika
origins. The
K
l
r
ava Tantra
represents the Kaula as a distinct system which maintains the union of
iva
and
akti as the absolute reality, and advocates the secret ritual of the
pañca-mak
ra
. Emphasizing secrecy, the text defines a Kaula as one who is privately a
kta, outwardly a
aiva and among people a
Vai
ava