In contrast, vamachara ('left-hand path') is used to describe particular tantric practices that are considered heterodox.
N. N. Bhattacharyya explains the Sanskrit technical term ācāra as follows: The means of spiritual attainment which varies from person to person according to competence.... Ācāras are generally of seven kinds – Veda, Vaiṣṇava, Śaiva, Dakṣiṇa, Vāma, Siddhāṇta, and Kaula, falling into two broad categories – Dakṣiṇa and Vāma.
[2] For this reason, the term dakṣiṇāra is often translated "right-hand path".
The Brahma Yamala, a tantric text, says there are three currents of tradition (dakshina, vama, and madhyama) characterized respectively by the predominance of each of the three gunas (sattva, rajas, and tamas).
[3] Dakshinachara consists of traditional Hindu practices such as asceticism and meditation.