An 'esoteric tradition' cannot be overturned by direct observation available to anyone. To an extent, there's certainly an 'esoteric priesthood' in many scienc

An 'esoteric tradition' cannot be overturned by direct observation available to anyone. To an extent, there's certainly an 'esoteric priesthood' in many sciences which can be quite dogmatic about certain models. It's certainly true that valuable observations will sometimes be ignored for a time - but eventually, theory increasingly fits observation. It's certainly not a 'nothing but' in the same sense as tantra. The predictive power of theories is essential to their fame. Einstein's early 1900s models - which seriously refuted earlier models - anticipated many later observations. Esoteric traditions like tantra have been overturned by the experiences of one individual and the insights they transmit to others. All part of the same play.