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What is Tantra?
The Origins of Tantra
The highest spiritual attainment according to Tantra is called Mahamudra, which means 'The Great Gesture' arising from the experience of orgasm with the universe. The way to reach this sublime state is through the art and science of Tantric meditation. These methods have always been passed as a direct transmission from a Master. In other words, the power of the teaching is contained not in the written word, but in the oral and experiential ambience created with the presence of one who has realised Mahamudra. The practitioner of Tantra imbibes it and is transformed. This transformational process is experienced as a remembrance of one's essential nature. The Different Approaches to Tantra Over the years there have been many ways developed to experience Tantra. Because it depends on subjective experience as a key to spiritual awakening, no dogma or religion can be made of it. It is a path for the individual, honouring the uniqueness of each human being. For this reason, each Tantra teacher brings a flavour to the Tantric path linked with how they experience life energy. Confusion abounds as in our present age we seek to discover the true Tantric message and come across myriad interpretations of this life approach. However, we would like to briefly outline some of the streams that have developed from different environments.
In our modern world Tantra is experiencing a renaissance. However, since people have very little idea of exactly how to interpret it there is a tendency to make an unrecognisable stew containing a little of everything. There is also a tendency in our Western world to focus almost exclusively on the sexual interpretations of Tantra. This is a natural reaction due to the fact that we are just emerging from centuries of sexual repression. When more people have experienced the benefits of Tantra as a life approach this need to focus on the sexual aspect of it will become more balanced. How to Choose a Tantric Direction?
I was lucky enough to have discovered Tantra in my teens while in India. I stayed in the presence of my Tantra Master for many years, imbibing the essence of the Tantra transmission. After he left his body in 1990 I went through several more years of integrating what I had learned before coming to Europe to share it. Having been born in the west and yet having lived over half my life in India has made me sensitive to ways of understanding and merging Eastern and Western life approaches. The Tantra transmission we share in the School of Awakening is very much in tune with the spirit of Shiva, other Tantra masters, (who have existed down the ages) with the Baul Mystics, and with Osho, (a contemporary Tantra Master). In this lineage, we embrace all aspects of the human being and celebrate love as a spiritual path. We are spreading the good news that the Tantra spirit is alive and easily accessible for every human being. The Tantra approach to life, love and spirituality has the power to transform this earth into a paradise here and now. As we learn to celebrate being human and embrace contradictions with meditative awareness, we become wise, joyous, sensual, innocent and sensitive. When one discovers this heightened sensitivity inside it becomes impossible to harm another human being or the earth. The whole of life becomes the abode of the divine and each moment is sacred. Mahasatvaa
Ma Ananda Sarita PhD is co-founder of the School of
Awakening, based in the UK. She and her colleague, Nirav Chintan,
offer highly acclaimed Tantra courses for couples and individuals.
She is co-author of two books, Tantric Love and Tantric Sex,
translated into many languages throughout the world. |
Tantra
is an art, a science, a spiritual path and a lifestyle. It is
a Sanskrit word which essentially means transformation. The
basic concept of this life approach is that each human being
is a reflection of the entire cosmos. By entering inside one's
own subjective being with a witnessing consciousness, all aspects
of the body / mind and emotions are revealed in their refined
potential. The refined potential of every human being is divine.
Therefore, in Tantra, the whole person is accepted as divine.
Each aspect of being human can become a door to expanded consciousness.
You can begin the Tantric path from wherever you are right now.
If you have anger, you can learn a method for discovering the
tremendous potential for spiritual awakening contained within
that energy. If you are feeling sexual, this quality becomes
a key to open all the secrets of human energy. In fact, with
Tantra, each sensorial experience offers a door to cosmic consciousness.
The
origins of Tantra are probably as old as the human race. However,
as a teaching, it was first recorded through the scriptures
of Shiva, a Tantric Master who lived between 5-7000 years ago
in India. He has given to the world 112 methods of meditation
which use each aspect of the human experience as a door to spiritual
awakening. His life approach embraces sensual love between men
and women as an integral part of the spiritual path. He has
honoured the feminine and revealed the importance of an equal
balance between male and female principles. A depiction of God
according to Tantra is Ardanareshvara, half man, half woman.
In Shiva temples throughout India the object of worship is a
stone carving of the female genitalia which cradles a stone
carving of the male genitalia, symbolising among other things,
the importance of the balance between feminine and masculine
principles. The name given to the male genitals is Lingam, meaning
wand of light. The name given to the female genitals is Yoni,
meaning sacred place.
Each
aspect of Tantra has valuable insights to offer. When choosing
a particular direction or teacher it is wise to listen to your
heart. If your heart feels uplifted by that teacher or that
approach then it is good for you. If your heart feels oppressed,
shrinking, then it is a wrong approach for you. Each soul carries
a unique program, so the art of finding a path in life is to
discover what gives you wings to fly closer to your own soul
calling. In our days, many people are called towards a path,
which seeks to bring harmony between body and spirit, sex and
superconsciousness, men and women. This is the path offered
by Tantra.