Tantra Meaning
Tantra is formed by combining Tanoti (body) and Trayate (liberation) and means: achieving liberation through the body.
Tantra Yoga offers an entire philosophy (because Yoga translates as Philosophy) by combining different teachings from different Schools of Thought (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta). When these combinations differed, they gave rise to different traditions. One of these traditional systems is Non-Dual Shaiva Tantra (NST) philosophy. In this context, the Shaivism Tattvas offer the most comprehensive exposition of reality.
Brief History of Tantra
In India, tantric yoga and the tantric tradition became prevalent in the 6th century AD. Buddhism did much to revive the ancient tantric rituals. By the 10th century, Tantra along with tantric Buddhism had spread everywhere. It must be remembered that the geographical spread of "India" was from Afghanistan to Burma. In terms of diversity, Tantra was as eclectic as it was stupendous.
The Mind creates Reality!
I want to combine tantric practice with the Science of Consciousness, and modern Psychology to provide a system of living. On this website, I explain tantric techniques that will awaken our senses and broaden the mechanisms of our intellectual awareness. I'm attempting to explore scientific and neurobiological research into the mind to demonstrate "how we think" and "how we perceive reality." Are we different from any advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
The Vama Marga (Tantric Sex)
Nowadays, any tantric practitioner would want to know about the sexual aspects of this philosophy. So, let's get it out of the way for now! If you are here to learn more about the practice of tantric sex, then you are at the right place. However, this site does not focus only on "tips and tricks" of tantric sex nor does it provide you with "tantric sex positions." (For that, I refer you to the Kama Sutra.) In this text, everything is portrayed as a technique, but they are techniques of the mind.
In the Vama Marga, sexual pleasure is a pathway to enlightenment! Therefore, tantric sex is a means to awakening and eventual Samadhi. However, tantric sex also means going beyond the physical act of sexual intercourse and into the domain of sexual energy. A simple example: Tantric sex does not concern itself with postures to please a sexual partner; it tells you how to please a lover. The distinction is not subtle! There is sexual energy between lovers, but there is only sex between sexual partners!
Symbolism
Not surprisingly, animal symbolism plays an important role in describing the different levels of enlightenment. For example, Kundalini Yoga is often portrayed through snakes! Therefore, the tingling sensation of an orgasm in the physical body can be elevated sacred sex. How we live our lives before the actual sexual act, how we think and feel before the sexual act, and what we believe in before the sexual act, can transform the sensation of the orgasm!
Spiritual Growth through Sacred Sexuality
In tantric sex, the orgasm explodes in the mind. It is a state of sexual energy that can be realized in dreams, at times when you least expect it, or at prolonged leisure. It can be the culmination of a ritual where the practitioner achieves sacred communion with the divine goddess! The spiritual practice of tantric sex is a valid pursuit so long as it doesn't remain purely on the physical level. It is said:
Love is Divine, but Lust is Pure!
Tantric sex exhorts us to find Divinity in Lust and Purity in Love! Finally, one can't achieve any of the things that tantric sex promises without comprehending the full range of reality. That's where the Shaivism Tattvas come in. Shaivism Tattvas enable intimacy not only with our physical environment but also with a loved one.
One Partner
Tantric texts refer to the concept of "one partner" which embodies the idea of oneness. This concept enables the person to transcend his or her immediate feelings, thoughts, and emotions and reaches higher levels of enlightenment. You and your Awakened Self are partners in this journey. When you have another human being as a partner (in the social sense of the word), then you and your human partner become One: Self Realization with the Enlightened One becomes the goal.
It does not give much importance to God - at least, it does not consider God to be the highest level of divinity. It has always advocated that humans can go beyond God. Its essence is to bring harmony and union between the sexes in all circumstances. If there is a conflict between the sexes, it will not come up because it will have been healed. When one sex is sexually unsatisfied and the other is trying to fulfill the spiritual need, it will be reconciled.
No sex is allowed to exist except within the relationship between the sexes, both of them being innately equal. This has been the background of this philosophy for centuries. When the sexual attraction between a man and a woman is metamorphosed into a mystical union of sexual organs and energy, a transcendent and eternal bliss will occur. This is the art of making the man and the woman fall in love as divine partners in a sexual union.
If you're interested in practicing Tantra, then initiate a conversation with your partner. For women, exploring our bodies and understanding what gives us pleasure is an important part of preparing for practicing Tantra with a partner. If the partners want to, they can sit in the Yab Yum position (sit cross-legged in each other's laps) and begin deep breathing. Deep breathing is a vital part of Tantra.
What Is Tantric Worship?
One of the first things you'll need to understand about this form of worship is that it is not only about sex. It's also not any type of religion, which is why many people think that it's something negative. Religion has the habit of turning our innate human desires into something negative. However, as humans, we also want our connection with the divine to be physical. Therefore, it does not take long to want to connect lust with the divine.
Tantric worship is spiritual but it is not a religious worship. It is highly specialized and personal. Anyone can perform this kind of worship —no matter their age or sexual proclivities. Your entire life can be a sacred space for contemplation and worship.
What is Kundalini?
This word comes from "kunda" which means pit. Kundalini is the primal, unconscious force that lies deep within; therefore, the word symbolizes our deep unconscious states. Some people incorrectly think of this as a "coil" symbolizing a coiled serpent. This may be because the brain looks like a serpent coiled around itself. It's quite possible that ancient Yogis dissected human bodies and studied them. This shouldn't come as a surprise because Ayurveda also has established techniques for surgery.
What does Kundalini mean?
Kundalini signifies the many unconscious states of our body. The autonomic nervous system controls our body without conscious intervention. Therefore, we are complicated machines, but Kundalini Tantra Yoga gives us access to this complicated machine. In this context, Kundalini Yoga is considered the most important discovery of traditional Yoga Philosophies. Kundalini Yoga forms an important part of tantric texts and traditions as it gives us many techniques to stimulate and activate different aspects of our unconscious mind.
What are Chakras?
Chakras mean circles or wheels, but in Kundalini Yoga, they signify whirlpools. This spiral also symbolizes an ascending spiral into higher consciousness or a descending spiral into our deeper consciousness. Different chakras are associated with different parts of the body along the spinal cord. While different scholars describe Kundalini Yoga differently, they all agree that the alignment of the chakras is along the spinal cord.
It's easy to accept the different interpretations if you consider the chakras to lie in the generic region. You don't have to accept that each chakra is associated with a specific vertebra, organ, or gland but is an essential representation of that region of the body. Therefore, they are real only to the extent that they represent that "region of the body."
New Age and Vama Marga
In the West, the Vama Marga is predominantly practiced through sexuality. It is an amalgamation of many different traditions that include Hindu and Buddhist beliefs as well as those of many New Age movements. This blending of old and new is what has led to the emergence of various interpretations. The techniques remain the same but the goals and motivations differ. Some say that natural acts—in the most "raw" form—are already pure and therefore already divine.
Tantric techniques merely augment that divinity. This idea motivates open relationships, nudist colonies, primary, secondary, and tertiary sexual relationships, etc. Since the sexual act is spiritual, there is no reason for sex to be exclusive. It becomes an expression of one's self and not merely about sexual satisfaction. It also becomes an expression of freedom, power, and self-realization. In the context of a spiritual journey or a personal encounter with the Divine, this translates into an act of communion between the physical body and mind.
The goal is to experience the union of mind and body, mind and spirit that result in the ultimate sense of bliss and oneness. Similarly, personal enlightenment and liberation can only be achieved through a reawakening of the senses and a rejuvenation of the mind.
Meditation
Not only will you use the Yantra, but you will also use mandalas in other aspects of yogic activities. Such is the simplicity of the mandala/Yantra process. To deepen the experience of the Yantra in your mindfulness, you must find the right motivation. In this respect, you will want to add a set of mandalas that will bring the mind into the present moment and start to be focused on those mandalas. The mandalas should help clear the mind and bring you into a state of relaxation.
Yantras help to focus your concentration on an idea or a thought. By focusing on different parts of the geometry, your thoughts are encouraged to progress. This helps to identify an idea with a pattern without turning that pattern into an idol and thereby degenerating into idol worship. These are simply tools, and the end goal should be to create your own Yantras/mandalas.
Visualization can be one of the best ways to deepen your awareness of the subtle energies and their interaction with the body. When the practice of visualization is integrated into the actual Yantra, you will find that the clarity of mind and ability to pay attention to subtle energies is increased. This can lead to a deeper level of the chakra and awareness of the Kundalini energy.
Self
There are different systems of reality. However, one needs to understand that “reality” here is a composite whole wherein the observer and the observed form one unit.
Tattvas
This is perhaps the most elaborate system of reality. The Tattvas - all 36 of them - help us comprehend ourselves and our environment to much greater and deeper levels.
God
Through the Powers and Acts of God, we see how reality manifests itself and how our interpretation of reality can be clouded if we're not mindful.