What is Tantra?
Beloved reader,
With the help of a few tantric texts and quotes, I created a small journey into the meaning of Tantra; however, from personal experience, I can say that this path of life can be described only by practice, not words.
As a tantric path, it is a genuine, everlasting conscious journey into the deepest mysteries of life; no words can be placed in such an out-of-physical structure experience or understanding.
Tantra is a celebration of life, a celebration of “here and now”, no matter what is happening or how. It is the path of “yes, to life in conscious forms.
It is the art of experiencing intensely every moment of life, as if it were the last of your life. This is a worship of life and nature, where no aspect is declined: inner or outer aspects, joy, sorrow, laughter, crying, anger, trust, doubt, shadow, and light.
The Sanskrit word “Tantra”, basically meaning “woven material, net” could be translated in several other ways, such as “consciousness amplifier”, or “unbroken stream,” for instance.
Tantra is neither repression nor promiscuity since each of them is the vector of the other.
It shows us a spiritual path that grants, if practiced, a truthful experience of expansion of the consciousness that enables ultimate liberation.
Tantra is primarily known from India, related to Hinduism, and from Tibet, related to Buddhism. Each of them has their own variety of scriptures, schools, traditions, and practices.
Despite the opinions of many people, Tantra is not synonymous with sex, sexual orgies, or spiritual powers. It is what it is, consciously .In its profound nature, Tantra is a science, a unifying experience of body, mind, and soul.
Traditionally, Tantra was taught in secrecy, only to the disciples who advanced through rigorous training of the mind, or in superior castes, royal houses.
It was also a fundamental prerequisite in order to complete chastity, something normal for any true monk or nun.
Reaching the stage of Tantra meant that one had mastered not only the basic methods of spiritual discipline but more advanced ones as well and was prepared for the highest or most secret teaching. It is important to understand that, historically, ordinary people were never taught tantrism. The teachings of Tantra had been protected and isolated in order to preserve their purity and to protect the naive from harming themselves.
The vast majority of the teachings of Tantra have been completely disfigured by the passions, desires, and ambitions of misguided people; authentic teachings have been degenerated completely and are now dangerous.
All truly authentic traditions require that one study extensively before taking any teachings or practices of Tantra.
A genuine Tantra Yoga system is an exceptional method of purifying the consciousness of all egotistical elements: lust, pride, envy, gluttony, laziness, etc., but it is not easy or accomplished overnight and requires great temperance, intelligence, education, and dedication.
The great Yogi, Swami Sivananda, said:
“The Tantric student must be endowed with purity, faith, devotion, dedication to Guru, dispassion, humility, courage, cosmic love, truthfulness, non-covetousness, and contentment.”
Spiritual accomplishment is determined by spiritual practice and by the ethical discipline that leads up to it, the perfect understanding of Yama and Niyama (fundamental moral yogic principles).
“He is a hero who has controlled his senses and is a speaker of truth;
who is ever engaged in worship and has sacrificed lust and all other passions.”
In Tantra, the erotic union provides a continuum of energy, a cosmic energetic force that cannot be duplicated by anything else. This is why, without sexual union, certain types of spiritual realisations are impossible.
Due to a tremendous area of temptation, tantric practices have always been hidden, and they still are to the majority, with the exception of the most elevated students.
“The passions that bind may be so employed as to act as forces whereby the particular life of which they are the strongest manifestation is raised to the universal life.
Passion, which has hitherto run downwards and outwards to waste, is directed inwards and upwards and transformed into power.” Mahanirvana Tantra.
According to Swami Satyananda, Tantra embodies two Sanskrit words:
tanoti = expands and
trayoti =liberates
By meaning, it’s the system in which you liberate or separate the two aspects of consciousness and matter—purusha and prakriti, or Shiva and Shakti—and you liberate yourself from them.
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar describes a tantric individual and a tantric path:
“A person who, irrespective of caste, creed, or religion, aspires for spiritual expansion or does something concrete is Tantric.
Tantra in itself is neither a religion nor an “ism”, It is a fundamental spiritual science.”
Also, according to Kāmikā-tantra treats:
Tan = elaborates on copious and profound matters, especially relating to the principles of reality (tattva) and sacred mantras.
tra = provides liberation
or in other words: “Tantra’s the key to spiritual liberation.”
Tantra is the priceless treasure of ancient India, being the oldest, most scientific and spiritual culture in the world.
Tantra does not encourage external renunciation (Samyasa),yet accepts for initiation into Tantra Sadhana only those who have inner renunciation.
A famous quote from the Bhagavad Gita explains it very beautifully: “Detachment (renunciation) is not that you own nothing; detachment is that nothing owns you.”
True detachment means being close to everything and not letting it to own you.
“Tantra, being a science, is amoral. Tantra is a revelation. It unfolds the mystery of mind and soul and takes man to the complete realisation of his own being.