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Tantra
noun
(Sanskrit, literally,
warp, from tanoti,he stretches, weaves; akin to Greek
teinein
to stretch)
1):
(often capitalized) one of the later Hindu or Buddhist scriptures dealing especially with techniques and rituals including meditative and sexual
practices
2):rituals or practices outlined in the tantra,
first used in 1799
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Tantra
is the
ancient Eastern belief system in which the Divine
Mother of the universe, or Shakti, is worshiped as
the ultimate reality. Right-handed
tantra involves worship of the Divine Mother through mantras
and meditation, and
left-handed tantra also involves the use of
sexual energy and, sometimes, intoxicants, to awaken the
spiritual power within.
Tantra is now commonly refers
to a variety of approaches to sexuality which also
incorporate some form of spirituality. Some people study
Tantra as part of their spiritual path, while others study
it solely to enhance their understanding and appreciation of
sexuality and intimacy.
The word "Tantra" has many
definitions, and perhaps its real meaning has been lost to
antiquity. Some scholars claim it comes from the Sanskrit or
Hindi word for fabric or tapestry, meaning that it is the
weaving together of many consciousnesses. Others say that is
comes from two Sanskrit words - tanoti and trayati. Tanoti
means to expand consciousness, and trayati means to liberate
consciousness. One might then say that Tantra expands and
liberates consciousness, weaving the individual into the
fabric of existence. While not a religious philosophy,
Tantra embraces a deep spiritual understanding of life, and
an ancient art of living in harmony with existence. It is a
poetic science of "super sexuality" that dates back
thousands of years. It was used as a vehicle to achieve
cosmic consciousness and union with divinity.
Thousands of years ago, people had achieved a high degree of
awareness and an alchemical formula for converting what we
know as sex energy - called by many names such as chi, ki,
vital force, etc. - using it to enter into a state of divine
ecstacy. Their spiritual philosophy held sexuality as a
divine rite and an expression of union or yoga. This period
was 4300-1700 BC. At the end of this period, the newly
developed civilizations failed to develop the deep spiritual
connection to this vital energy that we call tantra.
Tantra is the art of spiritualizing
"sexuality" getting rid of fear and attachment and choosing
instead love and universal acceptance.· Put simply, Tantra
is the total surrender, or letting go of all mental,
emotional and cultural conditioning, so that universal life
energy can again flow though us like a river without any
effort. It is a surrendering to universal unity ..to love.
When fear disappears, love remains. The process is called
Tantra, which can be defined as "sexual intimacy without
sexual intercourse."
Tantra treats sexual energy as a
loving friend, rather than something to be suppressed or
talked about in secret.
Most of humanity has lost that special insight or balance
that moves us beyond mere physical pleasure to a deeper and
more satisfying wholeness. Long before so-called
civilization permeated our culture, humans cultivated sexual
pleasure as a means to transcend into higher dimensions of
consciousness, using the material, animal orgasm to move far
beyond it.
Tantra teaches us how to make love
with everything, letting go of all barriers. Sex becomes
sacred when you approach it from your heart and body, rather
than your mind. The body is only layers of invisible energy
in form, and it can be awakened if we let go in sex. This is
the way of Tantra. It affirms the life energy within you in
totality, so that those on this path find themselves whole
and self-confident, with a positive panoramic view of
everything. Tantra changes one's view of relationships as
well. Relationships are less co-dependent, jealous or
neurotic. They tend to be harmonious, fun and energy-filled.
In the way of Tantra, you also discover that the
relationship you seek
outside is already within
In Tantra, sexual energy is used in healing as the means of
triggering and amplfying the Kundalini force, the body's
biological life-energy system, merging it/you with universal
energy. Unlike Taoism (which actually stemmed from ancient
Tantra) that says bring your energy inside for longevity,
Tantra says let it go..let it all go! There is no reason to
hang onto anything if eternity exists. In Tantra, sex is
used to create the polarity charge, or potential, that
connects with the primordial energy from which everything in
the universe arises.
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Tantra