WHAT IS TANTRA?

Defining Tantra is a difficult task because there are so many different, diverse Tantric traditions, that span several religious traditions and cultural worlds. On top of that, nowadays the word Tantra is used on almost anything to make it sound sexier, which adds to the confusion. This makes it challenging to come up with a precise definition.

Tantra in Sanskrit is a compound of two verbs, “Tan” and “Tra”.

“Tan” means: to expand, grow, expound or give meaning. It can also mean to weave, to intertwine, to integrate, to connect, to breathe newness into the old, to pull the present out of the past and give it a meaningful future. A Loom.

“Tra” means: to protect, liberate, free from sorrow, to help one move away from the domain of afflictions.
When you combine these two verbs together to form the word “Tantra” you get the following definition: “Weaving together opposites, to create expansion and liberation”.

Tantra can also mean a system, a theory, a doctrine or section of a book and the “Tantras” were Ancient Sanskrit scriptures (ancient sacred texts) e.g. “The Agamas”.

At its essence Tantra is an ancient path of unifying ourselves back to our totality by bringing consciousness to that which was unconscious. It is a path for people wanting to know themselves, deepen awareness and celebrate all aspects of life. The essence of this path is not so concerned with philosophies but more importantly direct experience from living it. Tantra gives us alchemical methods to directly experience ourselves and actualize our potential.

Tantra is a way of living, of being in this world, a lifestyle and a choice of saying yes to life! If practiced in its true form with devotion from the heart Tantra reveals the forgotten language of ecstasy.

HISTORY OF TANTRA

No one knows when Tantra began as many of the ancient teachings were passed down from guru to disciple via word of mouth. Some people say It could have even been practiced 30,000 years ago.

Tantra was a spiritual movement that influenced many religions including Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, both in and outside South Asia and East Asia.

Tantra is mainly thought to have originated in India, though it is also said to have existed in Egypt, Japan, Tibet, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Native America, Scandinavia, China and in Taoist and Buddhist traditions.

Tantra has two rather distinct periods, the Classical Tantric period and the Neo Tantric period. Classical Tantra is traditional tantra, Neo Tantra is the modern-day version of Tantra.

CLASSICAL TANTRA

The Classical Tantric period was a peak time when Tantra was thriving and many sacred texts were written. This period was between 500 – 1500AD and existed mainly on the Indian subcontinent. In fact, it was the dominant religion of India in the medieval period (600 – 1200AD).

During this time there were many different schools of Tantra, and bodies of practices from many traditions. Some were very conservative and some were more radical with female gurus, a focus on liberation, engagement in sexual practices and blood rituals.

The more radical paths had a way of quickly liberating people because it helped them to get out of their narrow mindsets and comfort zones, conditioning them with a greater sense of mental freedom. The radical path was not appropriate for everyone, and so some took the slower paths.

Some of the classical Tantric practices included reading and embodying sacred texts and techniques, doing rituals, chanting mantras, deity worship, creating mandalas, initiations, monastic practices, meditation, yoga, and ideology. Sex was only a small part of it.

Classical Tantric Lineages include:

Kashmir Shaivism
Trika
Shri Vidhya
Aghori Tantra
Baul Mystics
Kagyu
Tantric Buddhism and more…

NEO TANTRA

Neo Tantra was started in America in 1905 by Pierre Bernard, a pioneering American yogi, scholar, occultist, philosopher, mystic and businessman. Pierre Bernard played a critical role in establishing the greatly exaggerated association of Tantra with sex for mystical purposes, in the American mindset. Neo Tantra then went on to flourish in the 1960s with well-known teachers such as Osho and later in the 80s and beyond through Charles Muir, Margo Anand, Sarita and David Deida. Some of these teachers were inspired by classical tantra and others not.

Osho had a big impact during his time, influencing many of the modern ways of thinking about Tantra. He created innovative practices that would help liberate and awaken people, with a strong focus on chakras, masculine feminine and sacred sexuality. He believed in saying yes to life.

Neo Tantra main focus is looking at the needs of the times and combining it with what works best for the western mindset. There often is a big focus around sexuality and intimacy because this is what most people in the western world are interested in. Unfortunately, this is why most people just associate Tantra with sex and orgies. Yet Tantra is much more, Tantra is a spiritual path of awakening.

TANTRIC PATH TYPES

Tantra can broadly be broken down into the left- and right-handed paths and the white, red and black tantra paths. There is also overlap between all of these paths.

RIGHT HAND TANTRA (Dakshini Marga)

Right handed Tantra is seen as the pure Tantric path because it is not sexual and focuses purely on spiritual evolution. The practices on this path are more orthodox in nature using mantra, yantra, mandalas, ritual, diety worship and meditation. Right handed Tantra emphasizes austerities and condemns the use of liquor, meat, fish and sexual union. In general, it is a Sattvic path that encourages practices that do not violate the principles of “purity” and conventional morality. The practitioner of this path requires great devotion and dedication; thus, it is called path of devotees.

LEFT HAND TANTRA (Vama Marga)

Left-handed Tantra is seen as the impure tantric path because it uses practices that are often against the accepted norms or ethics of society. In ancient times it involved the ritual use of substances that were traditionally prohibited to Brahmin priests – meat, wine, fish, parched grains, and sexual union. It was a path that was suited to people who were already firmly grounded in spiritual life so they did not lose it in the temptations and pitfalls of life. The famous Panchamakara and Maithuna rituals come from Left Hand Tantra.

WHITE TANTRA

White Tantra is part of the right-handed Tantric path and is oriented towards spiritual growth. It focuses on spirituality and the purification of mind and body to release deep subconscious blocks that get in the way of our true essence. It is mostly an individual practice which could also be practiced in a group. The practices include: pranayama, meditation, asana, mantras, mudras, ritual and visualisation and are designed to transcend the ego through disciplined mental and physical practice. The White Tantra path is very Sattvic (pure) and often does not involve sexual intercourse, unless sex is consciousness and focused on spiritual evolution. All the major chakras or energy centers are recognized in this practice, but it is the upper two chakras; the third eye and the crown chakra that are the most important.

RED TANTRA

Red Tantra is part of the left-handed Tantric path and has a big emphasis on sexuality and sensuality. Most people in the west, equate the word Tantra with the Red Tantra path because it explores the divine union of masculine and feminine and the ecstatic experience that is achieved out of sex. Red Tantra is a rajasic path and is all about how to fully enjoy your senses and have the ultimate orgasm. When you take red Tantra into the spiritual realms, in ancient times sexual union was considered a means of attaining liberation by expanding awareness and dissolving the boundaries created by the mind. As a result, the union was surrounded by time consuming ritual practices and purification, with the focus not on mere physical pleasure. All chakras are involved in the sex act, leading to orgasmic being and connection.

BLACK TANTRA

Black Tantra embraces and works with the darker side of life to find liberation. A Black Tantric’s path may differ depending on the practitioner. It is the hardest path to walk because it is easy to get lost in the darker Tamasic energies of life and lose your way. Some of the Black Tantric practices include the use of meat, alcohol, sex, human corpses and faeces. This path is poorly understood because it’s mostly practiced in secrecy. There is often an element of dark magic which is associated with it, as some practitioners develop siddhis (magical powers) and use them for manipulation and selfish purposes.

PINK TANTRA

Pink Tantra is more of a modern term and is seen as the middle path between white and red Tantra. It involves individual and partnered exercises, that can also be practiced in a group. Pink Tantra is about opening the heart chakra and growing in love and consciousness. The Meditations and Rituals are heart-oriented, highly intimate and energetic. Union is still the aim and working with the polarity of the masculine and feminine principals the means.

Pink Tantra teaches us body awareness and cultivating love without attachment, ownership or expectation. With pink tantra sex becomes lovemaking. Sexual energy is transformed and added to the stream of love/life energy. It is a merging of embodied souls, for both pleasure and enlightenment. Connection is not only self-love or melting with a partner but also making a connection with existence. The heart chakra is the main focus while integrating both the lower and the higher chakras and there is there’s no mastery to attain just being present with what is.