Tantra Tantrum.

   
    Tantra is one of those words that if you ask ten people what it means you will get ten different answers. It is has always held a bit of fascination to me, invoking images of mystery and desire. I have been proud to call myself a Nath, a member of a lineage  of Tantrik initiation, for about six years now. I am more or less a slow learner so I have never taken the time to really expound my thoughts on the subject. The following effort represents my limited and evolving understanding. It is my purpose to bring Peace and Joy and to provoke thought and discussion. Any mistakes that I have made do not reflect on those who have guided my education, they are mine alone.

    The word Tantra means loom or warp. These are weaving terms, the loom being a device to hold the warp weaves under tension. It is this warp-weave that  provides a basis to weave any textile the mind can imagine. There are several different types of weaving, that can produce countless types of beautiful woven creations, and yet they all come down to this basic tension that is allows for creation. Arising originally in the Indian Subcontinent. Tantra represented a heterodox path known as the Vama Marga that disregarded the taboos of conventional spiritual thought, sparking both a revulsion and revolution in Hindu and Buddhist thought that is still happening to this day.

    Many people also associate the word Tantra with the concept of sacred sexuality, seeing in the union of partners the entire play of cosmic mystery. Sex is a beautiful weaving and this approach brings Tantra down into the flesh. A varying degree of theory goes along with this approach, and often it is incorporated with subtle body modalities. There is a good bit of disdain of this approach amongst “serious” students of Tantra but the my personal  opinion  is that disdain for sex is folly against self, and that all of us have our own path
to walk.

    Tantra is not a religion although it may use religious iconography, Tantra has always been concerned with techniques.  That is, in transformations of states of being. This may be presupposed as spiritual, but one must exert great care when using that term. Tantra demands responsibility for one’s destiny. Tantra says that your true nature is as a weaver of reality.  Being a practical tradition, it asks you to take a designer’s view of your life. To isolate the forces at play and learn how to use them to weave your best possible life.  This is not a moral matter, it is a matter of expanding your toolkit. This is the act of building the self.  We often allow our self to be shaped by the forces and people around us. Indeed, we cannot be insensitive to these factors. However just like any machine, there is a state of dynamic tension, a point where all the factors are working at their peak capacity.

    Tantra tells us that you can weave whatever you would like into your life, as long as you have awareness of the basic tensions in your life, and where you need to be to harmonize with them all. It is not an escape into fantasy, it does encourage the imagination. It’s only dogma is practicality. Tantra although traditionally identified with Hindi and Buddhist cultures can easily be spotted in the archeaological and anecdotal evidence concerning the Greek and Celtic cultures.

A few of the hall marks of Tantra are

1. A love for the body and for the pleasures of the senses.  It really comes down to the fact that, if a person thinks that life , or Samsara ,  or whatever is so bad, why are they still here? If you are going to play the game, don’t be a sour puss.

2. An appreciate of meditation. Meditation is one of those words that encompasses a plethora of internal techniques, most often synchronized with a concern for breath . This is a prime example of the practical nature of Tantra. All Tantra asks is for us not to be chicken shit and to try it out. Easy Peasy.

3. Syncretism. Tantra has no problem begging, borrowing or stealing from other traditions. If it works, Tantra wants it.

4. Vama Marga. This means left hand path, or against the orthodox, or more plainly, Tantra does not give a fuck what you think of it Chuckles. It is going to live it’s life and celebrate it’s own unique body-mind.

5. Bhakti.  Love, Tantra needs an object to adore. It loves to love, and most traditional “Tantras” are bedroom conversations between the primordial God and Goddess. That is all they do, screw and spit out Tantras. We should all hope to be so lucky.

    Tantra represents itself as a foundation, a basic weave, that once it is understood can be used to create a positive life. It is evolving, and while  We should honor where it has come from and many western Tantriks adopt a lifestyle inspired by India. As we Naths say “Adesh” We all have our own path to walk and it is not necessary to be an afficianado of a certain culture. Tantra offers a practical, sensual key to add context, beauty and authenticity to any life. Thank you for taking the time to read my short essay. It has been my pleasure to offer it to you.
                        Adesh-Agape-Thelema
                                       Tungnath.