What is Tantra?
A question in the mind of many. Even after my first month-long teacher training, now almost three years ago, I wouldn't have been able to give you an answer that would satisfy me. Now, years later, after more practice, study, contemplating and being taught by various teachers - I would like to answer this question in a way that feels holistic and integrative, touching on all elements that are associated with Tantra while addressing both classical and modern day Tantra.
I personally prefer not using the term ‘Neo Tantra’ as it is used mainly by teachers who focus solely on applying Tantric philosophy and practice to sexuality. Modern day Tantra, just like the classical tradition, can be so much more than sexuality - too.
Why it is hard to put Tantra in to words
It is to no surprise that this question is hard to answer as Tantra is a living tradition, meaning that it is subject to change. Something that is alive can not be definitely defined - only something that is dead can be. The moment you believe to know something or someone fully, it often simply means that you stopped being curious. The highest Tantra masters would remain open to receive deeper truths. They would never claim to know existence entirely.
In addition to that, words can never be sufficient to describe the Truth that arises through intuitive knowing - which according to the Tantra - is the only way to actually know Truth. This approach prevented the Tantra from becoming dogmatic. Scriptures are important but only as a means to arrive at a direct experience of the Truth. When you hold on to the scriptures too tightly, they become yet another construct of the mind. Instead of a means for liberation, they become a blocker for self-realization. Self-realization lies beyond the mind. Beyond any mental constructs. Tantra is about releasing all mental constructs so that one will experience reality as it is.
A transgressive spiritual movement practiced by the deeply devoted
We’ve already started unpacking some of the main principles. Let’s take a step back. To be able to place all of this in perspective, one should know that Tantra is from origin a spiritual movement that was practiced within many different religions on the south-east asian continent. It was the esoteric dimension of those religions. It offered a mode of practice that was not intended for the masses. The word itself means tool for expansion (tan = expansion and tra = device). The Tantra offered a wide variety of practices aimed at cultivating an expanded state of consciousness where one would wake up to the deeper truths of reality.
These practices were only given to those practitioners that had received something called Saktipat. Saktipat was seen as a blessing from the divine that would lead the person to wanting to live a spiritual life in search of enlightenment. Enlightenment was not seen as something only reachable after a long and tedious practice. It was something that could be as close as the next breath. This was quite controversial at the time because most people believed that one could only reach enlightenment after having lived through all of their Karma.
Therefore, a 2-day initiation ceremony aimed at releasing the bounds of Karma was given to all of those that had received Saktipat and had looked for a Guru for guidance. Once initiated, all Tantrika’s were seen as equal. Again, this was something very controversial at a time where caste was highly important. Up until the Tantra came around, only those that were of a high caste participated in spiritual practice.
Those were not the only societal norms that the Tantra challenged: it also welcomed female practitioners as well as female Guru’s and on top of that it worshiped female deities.
Classical Tantra consists of many different lineages that had their respective philosophic nuances and practices. Not all Tantric lineages worshiped the feminine, included women and were transgressive of social norms. Some of them were more orthodox. Despite the wide differences between the various streams, they all recognized each other as Tantrika’s. They can be divided over a spectrum where the left handed stream is more transgressive and the right handed more orthodox.
The life-affirming philosophy of Tantra
Often, when people speak about Tantra, they will describe it as life affirming. This means that it embraces all aspects of existence. It does not reject or renounce, unlike some spiritual paths that view the physical world and desires as obstacles for enlightenment. Tantra sees them as opportunities for growth, transformation, and realization of the divine. This is possible because Tantra recognizes that everything is an expression of that same divinity. Literally everything comes forth from the same divine source. Everything innately carries the same light, love, and bliss consciousness. Indeed, even those things that seem very far away from heaven are in fact just another permeation of the divine. Just like how white light breaks into colors when certain elements are absorbed, the divine negates certain qualities of itself so that others can come into expression. We can only experience something through what it is not.
This is how we come to experience duality: darkness is simply the absence of light, magnetism is the absence of charge. The absolute truth is beyond this duality. It is the union of Shiva (divine masculine) and Shakti (divine feminine). This level of reality is beyond personification as personification ultimately means that it has certain qualities more than others. Shiva however, is personified as a dead corpse - it has the qualities of pure consciousness, the ground of being, whereas Shakti, personified as a Goddess, is the one that creates life: it is energy and matter. Shiva and shakti are two opposites of the same coin, together coming forth from the heart of being: shivshakti, bliss consciousness. This bliss consciousness desires to creatively express itself (iccha) through self-knowledge (jnana) and action (kriya). From that desire, shiva and shakti were born, engaging in an endless dance joyously birthing worlds into existence.
As sentient beings, we are a micro expressions of that same divinity. We are created in this act of joyous self expression with the intention to express ourselves as unique permutations of the divine through self-knowledge and action. Life becomes a celebration when we start living like this. Suffering is rooted in the ignorance of our own nature and serves as a feedback mechanism to sign that you are out of alignment.
To fully know the divine, Tantra does not only strive to know the transcendental aspect of the divine (Shiva), it also strives to know the immanent aspects of the divine (Shakti). The latter, the ecstatic, is only to be experienced through the body and senses. It involves a sensual and embodied expression of the divine and expressing your nature in creative and dynamic ways. The goal of Tantra is therefore described as twofold. The higher goal, spiritual liberation, and lower goal, worldly prosperity. To be fully liberated, it requires not only to know God, but to also live as God. Tantric masters were often revered poets, artists and philosophers.
How it was practiced
The only way to wake up to your true nature is through directly experiencing it. Tantra proposes three levels of practice to make this experience more likely to happen. Tantra offers practices on the level of the body, the mind and spirit. At the root of all of these practices lies cultivating loving awareness.
The body
This includes asana’s, pranayama, deity yoga, imagination and other yogic practices. Classical Hatha yoga (which is at the root of modern day yoga) has its roots in the teachings of Tantra. Through working with the body and energy body we become a vessel for the flowing forth of the divine energy.
The mind
This includes refining your understanding of reality until it becomes transparent, less conceptual. One way of doing this is through contemplating spiritual teachings. Spiritual teachings will point you in the right direction, but the only way to truly know reality is through spontaneous insight. Be aware that the teachings do not rigidify your mind. This will narrow your perspective on reality as you’ll start filtering what is significant and what is not. We have to become radically free of delusion, falsehood, conditioning and ego so that we can experience reality without interfering concepts of the mind. We can only tap into reality as it is, when we are in complete acceptance of reality as it is.
Spirit
The third level is the level of spirit. This level offers a wide variety of practices that are aimed at bringing forth an intimate experience with the true nature of reality. Since everything is divine, this can be accessed in any moment, which means that literally everything can become a meditation. It uses the senses as an entry point into experiencing this reality. When you become fully aware of the sensations arising from them, while keeping your heart wide open, spirit will reveal itself. This level of practice includes ritual worship of the divine. Because of this level of practice that the Tantra offered, spiritual practice could be completely interwoven with daily life. It was therefore a path that was often practiced by householders.
Tantra made it very clear that spiritual practice does not cause awakening. Enlightenment is an accident and spiritual practice makes you accident prone. It helps you fertilize the soil so that the seed is more likely to sprout. To create the most fertile soil, a Tantrika would practice on all three levels. Though one should not strive too hard, as striving for a certain outcome will become a blocker in reaching that outcome. Only when one is loose and relaxed, fully surrendered, enlightenment can happen. Just like falling asleep, it only happens when you don't try to make it happen. Spiritual practice is most successful when you enjoy it for its own sake. When you do not use it as a means to an end but rather as a way to celebrate your divine nature.
How sexuality plays a role in Tantra
Let’s get to the juicy part! The Tantra offers practices that use sexual energy to invoke kundalini energy. Kundalini is the spiritual flame in every human being. It can be awakened or dormant. When it is awakened, it starts to travel up through the chakra system, creating opening and releasing stagnation. Once she reaches all the way to the crown chakra, she’ll melt into oneness with Shiva which will result in the experience of ultimate reality.
My understanding is that the Saktipat that I wrote about earlier, is referring to the awakening of this energy, and that therefore all initiated practitioners already had an awakened Kundalini energy. Again, a Kundalini awakening is not something that can be summoned. It is a spontaneous happening. Once awakened, one can create a supportive environment for Kundalini to continue her ascend.
Other sexual practices would involve meditating on the senses. More specifically, it involves becoming fully present with the arising and subsiding of sensory sensations. Just like meditating on any other experience, pleasurable sensations can become a gateway into expanded consciousness.
It is true that some streams of Tantra would engage in orgies. One of the intentions of these orgies was to go beyond societal conditioning so that one can release the veils of the mind and through that, experience reality as it is - before any thoughts or judgment comes in. The Tantra also offered other practices with this intention; they would dance on graves while covered in ashes and drink from human skulls. Some Tantrika allowed themselves to be completely outcast from society in order to go beyond the conditioning of the mind. The Maithuna ritual that you might find offered by some modern day Tantra teachers had a similar intent. It was not a sexual ritual between lovers, it was a sexual ritual often experienced with someone considered repulsive and involved consuming small amounts of each other's fluids (including poo & pee). These practices are extremes and were practiced by only a few.
Just like everything else, sex was seen as something sacred. It is yet another joyous divine expression coming forth from the creative urge to self-express. Through challenging the conditioned mind, meditating on pleasurable sensations and through harvesting the sexual energy for self-realisation, it offers a great potency for awakening.
Modern Tantra
Today, there are still teachers that teach classical Tantra. However, it will always be a diluted version as there are always some elements missing that were essential in classical yoga.
What you’ll mostly find under the name of Tantra is actually a modern interpretation of the classical tradition. I am deeply passionate about both. I resonate with the all encompassing philosophy of the tradition and I’ve experienced the transformation possible with modern day practices.
To me, modern day Tantra is about finding your way back to your authentic self and empowering you in your expression of that self. It is about cultivating an open-hearted presence, through which you’ll get to know yourself and integrate all aspects of yourself. It will lead you to become more blissful, loving and creative which will have a ripple effect on all aspects of your life. It is about connecting to others from this place of authenticity and open-heartedness, resulting in more satisfying relationships. It offers you a new outlook on life, one where you are not the victim, but the active creator of your reality. It gives you tools to alchemize your suffering into wisdom and freedom.
I believe that this can be the outcome of most of today’s modern Tantra spaces. The only thing that, from my perspective, does not classify as Tantra is when pleasure is the goal. When pleasure becomes the goal, you’ll be creating suffering instead of freedom. Make freedom the goal and you’ll find pleasure.
