Tantra 101

A friend who reads this blog asked me today for some Tantra soundbites, something *simple*. "Okay", I said.
  • The worldly and the spiritual are not separate. In tantra, worldly enjoyments are not to be shunned. “What is here is everywhere. What is not here is nowhere.” (Vishvasara Tantra) As Alan Finger put it, “Every cell in your brain reflects a star in the cosmos.”

  • In Tantra, we practice approaching life (and love) with a relaxed body, an open heart, and a peaceful mind. As we become stable in states of arousal, we can weave this ecstasy into everyday life.

  • The underlying reality of existence is feminine (Shakti); this divine feminine force resides in our bodies at the base of the spine and is known as Kundalini. Tantric practices are designed to awaken this infinitely intelligent, creative, evolutionary energy.

  • We are all born with certain limitations. Through tantra, we engage in a process of transformation that, as I heard Gary Kraftsow once put it, “metabolizes dysfunction in body, mind, and speech.”

  • The body is a living shrine, and each chakra (energy center) a sacred temple. In other words, to access the Divine, investigate inside.
  • And lest we take this all too seriously, I find it helpful to remember that Tantra is about naked awareness: not something to believe in, but something to try out for yourself. As the Buddha used to say (so I'm told), "Come and see."
"Forget about sex. Just play first. Dance, sing, read to each other, breathe together - communicate. Don't count on sex to be the door to intimacy. It's the other way around: first develop intimacy skills. Then make love to enjoy them." - Margot Anand