Tantr(a)
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A Path To Enlightenment
Kamal Jain, Tantra As A Path To Enlightenment , May 13, 2017: The Times of India
Tantra literally means “to weave“. In a way, it implies “interweaving of traditions and teachings as threads“ into a text, technique or practice. On many spiritual and religious paths we encounter a choice: sexuality or spirituality. Tantra gives a different invitation: choose both simultaneously and bring the two together to create wholeness and fullness in your life.
Tantra also provides methods and techniques to attain enlightenment. As a technique to get enlightened, tantra has gained ground in Hinduism, Buddhism and to some extent in Jainism also. Three major streams of influence over time have been Kashmir Shaivism, Tibetan tantra and Taoism. Kashmir Shaivism is often thought of as the true root of tantra.
In Kashmir Shaivism, Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, a popular scripture, is the conversation between Devi and Bhairava, containing 112 tantric meditation techniques. Devi is the creative energy permeating the Universe and her nature is power, strength, and might. Bhairava is the infinite consciousness that embraces her.
Spirituality and religion are mainly associated with the path of renunciation and suffering and embrace many methods including meditation, yoga, prayer, devotion and penance. These focus more on detachment from the materialistic world. The tantric approach is the path of transformation of our desires into divine bliss.
Tantra utilises all mundane things including breathing, tasting, sleeping and even making love, for realising our nature. Yantras, mantras and mudras (postures), are used for preparation and practice of tantra sadhana on the path of liberation.
Tantra uses deep awareness as one of its methods. Even sexual activity ought to be engaged with whole awareness and meditatively , and continued practice would liberate one from it over a period of time and raise one's base energy connected to swadhishthana chakra to a higher level of consciousness related to other chakras. Swadhishthana chakra is connected to sex energy and physical pleasures. These chakras are seven spinning whirlpools of energy points located along the spine.
The aim of tantra is to reach the highest one, that is, the Sahasrara for enlightenment.
Tantra is one of the rare spiritual paths that does not leave sexuality out but teaches that sexuality also can be a door to personal illumination. Awareness king is the important thing during the practice.
Over a period of time, tantra earned a bad name as it has been reduced to a ritualised form of sex in which tantric bliss is confused with sensual and orgasmic pleasure. Tantra is really about expanding our life's inner horizon, not about narrowing it down to the level of salaciousness; it is not about equating the lust for multiple orgasms with spiritual bliss.
Vajranatha has divided all teachings and practices of Buddhism into triyana, the three vehicles to enlightenment. To understand the difference between them, the example of deadly poison is used.When a Hinayana practitioner encounters on his path the poison of passions, he simply avoids contact with it, so he renounces worldly life and has no contact with pleasures. A Mahayana practitioner does not avoid contact with the poison, because he has the antidote in the form of meditation. A Vajrayana practitioner while encountering the poison does not avoid it, nor apply the antidote as he is not afraid of contact with that poison, because he knows how to transform energy through tantric sadhanas and uses it to obtain spiritual attainment.
