The true tantric tradition

The sexual act is almost exclusively associated with Tantra in the West. Media communication, faced with the demand of an audience more easily attracted by the taste for the forbidden, has linked these yoga practices to sex, exclusively as a set of techniques to increase pleasure.

The Kamasutra also passed as an erotic / exotic text in the West, when in reality only a small part of this text - dating back to the 4th century BC - is dedicated to sexual positions: the treatise speaks mainly of politics, economics, social norms and however, the sexual act is considered as a divine union and an evolution of the human being.

In the tantric vision, reality is perceived as a fabric in which the parts unite into the whole and in which the whole is reflected in every part. Life itself is a tool for spiritual evolution, therefore the basic needs, including sex but not only that, they are an integral part of the experience to arrive at the union of body, mind and soul. A union that means awareness, love for oneself and an authentic relationship with one's Self. Tantra is based on the principles of sacred love.

​

1 WHAT IS TANTRA?

Tantrism is a holistic approach to life that studies the Universe from the point of view of the individual: the study of the macrocosm through the study of the microcosm. It is a spiritual science independent of any dogma or creed, which is based on experience, observation and practice. It draws on all the major sciences, namely astrology, numerology, astronomy, mathematics, geometry, physics, alchemy and chemistry, to provide the tools to expand awareness in everyday life. Tantrism is the bridge between the soul and the universe, it believes in unity in diversity and in the continuity of energy, which undergoes many transformations while always remaining the same.
Tantra is therefore by its nature non-dual, aimed at the reappropriation of the self, at experimentation through the senses, at the celebration of life, a practical way and not of metaphysical abstractions, a way that does not impose renunciation or asceticism but which recognizes in desire the main force of manifestation of the divine in its human / embodied dimension.
Tantra is a precise system of knowledge which, when used correctly, can provide specific results and a high inner transformation.

2 MACROCOSM and MICROCOSM

Tantrism is a science that studies the human being in all its tangible and intangible expressions and places the emphasis on inner alchemy as a transformation and gateway to higher levels of awareness. In fact, the tantrika has a deep interest in astronomy and astrology, and always studies time diagrams concerning the significant events of his life.

3 TANTRA AS A SPIRITUAL WAY

Tantrism is a spiritual path and not a sex therapy for couples in crisis, a technique to have a better sexual performance in an intimate relationship.

4 APPROACH TO TANTRA  We approach Tantra, as well as sexuality, in a too superficial and worldly way. We often approach the opposite sex either out of a simple genital impulse (plus men) or a neurotic emotional need (plus women).

  Sexuality is still experienced by many men as a fleeting thrill. Sex is so desperately needed that it underestimates and manipulates the other sex to obtain it or, on the contrary, many do not have the courage to propose themselves as women with audacity, respect and love.
How many women, on the other hand, are satisfied with men who do not love them, holding on to the male on duty, because they are afraid of being alone.

In a journey of personal growth there are many different experiences and perceptions of the inner truth.

5 TRADITIONAL TANTRA

The traditional tantric way is based on ancient lineages and authentic teachings that come to us through direct transmission Gurushisha Parampara (Master / pupil).

6 NEO TANTRA

The NEW AGE or NEO TANTRA Tantra which includes psychological techniques, Kundalini awakening dances, dynamic meditations, NLP, Gestalt, psychotherapy or sex therapy is not part of the tradition. This modern view of Tantra is a current that developed in the late 1970s in America, imported to the West by followers of Masters who founded their communes and developed techniques for Western minds that were intended to free society with a moralistic and conservative vision of that period.

7 RED and WHITE TANTRA

There is no TANTRA RED or TANTRA WHITE in tradition. This is a subdivision created by the West or by some new age Masters who spread this tradition in the USA or Europe. There are traditional lineages that can be followed and transmitted by each Master according to the two ways Dakshina Marga (Right Way) or Vama Marga (Left Way, if together with a woman).

​

8 THE WAYS OF THE TANTRA:

There are 3 main ways in traditional Tantra:

Samaya, Samayachra techniques, practices are mostly "internal", based on techniques of concentration and visualization, movements of internal awareness, etc. Samayachara is very widespread among many of the Dashnami Sannyasi (those instituted by Shankaracharya).
According to many of the spokespersons of Samayachara, their practice is the most "elevated", the most "sublime", the most Sattvic.
Kaula, In Kaulachara the techniques are mostly "external" using yantra, complicated rituals, etc. even if like it or not, the process, albeit "external", is still internalized by the practitioner who knows the correlations. The Kaulachara in turn is divided into two main currents: Dakshina marg
Vama marg. The difference is that in the Vama marg often the physical body of a person becomes the yantra on which to operate and in some practices this body can be lifeless (Shava-corpse).
Mishra, Mishra occupies an intermediate position between the two. Mishra is not very widespread, there are few or almost no traditions.

​

9 THE INITIATIONS of TANTRA

There are 3 main initiations in traditional Tantra: Mantra, Yantra, Cakra Puja. These initiations must be transmitted by a traditional Master / a and cannot be requested but only accepted at the opportune moment of our spiritual path.

​

10 TANTRIC PRINCIPLES

Tantra argues that all faculties should be encouraged and solicited until they reach their maximum intensity, that everyone's baggage of memories can be awakened and brought back to the pure energy that generated it. Feelings, sensations and pleasures become the raw material to rediscover the light.Tantra does not encourage promiscuity or libertinism but human evolution and the authentic expression of one's self.

​

11 MANTRA

Mantras are the first initiation into the traditional tantric path. They are intended as the seminal form of particular energies, known to the tantrika but not identifiable with any worldly object, even if they may represent some divine essence. Used continuously in tantric rituals, whispered or chanted in different combinations and contexts, they develop a type of vibrations that condense the energies they represent in a specific place and time. They also represent the mysterious forms of those energy fields whose interference produces the appearance of the world of things in human consciousness. The sacred Sanskrit alphabet, which allows you to write the names of all things, is the mine of all mantras.

12 TANTRIC YOGA

The yoga used in Tantra is based on Hatha yoga (although Tantra yoga is older) with an extra dimension. From a tantric point of view, practicing yoga without doing any internal work on the subtle body is a vain exercise, even if it can be useful for the health and resistance of the 'external' body. The extra dimension of tantric yoga is due to the positions that the body assumes during the practice intended to intensify the physical sensations and transform them into a vehicle that leads to wonderful insights. These are positions that can only be learned under the guidance of a teacher.

​

13 TANTRA and COUPLE

Tantrism is a spiritual path, therefore a personal choice, therefore it is not necessary to be in a couple to practice Tantra. Like any path of evolution, it is a personal journey into our being. If you are already a couple, Tantrism can bring a deeper listening to your union and develop the sacredness in the intimate relationship and the devotional and ritualistic aspect in the relationship.

​

14 KUNDALINI

Kundalini awakening is a spontaneous process that cannot be achieved with any technique or practice. If the soul and the body are ready to welcome this energy it will happen in the life we are living on this physical plane, otherwise if it does not happen we should not seek it or have the expectation that it will be realized. Everyone is having their own experience on this earth and their nature should be respected.

​

15 TANTRA and SEX

Complex positions from the Kamasutra, contortions or sexual performances that last for days are not present in tantric practices. There are no sexual intercourse lasting 6/7 hours but rituals and practices that are carried out for a long time alone or with the partner as a spiritual sadhana.

16 MAITHUNA . A misunderstood mystery. The 5 M ceremony does not include a sexual act as an end in itself but is the union of the 5 cosmic elements in the extrasensory experience of transfiguration, transmutation, transcendence from sex itself. With a broader view of sacred sex one perceives the mystical union within us, between Shiva and Shakti in YAB YUM: The image of the couple sitting in yoga position during mystical union is used in the Buddhist Tantric art of Tibet as universal symbol of spiritual achievement. It is not a sexual relationship but an energetic-spiritual relationship in which two divinities dance in the universal mystical union.

17 TANTRIC LEGENDS

Innumerable Tantric legends narrate the initiation of the most famous Saints and Masters through a ritual embrace with a woman "who holds the power" and whose favors the initiate must conquer. This is perhaps one of the oldest elements of Tantra; in fact the idea that not only initiation, but the very ability to reach the final goal can be transmitted only in the female line, probably originates in the most ancient layers of the history of humanity. These legends and stories have fascinated the West so much that some Western Masters have told of unions with Yogini or Devadasi. poets and philosophers had sexual relations with a particular type of woman whose charm struck them in an extraordinary way, and whom they considered the primary agent of their enlightenment. Usually these women belonged to a lower caste and often practiced a double activity: temple dancers in sexual rites and prostitutes. According to the Indian conception of caste purity, even casual contact with one of them is an infamous profanation, so much so as to relegate the tantrika outside the respectable society. But as Tantra demands that all ties to ordinary worldly conventions be broken, contact with these women becomes intentional. Practicing Tantra means exiling from non-tantric society.

​

18 THE TANTRA IN INDIA

In India Tantrism was condemned as a black magic under British rule (British Raj 1858-1947) and practices were banned, many sacred texts were burned and many Nath yogis and Tantric yoginis were forced to hide or take refuge in Tibet or Nepal. India today looks with suspicion at Tantra, precisely because it is influenced by the British bigoted mentality. It is therefore rare to meet an authentic Tantric Master in India today. The Master may only appear if he is in our karmic path or destiny.

19 THE TANTRIC AESTHETICS

Tantra is the only Way of the Indian tradition that has included purely aesthetic experience in its principles. Tantra cultivates the aesthetic experience in itself, out of pure love of art, believing that all the responses of the body, sensual, emotional and intellectual, aroused by art nourish and enrich the inner tantric fire.

​

20 TRANSMUTATION OF ENERGY

All tantric traditions agree that the ascent passes through the regions of the five elementary states of matter, and that each lower state is progressively absorbed by the higher one: the solid is symbolized by the earth, the liquid by the water, the gaseous by the air, while the ethereal has no particular symbol.
The states of matter form a kind of scale: each higher state gets closer and closer to the condition of undifferentiated energy, and represents a more intense inner perception of the infusion of forces that dissolve over time.

21 The MANTRA OM

The primordial sound is the symbol that expresses the most remote and subtle truth of Tantra. It is the audible form of the most powerful ancient mantra: OM. Because Tantra, like any positive science, recognizes that the structure of all things, even the apparently densest ones, is connected to an order of vibrations which for the human intellect is symbolized by sound. And the rhythmic functions (heartbeat, breath, cell turnover) structure the life and sense of time of every being. The differences and interactions between material things as we experience them have their roots in the types of interference produced between the combined frequencies of vibrations.
Om is the sound that, when used correctly, can unite and harmonize all those fields of action of the generating goddess. With it the Tantrika reaches the fulfillment of its meditation and devotion.

​

22 RETENTION OF THE BINDU SEED IN THE TANTRIC SEX

In the tantric intercourse much importance is given to the retention of the bindu (semen); this word literally means "point", "drop" and is the core, the point from which all creation becomes manifest. The origin of the bindu is located at the height of the brain (where the Ojas energy is located), but as happens in profane sexuality, the psychic activities related to arousal, passions and emotions ignite the Kama Agni (fire of desire) whose heat acts negatively on Ojas making this energy descend downwards which is then dissipated with orgasm in the form of sperm. When sperm is lost, a certain amount of energy of great importance is lost; avoiding ejaculation therefore means conserving precious fuel, but also being able to favor during the union "the explosion" which can cause convergence towards the center and therefore transcendence. For this purpose the man must perfect the practices of vajroli mudra, mula-bandha and uddiyana bandha while for the woman the practice of sahajoli is very important. Maithuna may be the simplest way to awaken Kundalini, but very few are adequately prepared for this way; ordinary sex is not mystical union or maithuna. For this sacred ritual the couple must first be adequately purified and must be able to have the mind free from emotions and passions. For this reason, according to Tradition, the practice of Dakshina marg (the way of the bhaktas, known as "Tantra of the right hand") must be followed for a few years for preparatory purposes, before reaching al Vama Marg, in order to prepare the sadhaka to acquire bhakti (devotion-love) towards the woman, and therefore towards the Sakti.

23 TANTRIC TRANSFORMATION

To practice Tantrism, the primary condition is the conscious presence of one's Self. The physical practices of tantra yoga - asana, pranayama, bandha - and the alchemical ones - mantras, meditations, nyasa - can be applied by everyone. Achieving many positive effects, such as rediscovering and cultivating sensoriality, learning to expand the senses; develop presence and conscious intimate listening in every moment of life; do not flee from one's shadows, but pass through them, fearlessly transform them like the vira (hero) and start riding the tiger; understand that sexual energy is the most powerful energy of creation and resides in the body ».
Nothing is more beautifully creative and meditative than a sacred act of love. In that moment we understand that we are not alone and we are one with the macrocosm.

24 SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: SADHANA TANTRICA

There is no Tantra without daily Sadhana.

The fulcrum of Tantrism, around which all its teaching revolves, is sadhana, that is, spiritual discipline and practice. On a superficial view this may appear contradictory. Why, if there is complete freedom to transgress the rules, the cornerstone around which everything revolves is discipline? Sadhana is not an externally imposed discipline, therefore a "rule", but an inner fulfillment, therefore "pleasure". Sadhana is the natural way, the practice without constraints, authentic, never superficial.
We are spiritual beings "fallen" into a physical body, but it is within our body that we find the strength to reach realization. It is through the strength of our body that we can interrupt the process of spiritual decay caused by our own corporeality. 
The practitioner realizes in himself the interdependence of microcosm and macrocosm and lives in his corporeality the universal laws and principles of cosmogony. For this reason, daily practice, the true essence of tantra, is no longer a discipline but becomes a natural philosophy of life.

​

25 TANTRA COURSES

Sex is not practiced in traditional Tantra courses and workshops. The Master gives the practices to the students with purity of purpose, openness and sharing. Each student can then practice later in their life by internalizing the techniques for personal and spiritual fulfillment.

A crude or psychological approach by a teacher denotes that he does not follow an authentic lineage in the Tantric way. Always choose where to be with awareness and respect towards you.

​

26 TANTRIC MASSAGE

Tantric Massage, understood as it is in the West, is not Tantra.Tantra needs a spiritual practice (SADHANA)  which has nothing to do with massage due to the lack of knowledge of Tantric teachings and the proliferation in the West of misleading ideas about Tantra that do not reflect its spiritual nature. TANTRA MASSAGE is often transformed into an expedient to hide sexual services and exploitation of prostitution. Tantra, emptied of its true spiritual meaning, is used to make exotic and often to conceal a banal sexual performance. In our society, Tantra is often synonymous with "free and unbridled sex and with different partners" or has been reduced to a banal erotic massage.

Tantra massage has become a fusion of elements of various massages and grotesque body massages and marketed in massage centers with no professional ethics nor preparation.

Does not exist  the figure  of operator / tore or masseuse / tantric tore / o  and none of these figures either  presumed such will serve your spiritual evolution on this earth.

In no tantra massage center will they be able to give you the practices for your spiritual path.

YONI and LINGAM MASSAGE - A myth revealed

It is important to point out that there is no tantric massage for the genitals called YONI and LINGAM massage.

How could it be possible to achieve the divine and mystical union with Siva and Sakti within us through a genital massage?

In Indian Ayurveda medicine there is a yoni massage that is performed at the entrance of the vagina with medicinal oils a few days before giving birth to favor a greater opening of the woman.

In Taoism the Zen monks used Taoist sex practices to make the Lingam (penis) strong and lengthen but for the man it was a serious, meditative practice that required great discipline and great courage.

The genital massages that are offered today have all the characteristics of a real masturbation.

Having such intimate parts massaged is like giving another person permission to alter your inner balance.

The energy works on a subtle level and the other person's energy instead of rebalancing your energy centers and subtle channels will activate dormant emotions or fears within you. The vibration of love in a sharing must be authentic because when it is not present it cannot be created from nothing.

Yoni and Lingam massage are a pure NEO TANTRA invention that uses techniques such as sex therapy to apply them to Tantra.

Sex therapy has its value for those who believe only in the material aspect of things but it is not a path of awareness and knowledge of the Self called Tantra.

27 TANTRA IS NOT AN UNACTABLE MYTH

Tantra is not an unreachable myth, but a direct experience, which benefits body, mind and spirit. The union of Shiva and Shakti that takes place within oneself is the basis for the mystical union with oneself and eventually with the partner. We always begin to work on ourselves without attaching ourselves to legends or false myths while continuing to flow into reality.

Reproduction of this article without mentioning the source is prohibited.  

Devi Tantra yoga - All Rights reserved 2018