Tantra in One Word
Sunday, June 22nd, 2008We had a delightful time teaching in a beautiful outdoor setting for Midnite Oasis (New Jersey) yesterday. The weather was perfect for the all day intensive, in which we covered:
What is Tantra?
The History of Tantra.
Pleasure as Spiritual Practice
The Chakras and Sexuality
The Tantric Erogenous Zones
The day was one of lively discussion, mostly focused on the spiritual aspects of Tantric practice and how to integrate spirituality into everyday life. At the end of the day, someone asked us if there was one thing he could take away from the workshop for this purpose. We replied with a single word - Pleasure. By bringing awareness to what truly gives us pleasure, we can become more authentic human beings, and have easier access to mystical experiences. Pleasure is not something to reject, nor is seeking it incompatible with spirituality. Rather, pleasure is very useful tool when used skillfully. Focusing on what gives you pleasure – even and perhaps especially something subtle, a sound, a sensation, something you see – can take you into a blissful state, a feeling of union (Yoga).
This perspective is supported by at least one important tantric text, the Vijnanabhairava Tantra: “When the Yogi mentally becomes one with the incomparable joy of song and other such objects, then of such a Yogi, there is, because of the expansion of his mind, identity with that (i.e. with the incomparable joy) because he becomes on with it.
We’ll be back at Midnite Oasis for an advanced workshop sometime this fall.