INTRODUCTION TO TANTRA: THE YOGA OF SEX TANTRA01.TXT *********************************************************************** THE INFORMATION ON TANTRA SEXUAL YOGA MADE AVAILABLE IN THE "TANTRA FILES", WILL REVEAL SOME OF THE VERY CLOSELY GUARDED SECRETS OF A LITTLE KNOWN BRANCH OF YOGA. IT IS PROVIDED FOR THREE REASONS: 1. AS INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO INTERESTED IN SUCH THINGS. 2. TO PROVIDE SERIOUS MINDED PEOPLE A MEANS OF CHANGING THEIR SEX LIFE FROM BOREDOM, MALADJUSTMENT, AND SENSUALLY INTO A FUN, JOYOUS, ESTHETIC HOLY SACRAMENT. 3. TO PROVIDE THE SERIOUS SEEKERS OF THE "DIVINE", WITH SPIRITUAL METHODS WHICH USE SEX AND SEXUALITY AS A MEANS TO POWERFUL SPIRITUAL GROWTH. MOST "METHODS" OF GROWTH AND CHANGE WERE ARE DESIGNED AND INTENDED TO PRACTICED ALONE. SEXUAL TANTRA METHODS WERE DESIGNED AND INTENDED TO BE PRACTICED BY A MAN/WOMAN PAIR WHO ARE FULLY DEVOTED TO EACH OTHER AND FULLY DEVOTED TO ENTERING INTO THE SUPREME EXPERIENCE, TOTAL UNION WITH THE DIVINE. THE MAINSTREAM HINDU CULTURE HAS A VERY SIMILAR "OUTLOOK" ON SEX AND SEXUALITY AS "MAINSTREAM CHRISTIANITY DOES. THE FEW TRUE MASTERS WHO HAVE AND ARE TEACHING SEXUAL TANTRA AND THOSE WHO PRACTICE IT HAVE TO KEEP A VERY LOW PROFILE IN THE CULTURE. GENERALLY THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR TEACHINGS HAVE REMAINED "IN HIDING" AND THE METHODS KEPT SECRET FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. ANOTHER REASON THE METHODS HAVE BEEN KEPT SECRET IS THE METHODS ARE VERY POWERFUL AND CAN BE MISUSED BY THOSE WHO WHO ARE NOT SUFFICIENTLY DEVELOPED NOT TO DO SO. IN RECENT YEARS MANY METHODS OF THE VARIOUS YOGAS WHICH HAVE BEEN KEPT SECRET, HAVE BEEN BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO OTHERS BY THE "GREAT TEACHERS". WHEN THE MASTER SATCHITANANDA WAS ASKED WHY THIS WAS NOW BEING DONE, HE STATED, "THINGS HAVE NOW CHANGED SUFFICIENTLY ON THE PLANET, SO THAT RELEASING OF SOME OF THIS KNOWLEDGE IS NOW APPROPRIATE." THE ANCIENT HINDU TEXTS, UPON WHICH THE PRACTICE OF TANTRA YOGA IS BASED ARE VERY OLD. THE TEXTS ASSERT THAT THESE PRACTICES ARE SUITABLE FOR ALL PEOPLE, NO JUST THOSE OF THE EAST. THEY RECOGNIZE THE BEAUTY OF TRANSCENDENTAL THOUGHT IN OTHER SYSTEMS OF YOGA; BUT DECLARE THE THE ASCETIC DEMANDS MADE UPON A PERSON BY SUCH SYSTEMS, RENDER THEM VERY DIFFICULT FOR WESTERNERS. IN TANTRA SEXUAL YOGA, THE SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP OF THE MALE AND FEMALE IS PERCEIVED AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF LIVING OUT THE HUMAN DESIGN AND A STAGE OF EVOLUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT MOVING TOWARD A MORE ADVANCED HUMANKIND. LOVE-TENDERNESS-RESPECT-DIGNITY AND THE HOLY ARE RECOGNIZED AS PART OF MANKIND AS MUCH AS ARE HIS/HER MORE OBVIOUS PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES. FEMALE AND MALE ARE CONSIDERED EQUAL BUT DIFFERENT, BOTH SEEK AND ACHIEVE A UNITY WHICH REFLECTS THE DEEPER, FULLER AND HIGHER JOYS OF LIVING. TO PREPARE FOR THIS UNION, TRAINING AND DISCIPLINE ARE USED, AS THE GREAT TEACHERS BELIEVE EACH STEP OF THE WAY IS CONNECTED TO THE GOAL, EACH STEP AS MEANINGFUL, EACH STEP AS VITAL AND SO THERE IS A CONTINUITY AND A WHOLENESS. ON A MORE "MUNDANE LEVEL", TANTRA PRACTICES LEAD TO SEXUAL ECSTASY DURING ORGASM THAT CAN BE A 10 TO 20 TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN WHAT A "NORMAL" PERSON EXPERIENCES IN SEXUAL LOVING. AND IF TOTAL UNION OCCURS DURING THE LOVING, THE ECSTASY MAY BE UP TO A HUNDRED TIMES AS POWERFUL. IN TANTRA YOGA PRACTICE, ORGASMS MAY HAVE A DURATION OF FROM 5 MINUTES TO UP TO TWO HOURS, DEPENDING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH PARTNERS. THE ORGASMS MAY INVOLVE THE ENTIRE BODIES OF BOTH PARTNERS, NOT JUST THE GENITALS. IF EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF THE BEGINNING TANTRA KNOWLEDGE IS USED WITH A COUPLE'S SEXUAL SHARING, PLEASURE AND JOY ARE MUCH ENHANCED. IT CAN LEAD TO THE DISSOLVING OF ALL THE BARRIERS BETWEEN PARTNERS DURING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE, SO TOTAL UNION OF THE TWO IS EXPERIENCED, ALL THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS AND EVEN PHYSICAL FEELINGS OF THE PARTNER ARE FELT, ARE EXPERIENCED AS IF THEY ARE HER/HIS OWN, COMBINED WITH THEIR OWN. IF THIS TOTAL UNION OF TWO INTO ONE, IS REPEATED OFTEN ENOUGH, THEY CAN "ACCEND FULLY INTO THE DIVINE LIGHT TOGETHER AND MERGE WITH THE LIGHT." BECAUSE OF THE UN-NATURALNESS OF WESTERN CULTURE, IT IS VERY SELDOM THAT A WESTERNER ACTS NATURAL IN ANY SITUATION. THE MASTER FROM POONA STATED IN ONE OF HIS LECTURES, "THE ONLY TIME MOST WESTERNERS ACT IN A NATURAL WAY, IS IN SEXUAL UNION, AT THE PEAK OF ORGASM." BECAUSE OF THE DISTORTED AND UNHEALTHY ATTITUDES ON SEX IN WESTERN CULTURE, MANY WHO BECOME SEEKERS ARE DRAWN TO TO THE IDEA OF SEXUAL TANTRA YOGA. YOUNG WESTERNERS ARE ESPECIALLY DRAWN TOWARD TANTRA YOGA BECAUSE OF THEIR EXTREMELY HIGH SEXUAL ENERGY LEVELS, WHICH ARE REPRESSED IN THE CULTURE. HOWEVER BECAUSE OF THEIR IMPATIENCE, GENERAL LACK OF DISCIPLINE, AND BECAUSE THEY SELDOM ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS, THE POWERFUL ESCTASYS OF TANTRA ELUDE THEM. THOSE WHO ATTEMPT TO LEARN AND PRACTICE TANTRA METHODS OFTEN GIVE THIS UP QUICKLY, WHEN THEY LEARN THAT THOSE WHO PRACTICE TANTRA MUST ALSO MEDITATE EACH AND EVERY DAY! AND THAT TO PREPARE ONESELF PROPERLY FOR ACTUAL TANTRIK SEXUAL INTERCOURSE TAKES A NUMBER OF MONTHS OF DISIPLINED PRACTICE OF THE PREPARATION METHODS. SO WITH THE IMPATIENCE OF YOUTH, THEY PASS BY WHAT IS LIKELY THE EASIEST AND MOST PLEASURABLE WAY FOR A WESTERNER TO REACH UNION WITH THE DIVINE! ALSO MANY TANTRA METHODS APPEAR NOT TO WORK WELL FOR COUPLES WHO DO NOT HAVE STRONG COMMITMENTS TO EACH OTHER AS "PARTNERS", HAVE NOT COME TO ACCEPT THEIR OWN SEXUALITY, HAVE GUILT ABOUT SEXUAL ACTIVITY AND OR HAVE NOT REACHED A POINT IN THEIR SEXUAL LOVING WITH THEIR PARTNER WHERE SEX IS GREAT AND FUN MOST OF THE TIME ALREADY. YES SEX IS "SUPPOSED" TO BE FUN AND GIVE BOTH PARTNERS GREAT JOY AND PLEASURE, CONTRARY TO "POPULAR CHRISTIAN BELIEF"! JUST AS ONE CAN NOT NOT LEARN ALGEBRA BEFORE ARITHMETIC, OR TRIGONOMETRY BEFORE CALCULUS, ONE MUST LEARN AND PRACTICE THE BEGINNING KNOWLEDGE AND METHODS, BECOME PROFICIENT AT THEM BEFORE THE MORE POWERFUL KNOWLEDGE AND METHODS CAN BE LEARNED AND PRACTICED. THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE TANTRA FILES, OTHERS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE AS TIME PERMITS. ganashyam das