What is Tantra?

What is Tantra?

Men and women living in Western Europe and North America are
fascinated with foreign cultures, beliefs and traditions
because they are so different from their own. The wave of
philosophies coming from the Far East has caught the
interest of Western people and chief among them are Yoga,
Buddhism and Tantra. From the Middle East, the Western world
has taken the Kabala movement and a lot of Arab architecture
influences, while the African continent gave us sculpture
and painting. In this article we are going to see what
Tantra is and why so many people are interested in this
ancient and exotic practice that is so far removed from the
Western ideas.

The early form of what is known today as Tantra was a group
of esoteric practices that had more to do with rituals and
special ways of doing things than with a stand-alone
religion. One could say that Tantra is a different technique
for reaching spiritual enlightenment and self-realization.
This is, of course, the ultimate goal of Buddhist, Yoga and
Hindu traditions, but Tantra aims to offer its own path by
using different practices. However, over the years Tantra
has garnered a dubious reputation both in the Eastern and
Western worlds because of the incorporation and use of sex.

Contrary to what many people think, Tantra is not just one
well-defined tradition, but simply an umbrella term for
several esoteric traditions whose origins go back in time a
long way. In its various forms, Tantra has spread across
India, China, Japan, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, Korea, Cambodia
and Indonesia. In these lands, the Tantric principles were
taken from their context and incorporated into the local
customs and modified to suit the tastes and needs of each
new group of practitioners. The Tantra myths themselves
offer no clues to their origins, since they tend to focus on
the usual mythical explanations.

Basically, the ritual sex is meant to reenact the creation
of the universe, which came from the primordial intercourse
between the gods Shiva and Shakti. The sexual embrace is
supposed to bring the individuals to the level of gods and
allow them to put aside their individuality for a while and
become one with the divine consciousness that fills the
universe. Since those who practice Tantra believe that
everything in the universe is a manifestation of the divine,
it follows that sex, too, is a step on the path to master
body and mind. The entire ritual is supervised by a guru,
whose presence is considered to be crucial to the success of
the two individuals who attempt it.

Most people who have heard of Tantra see it as a way of
getting more pleasure out of sex and never bother to look
beyond the obvious. In a similar manner, many people
practice Yoga as a way of flexing the muscles and fail to
understand the deeper meaning and purpose of Yoga. The
sexual rituals promoted by the Tantra gurus focus not on
reaching orgasm, but on opening the soul to the experience
of infinite awareness. These rituals are only meant for
those that can separate themselves from this world and move
beyond the basic emotions associated with sex. Thus, sexual
pleasure has no place in the Tantric practices.

What Is Tantra?