Sunday, November 9, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Rise of Kundalini Shakti Towards Shiva Consciousness
"The different images that we find in Tantra are symbolic representations of various manifestations of energy and consciousness. Rather than just understanding what one image means, it is necessary to understand what all these images actually represent.In the process of discovery, the thinkers and sadhakas of the past encountered different manifestations of shakti. In Tantra ten major manifestations of shakti have been described which are known as the ten maha vidyas , maha meaning 'great', 'supreme', vidya meaning 'knowledge'. The first image, the first maha vidya, is that of Kali. Kali is the energy of Kaala. Kaala means Lord of death, Lord of time, Lord of the manifest dimension. Shakti is the energy and Kali is the energy of Kaala.Kaala also means a state of consciousness which is bound only by the laws of time, not space and object. Despite this definiton, Kaala is the passive force, while Kali is the active one. Kaala is the aspect of Shiva, while Kali is the aspect of shakti. She is the chief goddess of the tantrics. She is the one who has to be made happy first, and only when you have passed through the Kali maha vidya are you sanctioned to receive the knowledge of the power and wisdom of the other maha vidyas."
There is a story in the Devi Bhagavate, an ancient text, which talks about the war between the demons and the shaktis. Kali was one shakti who fought in that war. Mythologically and spiritually there can be many meanings, but she is the devourer of anything and everything that is manifest. On a battlefield when people are dying, the Kali force is active, consuming the life force.
The story describes how, in this process of devouring the life force and terminating the life of the negative forces on the planet, Kali went berserk and had the idea of total destruction. How could that uncontrollable force which was consuming everything be stopped? Shiva, Kali's master, started practising yoga nidra in her path. As soon as Kali stepped on Shiva's body she came to her senses. “What am I doing? I only have power over time, not over the entire creation. That is looked after by another supreme being.” We all have our defined roles, and from that moment Kali stopped her terrible destruction.
So, the image of Shiva lying beneath Kali depicts that moment when the force of time and life can be stilled, when that force is made to climb on the body of consciousness. If you look at it from the yogic viewpoint, you will understand it. That shakti principle, which is represented as kundalini, is a principle which lives by itself, away from Shiva, whose abode is sahasrara. Shakti is all alone in mooladhara.
The ascent of kundalini shaktiNow, when shakti is climbing up the different chakras, coming to sahasrara, it just becomes wild. Consciousness has no control over shakti, and in this wild state shakti encounters the demonic aspects of consciousness and of energy also, which are confined in different chakras.
Just imagine a pure force which encounters insecurities at a gross level. What will the reaction be? It will just smash through the gross manifestations and become wilder and wilder. It is not a passive force. There is a concentration of energy which is being directed at smashing through something which exists, like a wall. If I have to hit a sandbag then I make a fist and punch, but as I punch, all the power is concentrated at one point. The entire force of the body is concentrated at one point which is now solid, strong, and powerful. In this way, the shakti which identifies with the pure nature has to smash through many different barriers in the process of her descent to the earthly plane.
This is where the theory of Kundalini Yoga comes in: smashing through the walls of insecurities and desires in mooladhara, through the walls of fear in swadhisthana, through the barriers of ambition, ego and desires of a different kind in manipura. Yoga says that there are four major instincts in life which have to be transcended: maithuna, the sexual instinct, which is in the region of mooladhara; bhaya, the fears and insecurities which belong to the region of swadhisthana; ahara, the craving and desiring for more and more, which belongs to the region of manipura; and nidra, disconnection, the fourth barrier which is in anahata.
Disconnection of the self from the world of the senses is a natural inbuilt protection in our personality to stop the external world from overloading the brain and mind. Physically we experience the state of nidra as sleep. When we are tired from working, what is the first thing that happens? We just want to rest, and when we begin to rest what happens? We begin to go in. That sleep is an inbuilt protection to stop the body, brain, mind and senses from overloading in the world of name, form and idea, in the world of time, space and object.
In the process of rising, kundalini shakti has to break down the barriers of instincts and that is not easy to do. If we analyse our own life objectively, have we in all these years of practice been able to control attachment, anger, insecurity, fear, jealousy and hatred? What are we doing if we have not been able to achieve the basic requirement to awaken ourselves internally? The answer is simple: we have never tried or attempted to overcome these things within us. We have only tried to have pleasant experiences in life. We have aspired for darshan, a vision of something divine, while ignoring the rot that is within us.
So, there is a big gap in our own approach to yoga, between our practice and what we actually desire. There is no harmony between the two. We always want to make a big jump, and we are constantly thinking about how we can make that big jump. People come here with the desire to attain realisation, if not instantaneously then at least as soon as possible.
We tend to forget one thing: that the state of awakening or the state of realisation is an outcome of a harmonious and balanced personality. Realisation cannot be achieved if there is no practice which can take you towards realisation. There is no practice that can take you towards attainment. Everything that happens in spiritual life is an outcome of having perfected one level, then moving on to the next level. As you move from level to level you attain something, but that attainment is not the end result.
Attainment of maturity of mindI have seen this very much in the life of Paramahamsaji. He started to practise higher sadhanas when he had exhausted his ambitions, samskaras and desires, when those things no longer had any meaning or attraction for him. Otherwise what was the use of leaving the comforts of this ashram and subjecting his body to unnecessary extreme heat during summer in Rikhia. For what reason? Sometimes I feel sorry that although we can see the progression of spiritual life in front of us, in our own guru, we have not been able to implement it in our life.
Swamis just go cuckoo trying to meditate. It has happened in India, in Australia, everywhere in the world. They lose their mental balance because they are experiencing something without overcoming or knowing what is happening at a lower level. There is disharmony and great imbalance. I feel that sincere and determined sadhana should only be done at a later stage in life when we have attained maturity of mind. You and I have not attained maturity of mind; we have only built up some aspect of our intellect or personality. That is not maturity. Maturity of mind comes when we are able to see what needs to be done according to the present situation and circumstances, and how it will ultimately benefit the practitioner.
For me the living example is our own guru. At the age of seventy when people are looking for comfort in life, he goes walkabout and then suddenly decides to renounce his clothes and become an avadhoota (final stage of sannyasa). Suddenly he is guided to perform the higher sadhanas which, in our opinion, are totally unnecessary for him. But he sees a reason, a purpose, because he has attained that maturity of mind by overcoming ambitions, ego, samskaras and karmas. I am sure that after seeing what he is doing now, many of us here want to do exactly the same thing from tomorrow onwards. That is how mature our minds are.
Service before sadhanaI do not agree with that. I believe that for a sincere aspirant the method in the initial stages is not sadhana, but seva (service), samarpan (dedication) and swadhyaya ( self-knowledge). These three prepare the ground for sadhana by allowing us to reach a stage where we can attain inner maturity. You see, these are things which can only be said between a guru and a disciple, because if there is no maturity then kundalini is going to play havoc in our lives. It can definitely destroy our lives.
We want to awaken our kundalini, but are we aware of the deeper aspects of our own nature? Are we in control of the tamasic forces? Are we in control of the rajasic forces? What if there is a clash between kundalini and the tamasic forces? What will happen? There is going to be a fall.
Baba Muktananda has written that he used to have images of women enticing him. That is the mooladhara experience. Gopi Krishna used to say that he saw visions of his whole life being disrupted. There was a great imbalance because kundalini went in the wrong path. These two examples are well-known all over the world because of their writings. But there have been many other great, unknown sadhakas who have said the same thing: that you cannot aspire for something transcendental or divine or different without first having the ability to handle that power. You have to gain the ability to handle a power which is beyond the normal human range.Definitely, great turmoil occurs when shakti rises from mooladhara and has to smash through all the barriers that are created. This great force of shakti comes up, goes to sahasrara and even tries to subdue Shiva, to gain control of consciousness. That is something which definitely has to be handled with care. There has to be preparation. If you hold two live wires in your hands you are going to be electrocuted, but if you have some protection such as rubber gloves, there is less chance of being electrocuted.In the same way, the forces which we encounter in the form of kundalini or Kali or devi or purusha, whatever forces we encounter on our spiritual journey, have to be handled with care. Therefore, it is necessary that we define our priorities in life, because only then can a properly balanced awakening of shakti take place.
In the past few years people have come to me and said, “Why can't we also practise the same things that Paramahamsaji is practising in Deoghar?” I tell them, “Yes, you can but become like him first. You can't do those things while you are you. When you become like him then you are free to practise.” How to become like him? The answer is simple: see the maturity of his mind and try to develop the same.
There is a story in the Devi Bhagavate, an ancient text, which talks about the war between the demons and the shaktis. Kali was one shakti who fought in that war. Mythologically and spiritually there can be many meanings, but she is the devourer of anything and everything that is manifest. On a battlefield when people are dying, the Kali force is active, consuming the life force.
The story describes how, in this process of devouring the life force and terminating the life of the negative forces on the planet, Kali went berserk and had the idea of total destruction. How could that uncontrollable force which was consuming everything be stopped? Shiva, Kali's master, started practising yoga nidra in her path. As soon as Kali stepped on Shiva's body she came to her senses. “What am I doing? I only have power over time, not over the entire creation. That is looked after by another supreme being.” We all have our defined roles, and from that moment Kali stopped her terrible destruction.
So, the image of Shiva lying beneath Kali depicts that moment when the force of time and life can be stilled, when that force is made to climb on the body of consciousness. If you look at it from the yogic viewpoint, you will understand it. That shakti principle, which is represented as kundalini, is a principle which lives by itself, away from Shiva, whose abode is sahasrara. Shakti is all alone in mooladhara.
The ascent of kundalini shaktiNow, when shakti is climbing up the different chakras, coming to sahasrara, it just becomes wild. Consciousness has no control over shakti, and in this wild state shakti encounters the demonic aspects of consciousness and of energy also, which are confined in different chakras.
Just imagine a pure force which encounters insecurities at a gross level. What will the reaction be? It will just smash through the gross manifestations and become wilder and wilder. It is not a passive force. There is a concentration of energy which is being directed at smashing through something which exists, like a wall. If I have to hit a sandbag then I make a fist and punch, but as I punch, all the power is concentrated at one point. The entire force of the body is concentrated at one point which is now solid, strong, and powerful. In this way, the shakti which identifies with the pure nature has to smash through many different barriers in the process of her descent to the earthly plane.
This is where the theory of Kundalini Yoga comes in: smashing through the walls of insecurities and desires in mooladhara, through the walls of fear in swadhisthana, through the barriers of ambition, ego and desires of a different kind in manipura. Yoga says that there are four major instincts in life which have to be transcended: maithuna, the sexual instinct, which is in the region of mooladhara; bhaya, the fears and insecurities which belong to the region of swadhisthana; ahara, the craving and desiring for more and more, which belongs to the region of manipura; and nidra, disconnection, the fourth barrier which is in anahata.
Disconnection of the self from the world of the senses is a natural inbuilt protection in our personality to stop the external world from overloading the brain and mind. Physically we experience the state of nidra as sleep. When we are tired from working, what is the first thing that happens? We just want to rest, and when we begin to rest what happens? We begin to go in. That sleep is an inbuilt protection to stop the body, brain, mind and senses from overloading in the world of name, form and idea, in the world of time, space and object.
In the process of rising, kundalini shakti has to break down the barriers of instincts and that is not easy to do. If we analyse our own life objectively, have we in all these years of practice been able to control attachment, anger, insecurity, fear, jealousy and hatred? What are we doing if we have not been able to achieve the basic requirement to awaken ourselves internally? The answer is simple: we have never tried or attempted to overcome these things within us. We have only tried to have pleasant experiences in life. We have aspired for darshan, a vision of something divine, while ignoring the rot that is within us.
So, there is a big gap in our own approach to yoga, between our practice and what we actually desire. There is no harmony between the two. We always want to make a big jump, and we are constantly thinking about how we can make that big jump. People come here with the desire to attain realisation, if not instantaneously then at least as soon as possible.
We tend to forget one thing: that the state of awakening or the state of realisation is an outcome of a harmonious and balanced personality. Realisation cannot be achieved if there is no practice which can take you towards realisation. There is no practice that can take you towards attainment. Everything that happens in spiritual life is an outcome of having perfected one level, then moving on to the next level. As you move from level to level you attain something, but that attainment is not the end result.
Attainment of maturity of mindI have seen this very much in the life of Paramahamsaji. He started to practise higher sadhanas when he had exhausted his ambitions, samskaras and desires, when those things no longer had any meaning or attraction for him. Otherwise what was the use of leaving the comforts of this ashram and subjecting his body to unnecessary extreme heat during summer in Rikhia. For what reason? Sometimes I feel sorry that although we can see the progression of spiritual life in front of us, in our own guru, we have not been able to implement it in our life.
Swamis just go cuckoo trying to meditate. It has happened in India, in Australia, everywhere in the world. They lose their mental balance because they are experiencing something without overcoming or knowing what is happening at a lower level. There is disharmony and great imbalance. I feel that sincere and determined sadhana should only be done at a later stage in life when we have attained maturity of mind. You and I have not attained maturity of mind; we have only built up some aspect of our intellect or personality. That is not maturity. Maturity of mind comes when we are able to see what needs to be done according to the present situation and circumstances, and how it will ultimately benefit the practitioner.
For me the living example is our own guru. At the age of seventy when people are looking for comfort in life, he goes walkabout and then suddenly decides to renounce his clothes and become an avadhoota (final stage of sannyasa). Suddenly he is guided to perform the higher sadhanas which, in our opinion, are totally unnecessary for him. But he sees a reason, a purpose, because he has attained that maturity of mind by overcoming ambitions, ego, samskaras and karmas. I am sure that after seeing what he is doing now, many of us here want to do exactly the same thing from tomorrow onwards. That is how mature our minds are.
Service before sadhanaI do not agree with that. I believe that for a sincere aspirant the method in the initial stages is not sadhana, but seva (service), samarpan (dedication) and swadhyaya ( self-knowledge). These three prepare the ground for sadhana by allowing us to reach a stage where we can attain inner maturity. You see, these are things which can only be said between a guru and a disciple, because if there is no maturity then kundalini is going to play havoc in our lives. It can definitely destroy our lives.
We want to awaken our kundalini, but are we aware of the deeper aspects of our own nature? Are we in control of the tamasic forces? Are we in control of the rajasic forces? What if there is a clash between kundalini and the tamasic forces? What will happen? There is going to be a fall.
Baba Muktananda has written that he used to have images of women enticing him. That is the mooladhara experience. Gopi Krishna used to say that he saw visions of his whole life being disrupted. There was a great imbalance because kundalini went in the wrong path. These two examples are well-known all over the world because of their writings. But there have been many other great, unknown sadhakas who have said the same thing: that you cannot aspire for something transcendental or divine or different without first having the ability to handle that power. You have to gain the ability to handle a power which is beyond the normal human range.Definitely, great turmoil occurs when shakti rises from mooladhara and has to smash through all the barriers that are created. This great force of shakti comes up, goes to sahasrara and even tries to subdue Shiva, to gain control of consciousness. That is something which definitely has to be handled with care. There has to be preparation. If you hold two live wires in your hands you are going to be electrocuted, but if you have some protection such as rubber gloves, there is less chance of being electrocuted.In the same way, the forces which we encounter in the form of kundalini or Kali or devi or purusha, whatever forces we encounter on our spiritual journey, have to be handled with care. Therefore, it is necessary that we define our priorities in life, because only then can a properly balanced awakening of shakti take place.
In the past few years people have come to me and said, “Why can't we also practise the same things that Paramahamsaji is practising in Deoghar?” I tell them, “Yes, you can but become like him first. You can't do those things while you are you. When you become like him then you are free to practise.” How to become like him? The answer is simple: see the maturity of his mind and try to develop the same.
How to create intimacy with tantric sex
Tantra is a Hindu yoga term that defines the sexual merging of two lovers. You can improve your sex life by first establishing a higher level of intimacy between you and your partner. Tantric sex techniques are as much about the preparation for intercourse as they are about the act itself.
There are several steps you can take before intercourse ever happens to increase intimacy and strengthen the bond you share with your partner.
1. Schedule an hour a week for you and your partner to share intimate time. Choose a quiet place to be alone, and make this scheduled time a priority. Show each other that the relationship and the desire to make it stronger are important to each of you.
2. Dim the lights for your intimate time. You can light candles and add seductive aromas to enhance the mood. You and your partner can also play erotic music as a background for your time together.
3. Sit cross-legged on the floor facing each other and let your hands rest on your knees, palms up. Look into each other’s eyes and concentrate on breathing slowly and deeply, matching your partner. Practice doing this until you can hold each other’s gaze for 10 minutes.
4. Explore each other physically with soft, gentle touches. You should both feel safe enough to gently guide the other’s hands to the parts of your body that you want caressed. Be open with your partner about what works for you to create intimacy, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
There are several steps you can take before intercourse ever happens to increase intimacy and strengthen the bond you share with your partner.
1. Schedule an hour a week for you and your partner to share intimate time. Choose a quiet place to be alone, and make this scheduled time a priority. Show each other that the relationship and the desire to make it stronger are important to each of you.
2. Dim the lights for your intimate time. You can light candles and add seductive aromas to enhance the mood. You and your partner can also play erotic music as a background for your time together.
3. Sit cross-legged on the floor facing each other and let your hands rest on your knees, palms up. Look into each other’s eyes and concentrate on breathing slowly and deeply, matching your partner. Practice doing this until you can hold each other’s gaze for 10 minutes.
4. Explore each other physically with soft, gentle touches. You should both feel safe enough to gently guide the other’s hands to the parts of your body that you want caressed. Be open with your partner about what works for you to create intimacy, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
Peeping into Tantric Sex
"Since modern world associates Tantra with sex, I took a peep into Tantric sexual literature. Several books and articles are available on Tantra and most of them just arouse sexual curiosity. Some confuses the reader. But some western scholars have done detailed study on the subject.Here is some of these findings:1. It is hard to give a particular period to Tantrism. Most scholars believe it is pre-Vedic. Shiva and Shakti are main gods in Tantrism. They are a symbol and represent the male and female. Some Tantric texts are conversations between Shiva and Shakti.2. It has close relation to the modern Advaita philosophy of Shankarachraya, the oneness of all being. So, Tantrism believes that the ‘first life energy’ is present in all of us and we can invoke it in our activities in daily life including sex."
"Western Interpretations of Tantra"
"Several recent books about Tantra, by younger scholars who have studied in India, suggest that popular, western interpretations of this tradition are quite sanitized and have little to do with the original traditions that were dominant in India during medieval times. This strikes me as a fair criticism. And, at the same time, it seems as if the term "Tantra" is being used creatively in our own era. The following academic abstracts paint a picture of how the term has been used in the west in recent decades:In contrast to the approaches of conventional religion, tantra does not attempt to soothe the turmoil of existence with consoling promises of heaven and salvation. The tantric practitioner chooses to confront the bewildering and chaotic forces of fear, aggression, desire, and pride, and to work with them in such a way that they are channeled into creative expression, loving relationships, and wisely engaged forms of life."
Tantra Yoga
Tantra Yoga is one of the many different forms of yoga that are practiced these days.This form of yoga is concentrated more on the healing of the spiritual side and bringing into balance the integration of the mind, the body and the soul.Traditionally in India it is thought that your sexuality is an important part of being able to achieve a level of enlightenment that is not possible without this aspect of your development.This can be quite different from the Western civilizations thoughts on these areas where sexuality is not regarded as a part of spirituality on the same level.Tantra yoga seeks to release the energy that this philosophy of celebration of sexuality relates to. Those people who do get involved and practice Tantra yoga find it to be a wonderful experience that is also very therapeutic, relaxing and at the same time stimulating.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
"Dispelling Myths About Tantra - The Orgies"
Some people have approached me lately asking if Tantra encourages orgies.They see great sculptures on Tantric temples depicting several people making love to each other, which I admit looks like an orgy. However it’s far from being an orgy, and is really a higher level of expression of sexual/spiritual love. I want to shed light on the issue to encourage people who might avoid Tantra, thinking that it is about orgies, to actually take a closer look at Tantra.The safest way to practice Tantra is within a couple committed to a succulent, conscious life that has growth as its core. It takes time to nurture a relationship until one feels safe and trusting enough to consciously extend one’s love to others. Tantra counsels you should not rush into it.While some Tantric masters might make love with many lovers, it is done so consciously and with the complete approval and comfort of all participants to heighten the energy. However, it is not an orgy.Usually orgies are about having sex with people without connecting on a spiritual and emotional level. Or about enjoying watching someone having sex without risking doing it. Most people in orgies grab a breast or a buttock and don’t care whom it belongs to as long as it is pleasurable for them. Women are often objectified. Some of them don’t like it, and still put themselves in these situations to please their husband or lover; some of them like being objectified because of the harmful way they were treated in their first sexual encounter. For these women, orgies are a way of perpetrating that original hurt caused by lack of love. Tantra is not about objectification by any means.
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