Various Branches of the Tantric System

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TANTRA YOGA starts from the idea that our sexuality, our amatory

impulses actually represent a debased metaphysical urge, otherwise

said that our highest spiritual aspirations are imprisoned in the

matter in the shape of the sexuality.

 

It is only the wrong directing, the misuse we could say, of this

fundamental force of the sex, which proves harmful for the spiritual

evolution of the human being. Else, basically the sexuality

represents the fundamental tendency of joining together the (+) and

the (-), the Solar and the Lunar, the YANG and the YIN, the Male and

the Female, the HA and the THA, for attaining the final condition of

Union, the neutrality of the Absolute, (0), the peace of the

spiritual Androgyne, who has summed up in itself all the

potentialities of the manifestation. This goal, which is actually

common with all the spiritual paths of our planet, is achieved in

TANTRA through various ways, and this gives birth to several branches

of the Tantric system.

 

Roughly, the experts divide TANTRA in two main streams: the TANTRA of

the Right Hand, and the TANTRA of the Left Hand. This first division

proceeds from the nature of the practical methods that are used for

reaching the condition of Unity: if the actual, physical methods of

sexual union are used, than we deal with the TANTRA of the Left Hand,

while if only symbolical, or meditative techniques are used (and the

physical sex is terefore excluded) we are within the sphere of the

Right-Hand TANTRA.

 

Often, it is very difficult to draw a sharp borderline between the

two divisions, since there are schools which use methods belonging to

both paths. The TANTRA of the Right Hand often corresponds with some

of the great ascetic spiritual paths of our planet, in which union is

searched with a divine entity, personification, incarnation, and so

on, or sometimes merely with supernatural beings of various degrees.

Though we deal here with a kind of " sexual " relationship, it is not

an actual sexual manifestation that we encounter here, but rather a

sublimed, spiritual, sometimes symbolical way of interacting, closer

to what we'd call love; one of the most accessible examples for the

common Western understanding is that of the so called astral-sex, or

otherwise said the erotic experiences that occur in the dream-state.

Other historical examples could be the mystico-erotic relationships

of the Christian nuns with Jesus, the erotic devotion of the Indian

GOPI-s for KRISHNA, the mystics of love of the troubadours and

knights, the worship of the Ten Great Cosmic Powers in certain

Tantric schools, etc.

 

Although the Tradition categorically states that the TANTRA of the

Right Hand is the highest of the two branches, the Masters also state

that the men of KALI YUGA, nowadays, especially in the West, because

of the grossness (or materiality) of their spirit, are practically

almost incapable (with very rare exceptions) to follow this path,

which starts from a too high, or " abstract " point; therefore, we are

advised towards the TANTRA of the Left Hand, which starts from a

more " down-to-earth " , or concrete situation, and is more fit for

their level.

 

As it has been said, TANTRA of the Left Hand involves the actual

practice of the physical sexual activities; because of this reason,

and some ridiculous scholar speculations (like that: the right hand

is the " right " one, and therefore the other one must necessarily be

the " wrong " way), a whole host of " moralists " and amateur outsiders

have cast upon the Left-Hand TANTRA the blame of being a horrifying

heresy, and a spiritual deviation, connected with fornication and

black magic, and which could by no means lead to any spiritual

accomplishments. Even today, when the morals have gone quite loose

(sometimes too loose), VAMA MARGA, the Path of the Left Hand is still

looked upon with a lot of scepticism by the narrow-minded ones, by

the sexually frustrated, and by those who never tried practically its

methods. However, it has to be stated clearly that in the Left-Hand

TANTRA sex is not practised for the sake of sex itself, but as an

instrument for going somehow beyond sex, for reaching health,

balance, improved couple relationships, self-control, supernormal

capacities, and eventually the superior states of consciousness,

culminating with the state of Cosmic Consciousness, or SAMADHI (as it

is called in YOGA).

 

Here, it would be also useful to mention that there are paths which

are somehow placed at the " borderline " between the Paths of the Left-

Hand, and Right-Hand, or that join and use harmoniously methods

belonging to both these ways. One such surprising example can be

found in certain schools of HATHA YOGA; as few know, the word 'HATHA'

proceeds from the two Sanskrit roots HA - Sun, and THA - Moon, which

makes HATHA YOGA the discipline of the " Union of the Sun and the

Moon " , or otherwise said of the (+) and (-), of the Masculine and

Feminine. Therefore, the genuine HATHA YOGA is a kind of TANTRA in

which the union of the Male and Female aspects occurs within the

being of the practiser, through specific methods, fact which entails

a final condition of inner balance, harmony, and power. As a matter

of fact, it is a well-known fact that HATHA YOGA is a typical Tantric

instrument for training, and that in most of the Left-Hand TANTRA

ASHRAM-s it is deemed to be an indispensable practice. That is why,

also in our course there will be frequent references, and exercises

belonging to the HATHA YOGA system. However, returning to the initial

topic of this paragraph, it can be noted that scholars still have

difficulties in deciding if HATHA YOGA in itself is belonging to the

Right-Hand current (since physical sex is not necessarily involved)

or to the Left-Hand one (being so physical, and bringing about a kind

of physical " inner sex " ). But, for the real practisers all these

distinctions have little importance, since they are mainly concerned

with the practical, effective results of their spiritual discipline,

and not with theoretical speculations.

 

From this last standpoint, it is possible to distinguish two main

directions of use of the sexual energy: the evolutionary one, and

the " magic " one.

 

The first involves that the Tantric techniques, and the resulting

energy are used for self-knowledge, for spiritual evolution, for

attaining the condition of Self-Realization, or Divine Consciousness.

This may be done either by an individual practiser in the search of

the Truth, or by a couple of Seekers of the Transcendent, case in

which the accomplishment takes the further dimension of making their

love-relationship tangent to the Eternity. This latter ideal, though

very cherished by the human soul, and tantalizing, involves however a

great deal of spiritual commitment, and abnegation from both

partners, and is a rare, and exceptional accomplishment.

 

The second direction allows the use of the controlled energy for

attaining all kind of mundane goals (health, success, wealth, power,

seduction, influence, supernormal capacities, etc.) in almost

a " magic " manner (the word is maybe not the best, for it often evokes

an occult, sinister and choking environment, or stand, but has been

used in absence of a better one). Here it is also often difficult to

find a clear limit between the two directions, since there are

schools, and practisers who follow them both at the same time.

However, from the standpoint of the " magic " use of the energy, there

have been settled three main possible sub-directions. They are

conventionally called:

 

- the " white TANTRA " , in which the energy is used exclusively for

beneficial, superior, spiritual purposes, as healing, psychic

supporting, easing of the spiritual evolution, etc.

 

- the " red TANTRA " , dedicated entirely to the obtaining of as much as

possible pleasure, and personal satisfaction, in a somehow selfish

manner, and without any spiritual horizon, but however without

involving any evil, demonic, or satanic actions, or the harming of

any sentient being. This direction, or deviation is quite typical for

the Western practisers.

 

- the " black TANTRA " , directed towards obscure accomplishments, that

are related with the dark worlds of a demonic and often even satanic

nature, and whose results are harmful for the sentient beings, for

the spiritual evolution, and for the entire universal balance

generally.

 

It must be obvious for anybody, that in our site there will be

exposed only those elements from TANTRA that are concerning the

spiritual evolution, the personal development (or of a couple), and

the obtaining and beneficial use of the paranormal capacities, since

for the YOGIN-s it is a very well known fact that the egoism, and the

evil create the endless chain of the human suffering, and that the

ineluctable law of KARMA (or of the reaction that fits perfectly to

the done action) pays back - sooner or later - all the misdeeds of

anybody, till the last dime. Therefore, if we want to preserve

ourselves in the spirit of the above-classification, we might say

that we are going to study elements of the TANTRA of the Left Hand,

connected where necessary with elements belonging to HATHA YOGA and

TANTRA of the Right Hand, and directed towards the spiritual

evolution of the individual or of the couple, and - when possibly -

towards the " white " use of the energy. Whenever it will be deemed

necessary, elements from other parallel spiritual paths will also be

added, such as: sexual TAO, IMSAK, other branches of the YOGA system,

and so on. Also, elements from modern sexology, and latest research

in medicine, physiology, physics, and chemistry, will be used for

improving the understanding of these topics.