General Rules concerning Tantra Yoga

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First rule: During the various Tantric techniques, the sexual energy is awakened

and amplified to a great extent. It is important to preserve this energy in our

aura, so that we could use it in superior ways instead of wasting it.

 

It is known that in TANTRA the pleasure, be it however intense, must be entirely

controlled, and therefore the ejaculation (or the explosive orgasm) must be

avoided. However, especially nowadays, in the West, there are beginners who

still mix the two ways of experiencing the sexuality; also there sometimes may

occur accidental (involuntary) losses of control at some beginners. For all

these reasons, it is said that at least one hour after every Tantric technique,

all sexual manifestations (masturbation included) are prohibited; this has the

object of avoiding any risk of having the energy lost, allowing it to be

integrally used for higher goals.

 

THE HANDS

 

The TANTRIKA-s (Tantric adepts) are especially careful concerning the care of

the hands, since they are the main " instruments " for touching, and caressing,

and the Tantric techniques often involve specific use of the hands, fingers, or

nails. Some texts advise the cutting of the nails of the thumb, and index

(especially of the right hand), so that they are short, and these two fingers

present a soft, round tip (for avoiding any scratching, or wounding), while the

other fingers should have rather long nails, but very clean and manicured. It is

deemed that long nails conduct better the etheric energy of the hands, thus

enhancing the intensity of the touch, stroke, and massage. Many TANTRIKA-s can

be recognised after the special way in which their nails are manicured.

 

THE SEXUAL ORGANS

 

All Tantric texts mention the care, and cleanness of the genital organs, and

area, as being very important, for both hygienic, and aesthetic reasons.

Moreover, the cleanness of the sexual organs is said to enhance their

sensitivity, thing that will be noted with the practise of the perception

techniques.

 

For women, it is often recommended that the pubic hair should be periodically

shaved or depilated with wax entirely, so that the sensitivity is enhanced, and

the sensuous feelings and excitability are amplified a lot.

 

THE LIGHT

 

" TANTRA loathes the darkness " , is a traditional saying; therefore all the

Tantric techniques shall be performed with some form of light, never in

darkness. The Tantric techniques are structured for stimulating all the senses,

including the visual one; moreover, the darkness makes possible the

manifestation of certain uncontrollable psychic energies, which should be

avoided by spiritual probationers. Amongst the recommendations, TANTRA prefers

the natural light (candle-light, for an instance), and sometimes recommends the

use of coloured lights; the red light is said to stimulate the male sexuality

(and the root-CHAKRA), while the violet light is highly recommended for

enhancing the female sexuality (opening the throat-CHAKRA), and therefore they

shall be used according to the circumstances.

 

THE FOOD

 

TANTRA emphasizes the importance of a natural diet, without toxic products, and

as much as possible without those food that are usually forbidden to the high

classes of the Indian society (meat, alcohol, fish, tobacco, coffee, drugs,

etc.). TANTRA states that all the senses must be stimulated to the highest

extent, but with a perfect mastery; this is also a very personal matter.

 

THE UNDERSTANDING AND THE ABNEGATION

 

TANTRA forbids those deeds by which the elementary rights of another human being

are denied. Amongst others, the Tantric Masters will never try to persuade at

all cost outsiders to perform special Tantric techniques. The understanding must

come from inside, and the approaching of the Tantric way must be done with the

participation of one's entire being, and with total self-offering.

 

THE MEANING OF LOVE

 

In most of the languages, and especially the Germanic ones, the word " amour " -

love is very hard to define. TANTRA deems love as a gradual expansion, by which,

starting from the finite, one reaches the infinite; this definition should be

meditated upon, for making its meaning clear. Love also means here the total

empathic identification with the innermost being of the other, as part

integrated in the harmony of the macrocosmic Infinite.

 

THE POLARITY OF THE ENERGY

 

TANTRA is pre-eminently a science of the polarity; the man and the woman are

here the personification of the two fundamental cosmic poles: SHIVA - the Male

consciousness, and SHAKTI - the Female manifestation. Therefore it is

particularly important to remind a few elements concerning the polarity of the

energy.

 

Any energy of the manifestation (and therefore any thing, being, phenomenon,

state) is composed of two distinct poles: the solar one (male, active, emissive,

+, YANG), and the lunar one (female, passive, receptive, -, YIN). The condition

of harmony, and therefore the aim of any method of spiritual development -

TANTRA YOGA included - is to reach a perfect balance of these two poles. The

traditional teachings state that the unbalance of these two energies (solar (+),

and lunar (-)), in whatever sense, creates the condition of disharmony that

entails disturbance, disease, pain, limitation, and unhappiness. Their balance,

on the other hand, creates a condition of perfect harmony, which is the

springboard for the higher spiritual accomplishments. Here are some practical

examples concerning the predominance of the two polarities in the manifested

world:

 

the left side of the body, generally, is of lunar (-, YIN) polarity, while the

right side of the body is generally of solar (+, YANG) polarity.

 

the women are generally predominantly charged with lunar (-, YIN) energy, while

men are (or should be) prevalently charged with solar (+, YANG) energy.

 

some food are charged prevalently with YIN (-, lunar) energy, while others are

predominantly YANG (+, solar). This shows one of the several ways of balancing

the YIN/YANG energies of the being, which is particularly accessible for the

Westerners. Therefore, a complete table of these will be given in one of the

oncoming articles.

 

various other conditions of the environment (such as: cold/warmth,

light/darkness, colours, etc.), as well as of the personal behaviour may entail

a YIN (-, lunar), or YANG (+, solar) predominance; the most important will be

mentioned, or a detailed list may be found in the complete YIN/YANG tables.

 

The problem of the polarity of the energy is complicated by the fact that there

can be found a related kind of polarity, between the telluric (or Earth's)

energy, and the cosmic one; this polarity is somehow different of the

left/right, +/- polarity mentioned above. However, it is deemed symbolically

that the telluric energy is also predominantly feminine, -, while the cosmic

energy is male, +, although these two forms of energy may each have their

solar/lunar (YIN/YANG) polarity.

 

In TANTRA there are data concerning the polarity of the energy between a man,

and a woman during the sexual union, in relation with the various " bodies " , or

ranges of frequency of the being. Since we haven't yet made a methodical study

of this topic (of the various bodies), we'll mention these information briefly

for the time being. Thus, at the level of the physical body (called in YOGA:

ANNAMAYAKOSHA) the man is predominantly +, and the woman predominantly -. At the

level of the etheric body (PRANAMAYAKOSHA), the woman is +, and the man -. On

the astral plane (MANOMAYAKOSHA), the man is again +, and the woman -, while at

the level of the mental body (VIJNANAMAYAKOSHA) the woman is solar, and the man

is lunar. Meditating upon the various meanings of the solar/lunar polarity,

deeper understanding of this brief statements will occur.