Your Tantric Journey - The First Step
Tantra has become very popular in the West over the past few years
as a method for improving our sex life. What many people don’t know
is that Tantra is much more than that.
In Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra and its practices are considered the
most accelerated path to spiritual enlightenment. Only the most
accomplished students receive the transmission of these powerful and
secret tools from their teacher. All of Tantra’s methods are
concerned with spiritual advancement, and only a small part of them
is devoted to practices involving sexuality. Tantra includes
everything - the way you make love, the way you cook your meals, and
the way you work becomes a sacred activity. Tantra is and has been a
lifestyle as well as a spiritual practice.
So why is there so much emphasis on the sexual aspects of Tantra?
Because we all want to be better lovers and have a great sex life.
Sexual intimacy is one of the easiest ways to have a spiritual
experience, to reach an altered state of consciousness. At the peak
moment of sexual union, our minds disappear, we become truly one
with each other, and enter into timelessness and divine union.
Tantra teaches us how to reach those states again and again, and
effortlessly, in our love life and our daily lives.
Tantrikas, those practicing Tantra, know that spirituality resides
within the body and that the body's gifts can be utilized to foster
and attain spiritual clarity, ecstasy and fulfillment. Hence tantric
wisdom traditionally was passed on from teacher to student, from
master to disciple, experientially rather than intellectually, and
this still continues to be the preferred and most effective method
today.
So where do you start?
Many great books and videos provide useful
and practical information about Tantra, especially the sexual
aspects of it. If you have a partner, tell her or him that you are
interested in learning more about Tantra. Watch a video together or
commit to practice exercises from a book that you both like.
Hands-on practice is the fastest and most reliable way to learn.
Many books on Tantra also include practices which can be done by
yourself, so you don't actually have to have a partner to practice
Tantra. In fact even if you have a partner, practicing the solo
exercises can open the door to a "new you" and that in turn can be
very valuable and enriching for your relationship as well as your
love life.
By far the best way to deepen your understanding of Tantra and get
an immediate "aha" is to participate in a seminar. A seminar is a
forum for experiential learning, and the facilitators are there to
guide you on this journey. There are also a variety of seminars and
events; weekends, week-longs and longer trainings, for beginners and
advanced Tantra practitioners, for single and couples.
Aside from experiencing what Tantra is, and practicing tools for
your love life and daily life, you are also part of a tantric family
during the event, and maybe afterwards, if you so choose. Immersing
yourself into the tantric community, the sangha, of the seminar
environment accelerates your learning process and deepens your
experience. And when you go back home, life will not be the same, it
will be even better!
© 2003 Steve & Lokita Carter
