{"id":81,"date":"2015-10-02T01:06:47","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T01:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tantradiva.com\/?p=81"},"modified":"2019-06-04T08:37:30","modified_gmt":"2019-06-04T08:37:30","slug":"why-tantra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tantradiva.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/02\/why-tantra\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Tantra?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is not necessary to believe in God to be a tantrik.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0When I say \u2018God\u2019, I mean the popular connotation of the term: \u00a0A benevolent force which loves us all, controls everything on the planet and is ultimately fair and just. \u00a0I simply cannot embrace this concept. \u00a0Not when I see people being murdered, women and children being raped, the planet being environmentally destroyed, war and injustice being the order of the day. \u00a0How many Wall Street executives got sent to jail for their role in the 2008 global financial crisis? \u00a0How many of the victims got compensated and had their lives restored?\u00a0 This is only a fraction of what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n

I studied International Development and am myself from a colonial background. \u00a0Not the side which did the colonizing of course; the other side that suffered. \u00a0I am fortunate enough to be descended from parents who endured and then successfully overcame poverty. \u00a0I am of the generation which had enough to eat, study and think critically. \u00a0I even got to migrate to Canada on a mixture of merit and money. \u00a0To some, I\u2019ve lived like a princess since my university and immigration bills were paid by my parents. \u00a0To others, I\u2019m a pauper because I have less money and material possessions than they do. \u00a0People are certainly entitled to think of me what they want, but it does not bother me in the least. \u00a0I am at peace and contented in living my truth, for this is where true liberation lies.<\/p>\n

Tantra as freedom<\/h2>\n

\"8993003623_c970bc876c_o\"<\/a><\/p>\n

All that tantra requires you to do is have a belief in consciousness and energy, as the fundamental and dynamic elements of our existence. \u00a0We are all but different manifestations of the same source. \u00a0There is no one way to be human<\/strong>. \u00a0We are all a part of the tree of life, even though we seem disparate from each other. \u00a0We are interconnected. \u00a0It is for this reason that the metaphors of Shiva and Shakti were invented: \u00a0To personify the principles of consciousness (Shiva) and energy\/power (Shakti). \u00a0 It makes it easier for us to meditate upon these concepts as deities rather than as abstract principles. \u00a0They are easier to attach the mind to.<\/p>\n

To unite with source is to know peace, if not euphoria. \u00a0Traditionally, this has been accomplished through the chanting of mantras, breathing exercises, physical exercises (what the Western world knows as yoga) and ritual cleaning.<\/p>\n

There are no reasons given to us for our existence: We simply are. \u00a0There are no hard and fast rules to live by: We are encouraged to gather information, observe our thoughts, reactions and feelings, \u00a0and then do what we think is best. \u00a0It does not mean that we become nihilists. \u00a0 It means that we become\u00a0empowered\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>to create our own meaning and perceptions of life, remembering that we are but leaves on a tree. \u00a0The individual is as important as the whole<\/strong>, and decisions must be made considering the two dimensions.<\/p>\n

I chose tantra because it is a spirituality that allows me to discover for myself who I am, away from the external programming bequeathed to me by my place of birth, cultural community, gender, heredity etc. \u00a0It values who I am and encourages me to accept others as extensions of myself, without trying to dominate and control them. \u00a0It encourages me to seek knowledge and not limit my understanding of the world to one book. \u00a0It is the study of the macrocosm (universal) through the microcosm (individual). \u00a0Historically, it has included the study of astronomy, physiognomy, numerology, physics, chemistry, ayurveda (indian medicine) and psychology etc.<\/p>\n

Tantra is different from traditional Indian thought in that it does not see the universe as\u00a0maya\u00a0<\/em>or an illusion. \u00a0Rather, it is a concrete manifestation of energy and consciousness, driven by individual and collective desires. \u00a0This is true in nature as it is in humans. \u00a0Our world is our creation and together we can change it.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Wil Geraets for his article \u2018Tantra Yoga\u2019, based on \u2018Tools for Tantra\u2019 by Harish Johari. \u00a0It can be read here: \u00a0http:\/\/www.sanatansociety.org\/yoga_and_meditation\/tantra_yoga.htm#.U2mlVIFdUfu<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: <\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Shiva and Shakti,\u00a0<\/em>-Reji, Flickr.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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