TANTRA RITUALS

Essential nature and purpose

The essential purpose of tantra is to free the beings from the samsara (births and deaths) through the purification of the maya shaktis that are present in the mind and body and use them to achieve self-realization or transcendence. In that process, a bridge is being built between the male and female aspects of the human personality through purification and unification. It leads to inner harmony, peace and tranquility, and the experience of oneness with the natural state (sahaja vidya) of the self, which is pure, infinite, indivisible, indestructible and all-pervading.

However, public opinion of tantra is still reserved, and deep disdain and distrust for certain tantric communities and their unconventional and controversial methods continue even today. When Acharya Rajaneesh tried to uphold Tantra as a legitimate form of spiritual practice, he was scorned by many common people and his teachings met with heavy resistance both in India and abroad. Even today tantric practices are not widely accepted by the general public, except those which adhere to the traditional, righthand methods. The mantra tradition is not opposed to the tantra tradition. In truth they are harmoniously blended in tantra to achieve the best results. Just as in the Vedic rituals, fire occupies an important place in tantric rituals and contemplative practices.

TANTRA RITUALS (Main beliefs and practices)

Tantra is both a system of knowledge and a complex tradition. It has many layers, some known and some unknown, and some revealed only to the most qualified. Kundalini yoga, nada yoga, hatha yoga, mantra, yantra, pranayama, mudras, mandalas, alchemy, Ayurveda, astrology, visualization practices, contemplation, guided meditation, prayers, invocations, esoteric rituals, are some of the salient features which are common to many tantric traditions. Their essential purpose is to awaken and harness the full potential of the shaktis that reside in the body and make them partners in the practice of liberation.

The complex nature of tantra demands that an initiate must possess right knowledge and know adequately the methods one has to practice for right results, and the risks that are involved. He has to acquire the knowledge of mantras, tantras, sacred syllables, mudras, chakras, nadis, techniques of yoga and contemplative practices through self-study, an adept teacher, observation or personal experience. A few important aspects of tantra practice are listed below.

• Secrecy: From the beginning, tantra has been a secretive tradition which was taught only in person. Tradition demands that the knowledge and practice of tantra shall be kept secret by the initiates as a part of their initiation vows and shall not be revealed to anyone, unless it is permitted. Even today, the most esoteric aspects of tantra are unknown to the general public and never put in print.

• Reality: Tantra acknowledges the dual nature of creation, represented by Purusha and Prakriti. They represent the male (consciousness) and female (materiality) aspects of creation respectively. However, at the same time, it accepts that the ultimate reality is nondual and one. The world is a playground of Shakti where she unleashes her deluding power (maya) to keep the beings bound.

• Worship: In tantric worship one can discern three primary approaches, external worship (kaula), mixed worship (mishra) and internal worship (samaya). The kaula methods are further divided into righthand (vedachara) and left-hand (vamachara) practices. Initiates usually begin with the kaula and advance into samaya through the second. Left-hand methods have to be practiced in advanced stages only.

• Visualization: In the contemplative practices of tantra, visualization of objects, deities and specific situations is commonly practiced along with ritual worship to tame the mind and gain control over one’s thoughts and impulses. Visualization practice along with pranayama and other methods help the practitioners to stay in control when they switch to left-hand practices which are riskier.

• Sound: The Sanskrit alphabet is considered the force field (matrkachakra) of the goddess. Each letter-sound (shabda) in the alphabet is considered an aspect of Shakti. They play an important role in awakening the shaktis in the mind and body and making the body a sacred ground for the union of Shiva and Shakti. The universe is permeated with the vibratory power of the sound. Space is its medium and support.

• Aims: The primary aims of tantra are bhoga (worldly enjoyment) and liberation (moksha). The initiates who practice kaula and mixed methods of worship pursue both. However, as they advance on the path, they lose interest in worldly enjoyment and focus their minds solely upon liberation. They mainly practice meditative (samaya) techniques to experience the bliss of pure consciousness.

• The two paths: In tantra, both right-hand and left-hand methods have their own importance. In the left-hand methods, one follows the laws of Nature and the basic drives and urges of the body. In the right-hand methods, one practices self-restraint, asceticism, penances, celibacy and austerities. The general direction is one begins with the right-hand methods and advances into left-hand ones

• Mantra: A mantra is a sacred sound, syllable or letter form of a deity or shakti. In tantric traditions, mantras are used not only in worship for purification and invocation but also in meditation to illuminate the mind and awaken its corresponding shakti. Initiates begin their practice with mantra japa (chanting). The gurus initiate them with a seed mantra, which they have to use for chanting and meditation.

• Image worship: Unlike in the ritual traditions of Hinduism, in Hindu tantra, there is not much emphasis upon anthropomorphic worship of the deities. However, it is not prohibited in the external worship of deities in the Kaula tradition. In the advanced stages, the focus is shifted from the external to internal and from forms to the formless to realize the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent pure self (Isvara).

• Yantra: The use of yantras in tantra is a natural corollary of the practice mantra. Each yantra is a visual representation of a goddess along with all her manifestations, powers and functions. In mantra japa, we worship her sound form. In yantra sadhana, we worship her mystic form symbolized as circles, triangles, letters, squares, etc. It radiates her energy, which helps the worshippers overcome obstacles on the path.

• Chakra Puja: This is the third level of initiation in the Kaula tradition, which comes after the mantra and yantra initiations and after both have been perfectly mastered. It is primarily and characteristically a left-hand practice in which one worships the chakras in the body. The chakras in this context may mean either a center of energy and consciousness or a group of people who practice it together in a circle.

• Mudras: The symbolic hand gestures which are used in the worship of deities and their yantras are known as mudras. They are meant to appease the deities and obtain their blessings. There are several types of mudras, whose true meaning and significance are known only to advanced practitioners. Some mudras are meant to be practiced in conjunction with specific mantras and methods of worship.

• Bindu: In tantra, a bindu or dot has different contextual and connotational meanings. It can mean an energy center, a chakra associated with kundalini, the third eye or a specific shakti. In left-hand practices bindu means a drop of liquor or a drop of blood or male fluid. In alchemy it means a drop of mercury. In Kundalini yoga it represents the center of the eyebrows.

• Sri Chakra: Also known as Sri Yantra, it is the most auspicious and supreme chakra or energy form of Sri Vidya, the Mother Goddess. It represents her geometrical form and used in tantric worship as well as meditation. According to the scriptures it represents both the body and the universe. It has nine interlocking triangles around a central bindu, which represent her male and female aspects.

There is a fundamental difference between directly experiencing sensuality and seeking it. Tantra is not hedonism, which is the pursuit of sensual pleasures. Tantra is the absorption in what is here now.

And of course, as human beings, we have desire

“When desire or knowledge have manifested, forget their object and focus your mind on object-less desire or knowledge as being the Self. Then you will reach deep reality.”
Vijnanabhairava Tantra

Instead of trying to eliminate desire,Tantric mediations focus on seeing beyond the apparent duality of desire and its objects. We desire something because we perceive ourselves to be separate from it. As this sense of separation and lack dissolves, then the energy of desire ceases to become a bond to suffering, but instead an expression of joyful love and oneness.“Every living thing perceives subject and object, but the tantrika resides in their union.”
Vijnanabhairava Tantra