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Subject: Re: The Secrets of Tantra
From: nagasiva <nagasiva@yronwode.com>
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Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 22:57:59 GMT
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5002nd Year of the Kali Yuga 01/31 VI

received in private email unsolicited and mass-mailed: 
> From: "Sri Kalima" <tantraifc@yahoo.com>

<occasional snippage>

om nama kali ma! om smashana kali om maha kali!
 
> Tantra in the West
>
> Tantra is a holistic approach to life by studying the Universe from
> the point of view of the individual. It draws upon all the sciences,
> namely astrology, numerology, astronomy, mathematics, geometry, physics,
> alchemy and chemistry.

doesn't it make science less meaningful to include all these? isn't there
a reason that mathematics (which includes geometry) is separated from
science, the latter using the former to approximate general principles?
 
> In the Western world Tantra has come to mean spiritual sex or
> sexuality, and has almost become the generic term for all styles, such
> as traditions of spiritual and meditative sexuality. 

but better termed 'neo-Tantra' in respect of older Indian traditions.

> Tantra basically
> is a teaching of non-attachment. When we are attached to our action and
> its outcome we loose our freedom. Tantra is a term loosely applied to a
> system of Hindu yoga in which the union of male and female principles is
> worshipped. 

I thought that was more specific, like Saktism or Siva-Saktism or the like.
if you mean 'tantra yoga', then I'm not sure it is so much a system as it
is a group of systems that focus on what is called the 'sex chakra' or
psychospiritual bodily center for the purpose of attaining liberation
(moksha -- variously described as rebirth into the Land of Devas as well
as delimitation of bodily consciousness or bliss indwelling). there are
apparently other yogic systems either centered on some other chakra or
attempting to do something with the chakra system as a whole (as with the
kundalini or serpentine energy associated with Sakti at the spinal base).

I wonder about the focus on non-attachment, especially in the West. it is
at least valuable that the focus is not DEtachment, as it is with some
yogic aspirants, in that a moderate (perhaps even a Middle Way) perspective
can allow for meaningful participation in social and sensual life. but so
often the demonization of attachment leads to the breakdown of community
and the support of males and short-term pleasure over and above families
and sustainable community life.

> In practice, in the West this has led to a form of sexual
> ritual in which slow intercourse is seen as a path to an experience of
> the Divine by development of the Wave of Bliss, achieved through
> sublimation of the genital orgasm into an experience of the Orgasm. This
> is not so with Traditional Hindu tradition.

not always even so in the West, in which there is sometimes an avoidance
of orgasm also. this seems to reach a kind of pinnacle in Chinese systems
where the chi or ki is identified as vital essence with sperm and retention
of this (or its reabsorption!) is seen as the practice (as with Mantak Chia).
  
> Hinduism is most miss understood, as simple example is how Mother
> Kali, and the severed heads. Both in the West and the east, most think
> in terms Her slaying demons heads. The sword represents knowledge,
> cutting the knots of ignorance, and the severed heads represents false
> consciousness.

my impression from Ma Kali whom I dearly love is that Her symbols and
image are multivalent, and that the devotee will come to the understanding
of Her for which she is prepared. there is no one true set of correspondences
as is suggested by various ritualists, though it may serve us to believe in
them. like fundamentalism as a whole, the power behind certitude can propel 
us through ties that bind (or into them!).

for example, right now as I worship Maha Kali the Terrible, the heads are
the lives of human beings and She relishes in the slaying and in drinking 
of our blood. the beauty of death is as important to some tantrics as the 
beauty of life, and worship of the grissly, the most extreme horror as Kali 
can become an extraordinary balance while living peaceably in community. 
it affords the devotee of equilibrium a careful weighted pole with which 
to walk the tight rope into death.
 
> Mother Kali opens the gates to freedom with her sword by cutting the
> bonds that binds you. 

indeed, and that sword is as much the cascade of time as the slice of 
reason. too often it is identified as a specified body of knowledge,
and while some knowledge systems may function in this way, using
reason against itself (in philosophy) is the most reliable sword I know.

> The bleeding head in Her hand represents the out flow of rajas guna. 
> She is here to help your purify yourself, thus becoming totally 
> composed and sattvic, which is very important for inner happiness. 

purification is only so good as the platform for which one is formatted.
what is better about being sattvic than about having too much rajas?
composure is indeed an important component of serenity. sometimes there
is need for extravagance before equanimity may be enjoyed. aren't we
fortunate that Kali makes it possible in this Dark Age (the fourth and
final yuga!) to become liberated by means of attention-based taboo-acts
which were until recently forbidden by religiomystical traditions?!

> One needs to have inner peace to enjoy divine love with ones partner. 

if a love is not divine, of what character is it? what kind of love is
*not* divine, and how do you distinguish between these?

> Inner peace and divine love between couples bring harmonious live and 
> joy. Better Sex does not bring inner peace, inner harmony or Joy.

I'm not sure if you might mean something special in your Capitalization
Scheme, but my experience is that at least in the short term, better sex
does *indeed* lead to inner peace, harmony, and joy. it typically will
include a release of tension that we too often carry around with us. it
catalyzes the production of very important wellness-experiencing bodily
chemicals which serve, in the short-term, to rejuvenate and pacify.

whether the practices described by neo-Tantrics produce *long-term*
satiation is the more important issue. I am dubious that ceremonial,
attentive, and slow, meditative sex on its own will produce this internal
transformation. my impression is that it must be included within a larger
context of refined values, alternative lifestyle, and a flexible approach
to the challenges life includes.

> The blooded sword and severed head symbolize the destruction of
> ignorance and the dawning of knowledge

oh it is always ignorance that the aspirants seek to destroy. go ahead
and try, my kin, but I maintain to you that without ignorance no moksa
is possible and without that dwarf, Siva's dance cannot commence.
 
> The knowledge will be yours at the Workshop, which will deal with the
> following important issues:
> Psychic Healing - Sensual Healing Massage,Yoni Tantra, Yoni Healing,
> Tantric Pranayama, Tantric Kundalini Meditation, Invoking the Ten
> Tantric  Wisdom Goddess, Astrological Mantra Meditation

no Lingam Tantra, Lingam Healing? no Ten Wisdom Gods? seems unbalanced.
 
> "What a pity! A mountain peak as tiny as one square inch has been the
> source of great inspiration and misery for centuries."
> (Anonymous Chinese poet on man's obsession with women's sexual organ)

if only! if only the woman's sexual organ were truly known! rather than
that specified as a pleasure-source, as a Gateway to Bliss, or as a
Nubbins of Joy, She ought be known entirely as the Horseshoe of Happiess,
the Wishbone of True Delight! if only woman's *true* (hidden) sexuality
were the obsession, along with her pleasure, then, then would the 10000
ring in tune with the Mother of All.
  
> To be sexually free and connected one's male and female principle have
> to be balanced within. One has to learn to expend awareness in all
> states of consciousness, whether waking state, dream state, or deep
> sleep. To accomplish this, One needs to deprogram and reprogram One's
> human computer.  WE WILL HELP YOU REPROGRAM AND REPROGRAM YOUR COMPUTER
> both your mind and your Karma. Being born at a particular time and
> place gives us a primary programming, influenced by heredity and
> environment. We use Astrology to work out you genetic imprints, and help
> you change it. Our Master Sri Param Eswaran has used this method of
> approach to help himself change his programming.

I am still not convinced that awareness of all states is the best possible
course. there are countless yogis who seem to wish to give the impression
that sleepless, foodless, even *airless* existence can be yours!

I met a wandering mendicant once when living in the SF Bay Area whose
claim was that he didn't need any sleep and barely any food. he said that
he had perfected his spirituality to such an extent that these were
becoming unnecessary to him. he was a very good chess player! we did see
him catnapping once or twice, but I was not sure that sleeplessness was a
valuable overall objective or an indicator of spiritual advancement.

sometimes I find it valuable to drop my awareness of things, such as when
I am watching a movie, when I am listening to a friend speak, or even
when I am meditating on a single object of focus. awareness is a double-
sided coin. it comes with a price, and this may be too expensive to try
to maximize it across the board.

changing your programming does seem a valuable enterprise. we are not
told why we ought to trust Sri Param Eswaran to fiddle with our inner
workings, altering our computer, as it were, and changing our Karma!
who is he? where does he come from? why is he your Master? why are
masters valuable in a tradition ostensibly about sexual co-worship? 

> Tantra is not about how good you could become in bed 

here we are agreed, though this may become an indicator of success.

> but rather it
> helps you to discover how good an Artist you are. A partner is like a
> canvas and you're the artist. When an artist wants to work on a canvas,
> he or she has to be one with the canvas. One has to be connected with
> the subject, in this case the partner. To achieve this connectedness one
> has to embrace the male and female aspect of oneself.

very lovely. I would also add that embracing the life-oriented and death-
oriented aspects of the cosmos is another part of that Art. seeing oneself
as the canvas is probably also a good idea. if it becomes one way, one may
be think in terms of being a hammer and everyone else one's nail.
 
>   Tantra is the path way to the rediscovering of oneself. 

I wonder what this "self" is, having looked for it for many years. it seems
to change continually, like a growing, weaving dragon of immense power and
influence. 

> Sri Param Eswaran work is not just a flowery ecstasies Indian Tantric 
> teaching;

wow! I didn't know there were such flowery ecstasy teachings! it would not
surprise me if such teachings, even fanciful and successful ones, though
this seems unlikely to arise out of a longstanding tradition.

> rather he is a pragmatic teacher who has been channeling this knowledge
> for the last 25 years.

channelling sounds so New Age! from where is it coming? who is Esaran's
guru? what lineage does he align himself with, if any? does he think
that this is at all important, or is your failure to mention it an
indicator of a new start-up lineage?
 
>   Sexual imbalance between man and women has been fast growing in the
> western world, and now becoming more obvious in industrialized or
> progressive Asian countries i.e Malaysia, Singapore, and some parts of
> India.

hmm? my observation is that it has long been a part of social concourse
and if anything has grown somewhat *less* intense over the last hundred
or two hundred years. 
 
>   Women are sexually stronger than a man, is because biologically she is
> created to be. Her reproductive organs must bear the strain of
> physically producing children. The effect on men of this biological
> inequality is profound.

I would argue that 1) human beings are not created, we grow after birthing
from the wombs of our mothers, 2) sexual urges and energies are differing
between men and women on account of dimorphism, and, as you say, differing
roles in reproduction, but 3) I don't think this makes women "sexually
stronger" than men. more often than not the conditioning within society is
what promotes the real inequality, which is social and psychological, not 
truly biological.
 
> At heart most men are as terrified of women's infinite sexual capacity

this is a myth. women do not have infinite sexual capacity any more than
all men do. biological studies indicate that women and men have differing
capacities for sex and that satiation and repose, cycles of excitation,
etc., vary from person to person. such generalizations are the *mark* of
the kind of conditioning of which you ought to be speaking. 

now my impression is that myths about the sexes are, like the fantasy
roles invented for dimorphic human species reproductive interaction,
not based on much that is biologically identifiable. this is a justification
for the enhanced dualism of male and female identity where essential 
biological factors break down and do not exist. it may be helpful in the
short-term for the purposes of social role-play and initial mystical
adventuring, but eventually the concept of strict gender-differences must
be left by the wayside also, especially once one comprehends the interior
facets of "masculine" and "feminine" character. suffused in the bliss of
the One, these dichotomies also break down too.

> as such have over the centuries suppressed them and made them believe
> that they are weaker, and by [and large] made them also believe so, and as
> such too most sex act has become a role play. Some think that they have
> to provide sex to keep a happy and harmonious partnership, which in the
> long run fails. This type of a society cannot grow until they try to
> connect with each other in all levels and learn to be creative with each
> other.

for the above reasons the acceptance of a "women sexuality is infinite and
powerful" may be a very important dogma. inherent to resisting the sexist
and bigotted notions prevalent in many modern societies may be an equally-
biased certitude in the opposite direction (the twin poles resolving into
a pleasant medium).
 
> The quest for sexually fulfilled love has taken on the dimensions of a
> religion amongst those who are too liberal or too scientific to believe
> any traditional version of Spirituality and Tantra. 

if only! that it would be broadened to incorporate all aspects of life as
moments of sexual ecstasy and quivering pangs of desire and release! now
*that* would be a true spirituality! no, you are correct that it assumes
"dimensions of a religion" but never actually fills OUT these dimensions
so as to engage a prolonged and deep encounter with the Beloved.

I suggest that most have not encountered any true traditional version of
Tantra, though I would be interested to hear arguments to the contrary.
as Tantra is Buddhist as well as Hindu (by the lights of practioners),
it defies my understanding how generalizations of any comprehensive
nature can be made about this subject, or what "those who are too liberal
or too scientific to believe" have encountered.

> The ultimate
> commitment is the power of sexual experience and multiple orgasm, in
> some cases with aid of drugs. This way of life offers something tangible
> to be shared that is personal and present. It does not aid in the need
> of inner peace of self love.

in my experience multiple-orgasm, so called, is over-rated and as
unnecessary as is "female ejaculation", though many people seem to
enjoy these and find value in experiencing them. my impression is
that orgasm specifically and initiating and engaging certain trans-
personal states of consciousness using a variety of means (many 
described by authors like Moffett in "Tantric Sex") can become an
integral part of the tantric path. largely this comes from playing
with and utilizing the results from fluctuations in personal
consciousness, suspending their boundaries in the proper context
and attending to the reintegration of the social persona so as to
realize its limited reality and 'reprogram' oneself, apparently in
a manner not unlike you have implied.
 
> The decline of religion or spirituality in the west which started
> before the Roman time has made the experience of sex more powerful then
> spiritual experience. Religion in the west made sex a dirty word thus
> created an obsession, the hidden fruit syndrome.

the separation of sex from spirituality has been part of this problem,
and the divide hinted at in your explanation above is one which I'm
sure you would agree is valuably effaced.

>   Then in the 60s came total sexual freedom, 

this is an extreme over-statement, one which plays on the heartstrings
of many a neo-Tantric like myself, though one which ultimately must be
found ill-advised and wanting. in fact total sexual freedom has seldom
been seen in the history of the human species, in part because of the
inability to control reproduction until recently with the sublime aid
to tantric mastery in the form of vasectomy.

in fact, what comes closer to complete sexual freedom is homosexuality
and all forms of nonreproductive sex, especially as they are carried
out within a secure and nonviolating context amongst those of integrity
and healthy character. alternatively those past the years of child-
bearing are more likely to become the tantric adepts.

> this did not supply the
> stability that one needs most, as such to-day, people are turning back
> in to either marriage or religion to seek their sense of an absolute.

fads will carry in the public consciousness through countless cycles of
partnership and polyfidelity. none of these is superior, though it is
observably true that the less people involved in any relation, the more
prone to attachment and intimacy we may become. these twin poles carry
their own dangers which opting for either does not resolve.
 
>   In the States and other European countries the tradition Asian and
> Christian teachings are becoming stronger.

I have observed no such trend.
 
>   Sri Param Eswaran does advocate neither religion nor marriage as the
> solution to stability, but the marriage of the cosmic energy of Sakthi
> and Shiva or Yin and Yang. This simply encourage each individual to
> cultivate his or her inner life-force

does this mean that he forbids religion or marriage, or that he tries to
work *within* them to assist those who want tantric practices?
 
>   This work with Sri Param Eswaran is for students who consider
> themselves on a spiritual path and want to integrate his or her sexual
> desires with the practice of his or her own path of Spirituality.

I would recommend that this be stated at the outset, since it will
immediately limit the interest of those who may find value in it
(there being many of us who have identified the exact relation we
understand between sexuality and spirituality, including coincidence).
 
>   He helps his students to find the inner God and Goddess, thus helping
> them to see the same in their partner and all male and female as sister
> and brother equal to themselves.

marvellous. do you think that there is also an inner Demon and Demoness?
does it benefit us to see this also, after we have identified that God
and Goddess? how far does this "equality" go, realistically? what does
it truly mean? concepts of equality are important in America, where it
is espoused as a bastion of national civil rights, but does it really
mean more than 'equally the target for sales gimmicks'?
 
>   Sri Param Eswaran's work is to help you reconnect with your true self
> and bring back a feeling of comfort into relationships.

and I hope that he achieves this with many people. alhimdillulah.
 
>   "Love is Faith and Faith is for ever," is the strong reinforced cement
> concrete foundation upon which magnificent edifice of union of the two
> sexes known as Marriage stands.

are there really only 2 sexes? look into http://www.isna.org and come tell
us what becomes of the continuum, what it means that human organisms are
a complex rainbow of sizes and shapes, and whether genders and sexes are
truly diversified as many wish to think.
 
> For the great Chariot of Human Civilization to remain in existence Man
> and Women are the principle wheels and the existence of one without the
> other is illogical.

such heterocentrist dogma is this! again, valuable for a certain devotee,
but hardly founded upon the Sword of Kali as I know it! 
 
> ...There is a natural
> attraction between man and women and to keep the attraction between them
> in harmony and proper order. Institution of Marriage has been
> established to help run it smoothly and to make the human civilization
> mobile.

this betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the history of marriage as
a property-exchange of the woman. while you may wish to *change* this
institution toward your greater goals, why lie about its history?
 
>   In the art of human creation all females or males must come through a
> female; thus women occupy the highest rank in the order of creative
> force.  (Visit Yoni Tantra for more on Women and their role in Tantra)

again, this is outstated. all you are doing is challenging men to come
up with artificial wombs from which to birth children. no doubt this
may already be possible. its possibility or lack thereof supports no
actual supremacy of males or females. one might more fruitfully look
to the development of the fetus from female to male through the
influence of hormones in order to determine such rankings. however, my
own preference is to be DONE with hierarchies between all people, 
whether they be humans or other species.
 
>   Male and female are but the two aspects, or two sides, of Nature.

now you venture into ridiculous mythos that science never supports.
consult biology texts on asexual reproduction and hermaphroditic
species like slugs. you will be surprised at what "Nature" includes.

> ...A female is considered the Goddess, providing the
> energy the partner needs to be successful in the worldly and spiritual
> life. To function at this level, women must first invoke the energy of
> the Goddess that is available to her.

why is it always the woman through whom everything must come? isn't it
enough that she is shackled and brutalized and utilized like a tool?
must she be responsible for birthing everything? no, far more important
would it be to see that males have a metaphorical birthing process also,
perhaps best described as an alchemical Art through which a Magical
Child may be born through the intermingling of polar forces.

>   The essential principle of Tantra is self-knowledge. As great sages,
> modern and ancient have repeatedly stated Self-knowledge is the basis of
> all knowledge. In Tantra it is stated that Self-knowledge is the
> knowledge of whom we really are, of our true being, which is the light
> of awareness and not an external identity. To reach this understanding
> one has to work with the elements and the planets. 

though it may be a valuable process to work with these elements and
planets, it is not the only possible route to reach it as I understand it,
though whatever chosen path one takes may manipulate oneself with respect
to these. how you intend to (as you seem to imply) manipulate planetary
configurations of astrology is beyond my understanding, since typically
a natal chart describes a context from which one may best approach life,
rather than something which may be retro-fitted towards one's desires.

> Knowing Mother Kali as our Master knows will help to find your inner 
> self, and joy and harmonious relationship

no thank you. I have the relation to Kali Ma that I desire at this time
and do not wish to have an intercessor on the order of Jesus. I'm not
sure that finding any kind of "inner self" is important to me, nor
indeed to any at all, seeing as it may simply be a figment or artificial
construct to distract from my worship of She Who Is The Queen of Demons.
 
> Key Benefits
> 1. Total balancing of the body, mind and spirit: producing tangible
> results such as eradication of menstrual problems and hormonal
> imbalances for women; and an increase in vitality and libido for 
> men as well as an overall glow and physical vibrancy

at least you didn't say 'eradication of menstruation'! why you are not
talking about increased vitality and libido for *all* is beyond me. I
would think that women would benefit more from such an increase than
any man (most men seem to have over-developed this and are in serious
need of compassionate connection).
 
> 3.Progressively deeper experiences of communion with the Divine Mother
> bringing more light and sacred understanding into your reality. Thus
> connecting with your partner in a more harmonious way.

apparently primarily for heterosexual couples confined to ordinary
and stereotypical gender roles.
 
I received this in email and respond in public as a service to the
neo-Tantric usenet community. any response in email may be forwarded
to alt.magick.tantra (or even alt.religion.tantra) and other pertinent
newsgroups for the purposes of cross-fertilization.

namaste

nagasiva@luckymojo.com