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..:: Tantra I ::..
"The Left Hand Path"
By
Alan Schneider
The subject
of Tantra remains one of Hinduism’s “hot button” themes today, not only
because it concerns sexuality, but because it concerns Ascension as
well. At the root of this notoriety are questions regarding both the
ultimate nature of reality, and of our human nature. Let us proceed with
this most significant inquiry.
One of
“realities” most evident characteristics is dualism – the
tendency of themes and qualities to occur between two polar extremes of
expression. Light and dark, life and death, love and hate, compassion
and cruelty – all are expressions of dualism, and the potential list
goes on and on. In fact, some philosophers have maintained that all
is dualism in the universe – even the “universe of all manifestation”
has its opposing principal of the Void – the Utterly Unmanifest. Suffice
it to say that the expression of dualism is one that most certainly
occurs in our generic human perception, both in the sense of absolutes –
conditions that are finite (on and off, for example) – and
as terminals of a continuum – hot to warm to lukewarm
to cool to cold – the principal has both digital and
analog features seen in its applications in life.
In human
terms, the most evident and significant example of dualism is seen in
our species’ differentiation into male and female, the two
expressions of our sexuality. Now, to be sure, there are hermaphroditic
expressions that sometimes occur, but these are so statistically rare
that they can be regarded as idiosyncratic in the extreme, rendering sex
as, for all practical purposes, an absolute distinction. The fact that
sex then becomes the inevitable forum of gender acculturation and
interpretation remains culturally subsequent to our polar emergence into
the world of manifest expression as either male or female.
The seminal
work of Freud has suggested a progression of stages of emergent
“sexuality” in children as they pass through maturation – these are the
well known (if controversial) oral, oral sadistic, anal, latent, and
genital phases, in the order of their occurrence. With the onset of the
genital stage in adolescence, the gonads begin to secrete sexually
definitive hormones that further enhance behavioral expression in both
sexes, with testosterone promoting more relatively aggressive behavior
in males, and estrogen more relatively receptive, nurturing behavior in
females. There is a central concept that underlies all of the phases of
sexual expression just mentioned, something that Freud felt was the
driving force at work in, at the very least, human consciousness, and
probably all life as well – a largely subconscious “presence” which he
referred to as libido – the vital life force animating all
behavior and perception. Libido at the human level can be thought of,
among other things, as the psychological motive that causes us to seek
and identify sources of pleasure associated with various bodily organs
and processes at all of the Freudian stages of sexual expression.
To Freud, libido was still a fundamentally sexual force, and we remained
fundamentally sexual beings.
And
certainly most people pursue some form of sexual activity in
adulthood, albeit these activities are heavily subject to all manner of
cultural interpretation as a result of the gender conduct definitions
that delineate our sexual norms and expectations. In traditional
American society, heterosexual expression is the “preferred” gender
interpretation of sexual conduct, with most individuals conforming to
that norm. It is noteworthy here that the male/female sex role dichotomy
is still frequently seen in gay and lesbian relationships, in the form
of active role-playing, even though the genital identity of the
participants is identical. Clearly, there is some very
persuasive, if unseen, force at work determining the presence of the
aforementioned dichotomy. If this force even expresses itself in gay and
lesbian relationships, it must extend beyond Freud’s essentially
heterosexual definition of libido. What can this be?
The Hindu
interpretation of the Vital Life Force is frequently specified as the
Kundalini Energy. This “energy”, or driving force, is usually
depicted as initially residing in a more or less dormant condition in
the First, or Root, Chakra, designated as Muladhara. Kundalini
means “coiled serpent” in Sanskrit, the ancient spiritual language of
the Vedas. This energy is thought of as essentially “spring loaded”, and
ready to be released up through the sequence of spinal chakras, when
given the right activation sequence. The interpretations vary regarding
what that sequence is, and even extend beyond Hinduism to other
spiritual philosophies. The specific Hindu approach that presents itself
as geared toward activating the Kundalini energy is, not surprisingly,
Kundalini Yoga, but this author has experienced Ascension in other
traditions as well, most notably the Jewish Cabala system of practice.
(3)The “drive” to Ascend in the Spirit is one that sees universal
expression across traditions. It would seem that we have an integral
need to seek beyond the superficial meaning of the events we perceive,
in search of the Original Meaning of all of the events of
perception – God, and Kundalini Yoga has a fairly effective,
simple theory describing the “Seeking” process involved. A brief
description of this theory follows.
When the
correct sequence of postures and breathing techniques is followed under
the guidance of a competent agent (frequently a Guru of some measure of
distinction), the Kundalini Energy is activated and, preferably
SLOWLY, begins to move upward through the sequence of the seven
Chakras, which act as psychic energy centers nominally conceived
of as contiguous to the spinal column. There are accounts of inadvertent
spontaneous full Kundalini Ascensions (attaining the Seventh Chakra),
but this is usually a disaster for the unfortunate practitioner,
resulting in permanent mental impairment. As each Chakra is encountered
and assimilated by the Kundalini Energy, the qualities inherent to it
are idealized and converted to mental expressions that can be carried
forward and upward by the rising Kundalini. What is most significant
here is that there is an assumed sexual differentiation present
that compels this process. The Kundalini is described as being
fundamentally female in nature in both men and women. The
Sanskrit term for this female energy is Shakti. The male pole of
the mechanism is generally represented as the God Shiva, thought to
reside at the center of the Seventh, or Crown, Chakra, called
Sahasrara, immediately above the head. Shiva personifies the
Ultimate state of Consciousness – Nondual Awareness of Total Creation –
and the attainment of this state is the goal of the Kundalini Ascension
process. As Shakti, who longs for reunion with her partner Shiva (a
libidinal condition?) travels up the succession of the Chakras, she
comes ever closer to her beloved, finally uniting with Him in His abode
in Sahasrara, creating the state of Cosmic Bliss known in Sanskrit as
Ananda – a condition associated with the aforementioned Nondual
Awareness. It is understood that this process may take years, decades,
and/or lifetimes to achieve by even the most dedicated practitioner, and
involves a lifestyle of spiritual focus and austerity. Ascension
is not easy...
The
preceding is a description of what is generally known in Tantra as the
Right Hand practice, given “in a nutshell”. And although it is not the
only Ascension Theory in existence, it is definitely a very
comprehensible one for the lay individual. Now, as the reader may have
noticed, this first article on Tantra is concerned with the Left Hand
practice, and it is this practice that gives Tantra a bad name.
Why? Because it involves genital intercourse, generally with an
opposite-sexed partner! Why is this so fallen? Because the sex orgasm so
experienced dissipates the Kundalini Energy, leaving little or nothing
available for conversion into Right Hand ascension experience. And it is
for this reason that the author equates the Kundalini Energy with
the Freudian libido – both are distinctly sexual in nature and
symbolism. It is most interesting in this case that Freud considered all
religious expression as sublimated sexuality – and particularly
any ecstatic states experienced as part of the religious
involvement present. This would certainly include the Ananda of
Kundalini Ascension.
One finds
oneself compelled to note that a diametrical relationship exists here.
The more oriented to left-hand practice one is, generally the less
oriented to right-hand practice one is. Even when the “fruits” of the
sex involved are consciously and deliberately offered to the Glory of
God, as Hinduism instructs married partners to do, the fact remains that
the orgasm occurs for the glory of the human participants, and still
dissipates the Kundalini Energy in the process. So we are required to
make a harsh choice in this matter – a choice of the “Godly” process to
be worshipped – physical orgasm or Divine Ascension. Although left-hand
Tantra maintains that the level of spiritual ecstasy that can be
attained through “holy sex” with a “holy partner” is tantamount to the
Ananda of Shiva reunited with Shakti, this is almost never the case in
real practice, because such efforts require a phenomenal level of
spiritual focus on the part of both participants – the kind of focus
that only results from years of right-hand practice! How ironic
this is...
The first
three Chakras are variously associated with successively more involved
functioning on the manifest physical, material plane of existence –
Muladhara with rote survival activities, Svadisthana (the second Chakra)
with reproductive pleasure, and Manipura (the third) with social power
and prestige. Perhaps not surprisingly, these are also Left Hand centers
of involvement, focused as they are on material manifestation. Of the
three, Svadisthana is the primary Left Hand operator, and the easiest
place for the rising Kundalini to become diverted. One expression of
this diversion is the well-known Freudian “sex obsession”, something
that Freud himself is frequently accused of! Another is the occurrence
of the practice of Tantric Magic by the Left Hand aspirant. This “magic”
is generally color-graded into at least three categories – Black, Red,
and White. The first is allegedly used for cursing, assaulting, or
killing, the second for seducing, and the third for blessing, or
obtaining blessings. None of these is a fit spiritual activity –
all involve various degrees of attempts to manipulate the Kundalini
Energy for one kind of personal, ego-focused motive or another, with the
possible exception of White Tantra, in the case of soliciting blessings
for another, not oneself. As legitimate practitioners of
spiritual methods, we are expected to work as well and honestly with our
Karma as possible, until the Dharma that we may be able to achieve
dissolves it, and we progress thereby in Ascension toward God. Any
attempt to “con” this process is doomed to eventual failure by
reinforcing the Dualistic Fallacy that constructs that flawed perception
of life known to Hinduism as Maya – the illusion of the sensory
world of experience appearing as the only (and most important)
world of experience. The Truth is that God is creating everything that
we experience on any level as a gift of Love. Even the Sufferings are
such gifts, because they burn away the dross elements of our experience,
and create challenges to be overcome and assimilated as we attain
ongoing spiritual growth.
It would
appear that the only real purpose of sexual activity is to distract the
ego from the eventual realization of its own transitory nature, possibly
producing more human vessels of Karma in the process, and hopefully of
Dharma as well, although this latter is far from guaranteed in the human
condition. It is functionally almost impossible to remain fully focused
on God in the midst of the sex orgasm, which is a mechanism of physical
tension release no matter what we try to make of it in spiritual terms.
Such is also the case with the oft noted Left Hand principal of
“Celebrating the Sacred in the Profane” – the profane still tends to be
profane no matter how attractively we ornament things. I am also
sure that the release of tension resulting from orgasm is as benign as
possible between two loving, devoted married partners, and it is still a
step away from Ascension, and God. Ultimately, the physical body
that has the orgasm is doomed to wither and die in old age (as the
best long term case to be expected), taking the ego that sought the
experience of orgasm with it, however positive the motivations for that
search were. If little or no real, direct work has been done to know,
love, and communicate with God in the interval, the individual is fated
to oblivion as the worst, or reincarnation as the best, final outcome of
his or her life. The passion of youth tends to draw us toward Left Hand
gratification, but the wisdom of age shows the obvious benefits of Right
Hand practice!
- With Love, Alan -
(CR2007, Alan Schneider)
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