Tagged: tao
The gist of Tantra
In a word Love. In a phrase: Harmony between BEING and non-BEING. In a paragraph: Acceptance, acknowledgement, respect of what you are and what you are not, through the AWARENESS of constant change in LIFE. To love Life in all its manifestations is Tantra.
To “practice” the above means not to understand.
BEING that, is the outcome. Not the goal. Tantra does not have any goal, nothing to achieve. Nothing to become, for if there was the goal above anything else, there will be lack of respect for what we ARE now.
That is why, it has been shared that Tantra is not for the collective consciousness, the masses.
The collective consciousness is heavily conditioned to pursue a goal, an objective. To achieve something in Life.
The collective consciousness is obsessed with BEING someone “special” in Life. Everything they pursue whether worldly or “spiritual” has to give something in return to be worth: Enlightenment, fame, money, prestige, eternal salvation, etc.
With that general consciousness, to distort the spirt of Tantra is unavoidable.
We can only understand based on the type of consciousness that we experience now.
Tantra will happen to you when your consciousness is ready.
Our society has equated Tantra with sex, for Tantra acknowledges the complete human experience, including sex; while most religious systems simply ignore or deny sexuality.
For a sexually repressed society as ours, that was the attraction of Tantra.
Ahnanda shares about sexuality and Tantra; not because he has read about it or because he is certified or had extensive studies in “spirituality” or “Tantra.” Ahnanda is not a teacher. He does not share information.
Ahnanda shares his experiences, because in this Life time, he is experiencing the complete range of that particular experience.
That “knowing” had a price that money cannot buy.
In my experience, things will occur according to the readiness of our consciousness. Therefore, the beginning phase into Tantra is to acknowledge who we ARE now.
That means to OBSERVE, become AWARE of our mental conditioning, our beliefs, our emotional traumas. Those are the blockages for opening up in consciousness.
The outcome of that inner work will be to let go of our anger and violence which are the main energies, supporting everything we DO in Life, including sex. Thus, as we ARE sex will be. Anger and violence are defense mechanisms of the “I. “
Without this previous work, we could only enhance our sexual pleasure through techniques and methods; but rest assured that, that is not Tantra.
In Tantra, the temple is Nature. The “teachers” are the different beings: The Sun, the Ocean, animals, plants, etc. All of them have something for us to learn. That is openness to Life, acknowledgement of what IS. Those teachers, will help us into our de-conditioning.
BE there, to feel their presence. BE there so that will BE part of you.
Allow for Life to show you your particular path, be open to it unconditionally. There is nothing to achieve. No goals. Just BE what you are meant to BE… Life is change and so are you.
This may be known as the “TAO,” or “TANTRA.” Just words to express our inner discovery in this journey known as LIFE.
Love Life from the heart. That is the essence.
Duality: Self and No-self
We interpret life. We typically do not observe.
It is a wonderful sight to observe how daylight appears from nighttime. The label we use is “dawn.”
That perception of pristine light may be called “paradise,” and darkness “hell” or we can change labels in duality and call them “good” and “bad,” “right” or “wrong,” etc.
Nevertheless, when there is a preference for an experience, a rejection is born out of that preference. The night is not cherished as much as daylight.
“Hell” is despised despite its continuous occurrence and need to be there, for “paradise” to happen.
The above is the belief system and moral standard of many at this time. It is called duality.
Our culture has taught us to “choose” one side considered “good” and reject the other.
Embrace the day and reject the night.
That vision is the cause of inner and outer conflicts.
That vision takes a person into mental and psychological issues.
There is absolutely nothing that “we” have to “do” for nighttime to become daylight again. It will happen by itself, without “our” help.
Do we see that?
What it needs to change is our vision, our attitude in life.
Nighttime offers an experience and so daylight.
When we embrace both without judgment as life experiences, then we don’t reject; but we integrate.
We have been taught that “angels” reject the darkness of the light. They fight for light and conquer evil.
A being of light or an “angel” does not reject any part of duality. A being of light does not reject “hell” and chooses heaven. A being of light integrates both perceptions and experiences so his life remains in joy, in appreciation and in balance according to the movement of time.
Embracing the Totality is what we call harmony. A being of light is harmonious in life.
Life is harmony… if “I am” the Totality, why I am not harmonious?
That is the question. The answer may be the sense of self. There is no flowing in life when we are not life itself.
The symbol of “yin and yang” expresses that beautifully, although that symbol is open to interpretation according to the consciousness of the viewer.
Some will say: “ It is the concept of duality forming a whole.”
That concept is worthless, intellectual stuff.
The symbol of “ying yang” represents life itself, the Totality. That symbol is meant to be in movement just like life.
“Tai-chi “ is that slow movement which represents life. To consciously balance the different energies in the self.
When we truly understand harmony then we can start seeing something different. There is no fight needed. Nothing to conquer.
A life without harmony does not experience joy. That joy “NOW” is the most important item in life from my view.
As long as there is a rejection of a part of life, we will have an internal issue, an emotion that will need to be healed.
Typically we say that “acceptance” of life is needed, but there is no such a thing as “acceptance” when there is “no-self” to be life itself.
Thus, to bring that harmony, there are many elements that life offers in our experience. To use those according to time and circumstances is the art.
Whatever we choose to do or to be matters, as long as there is harmonious joy, balance in living.
That is the bottom line.
The above observation was expressed in a different way by another culture with the word “yoga.”
It is union. It is not the “union” of the “self” with something else, such as “life,” “God,” the “divine,”etc.
It is the union that happens when there is “no-self.”
Is self “bad”?
That question is called “misinterpretation.”
No.
It is just a different experience.
We are so in-tune with “self.” We understand the world in “self.” We follow religious beliefs in “self.”
Through these writings, the invitation is to explore “no-self” and to embrace both,self and no-self; to integrate both experiences, to be harmonious just like the yin-yang symbol.
Want a teacher, a guru for that?
Observe Nature, the plants and the animal kingdom. Learn from their “ignorance” and open your heart to appreciate with thankfulness the marvelous opportunity to feel life by being aware, conscious of it.
Open the armor
For those who are reading these sharings, the question may arrive: Are these things being shared by Avyakt7 true ? 🙂
If someone is tinkering in that question, that means that this person does not recognize something through his own experience. In other words, that person is a great material for following beliefs and hand-me-down ideas from whomever.
That person is still looking for someone to tell him what he has to do and believe in life.
We could have a Divine experience, but that does not mean that we have an insight as to who we are.
We could have a divine experience, but that does not mean that we have what it takes to discover our own mental obstacles, which are impeding a fulfilled life.
We could join or follow a belief system, but that does not mean that our consciousness has opened to a different level.
We could believe that spirituality is another subject to learn, just like mathematics, and if “I” read a lot of self-help books and listen to world-class gurus, if “I” study a lot.. then “wisdom” will be pouring through our skin pores… effectively changing “normal” sweat into “holy water”… 🙂
Unless our awareness, our consciousness opens up to integrate our being with everything else, we cannot live a fulfilled life.
Take the above as Avyakt7’s belief if you would, but those who somehow recognize that statement in their own lives, will know.
That is what wisdom is: Just recognition.
That recognition opens up as our awareness opens. Our awareness could open as we do not reject experiences in life, but as we learn to accept, to integrate without thinking about it.
Many times some individuals are basically waiting for the “key word” to be spouted so they believe in something. Without that “key word” nothing makes sense to them.
For example, when Avyakt7 refers to the Totality; some may call it as “Drama,” others may call that as “Universe,” or “Cosmos,” or “Nature” or “Tao” or even God… see that in Spirituality labels are not definitions or concepts, but words are merely referential for someone to RECOGNIZE that in his own experience.
A belief system is a closed armor, which does not allow for our consciousness to open up and discover so we know through our own recognition, but rather a belief system puts everything in “easy” concepts for the follower, so he does not get “confused.”
A concept is not the thing or the being. A concept is just mental “clothing” which will not allow us to perceive things naked, but that clothing around the thing, will develop our belief in a particular way.
“It is only this, but it cannot be that.”
Part of growing in life is to open up that armor, and being able to feel things without beliefs, concepts or ideas for the first time.
Oh… what a joy! 🙂
The paradox of the eternal “self”
That word “self” is interesting.
We used it to refer to “I.” Finding who is that “I” is usually the issue.
Some believe it is the body. Some believe it is the soul. Some believe it is the brain, nevertheless; a “normal” person will identify himself through the face/body.
That is what we usually refer to “self.” Nevertheless, as pointed out in many articles already, the “self” is constantly changing, it is never the same at any second. Thus, what we are left with is called consciousness, awareness. Everything that exists has a different degree of consciousness. That consciousness although changing all the time, is imperishable.
When we perceive interdependence, when we perceive that truly there is no “I” at all at any time practically, not as a belief, then as long as there is existence (which is all there is) we are that.
Some call it, “we are part of it,” but that is a simplified version to make things easier to grasp intellectually; but we are not “part of it,” we are it.
That is we are eternal, just as existence is.
Jack and Jill were discussing deep ontological issues at the park while enjoying a nice meal together.
Jack: Once we perceive our own eternity, then everything else is eternal. There is nothing, which is not eternal. That is why every moment has to repeat again, exactly as it “was.”
Jill: How being conscious of our own eternity is related with things repeating?
Jack: Who are we? If we think that we are separated from everything else and we put a name, a label to that which we think we are, then obviously we cannot see the relationship. We will always see separation. Integration with the Totality means the experience of being selfless. We are every moment and every moment is eternal.
Jill: …but things repeating again?
Jack: It is simple. Nothing could be created nor destroyed. Everything that “is” only transforms all the time and after “sometime” it is bound to repeat again.
Jill: Let us say that I have a Rubik’s cube and the purpose of that cube is to get all the colors in every face of the cube to be the same. I keep turning it around until I get that, you say that my moves are bound to repeat?
Jack: That is the perfect example! Let us remember that if life was like a Rubik’s cube, there is no purpose whatsoever. The cube will keep on moving just as life is, but we believe that the purpose is to get all faces to be the same, being unaware that there is only a moment when that will happen and then everything will be mixed up again.
Now, there is only a limited amount of permutations (the way the cube could move) even if there are billions of different moves, eventually the permutations will have to be repeated.
In life, every face of one of the little cubes inside the big cube is “us.” “We” have created a personality for “me” and “you” that is called “ego,” but now we could grasp that life is moving us together in a certain pattern. We are all interrelated.
That is the built-in “intelligence” in life.
Jill: The issue will be when someone interprets the above in a different way. It could be interpreted as if the goal in life is to have all faces of the cube to be the same, and to become part of that and call that heaven, paradise, etc. Then fear could be instilled for the need to “get there” as the main thing in life.
Jack: Yes. Nevertheless, every interpretation of the above has its benefit for those who are in the same type of consciousness. That is how different religions/philosophies appear, each with its own view based on a particular interpretation of a perceived reality of separation.
Jill: So, if the Rubik’s cube will move in a particular way, which is repetitive, an eternal… what is there to “do”?
Jack: For a being conscious of his own eternity, to enjoy every move.
Same talk coming in. Different consciousness coming out.
It is the same talk with a different perspective and understanding.
Any Spiritual teaching coming from a teacher who has walked the path of a spiritual walker, comes with a perspective given by his own life experiences and circumstances. That background will become the way a teacher communicates his message.
Typically the problem comes with the one listening. Listeners most of the time do not understand that those words can only be pointers to a greater reality which needs to be discovered by experience. Listeners will take those words as “the truth.”
Listeners will interpret things according to their own “reality,” their own consciousness, assuming that it is the same consciousness for all.
For example in the teaching: “…You will receive a number on the basis of your remaining unshakable in the midst of an atmosphere of upheaval over a long time…. You should be able to stabilize your mind wherever you want for as long as you want.”
Robert listened to that teaching and wanted to put it in practice “right away,” to become “perfect.”
“God, my Guru, etc. is telling me that I need to practice being unshakable no matter what.” The next day Robert locks himself out of his car, he becomes distressed. Thoughts come into his mind. He is worried, angry and moody. Robert “forgets” that he needs to be “unshakable.”
The following day, someone insults Robert. This time, Robert takes his time and remembers the teaching. He appeared to remain “unshakeable” during the “test.” Robert thought that he “passed.” Nevertheless, at night he started thinking about the incident, recalling it and thinking “why” that happened. Robert changed the scenario in his mind and thought about the things that he should have said instead. Robert felt distressed.
Because Robert’s idea of change does not correspond with who he “is,” then that change is just fictitious, it is not real. It only works when Robert “remembers,” and only for a short time after that.
Because Robert does not have the experience of serenity and peace within himself, Robert will pretend all his life to be “unshakable.”
With a different consciousness, we could clearly see that feeling serene and peaceful is something that happens once we experience that inner silence and cultivate that in our lives. That is, when we prioritize these experiences so they occur often. Being at peace has many layers, many levels; perhaps at a deeper level when the “built in” personality is disappearing, at that level all fears disappear, because there is the experience of oneness with everything; there is the experience that “I” am in everything that exists. Since peace is truly my “natural” nature as it is recognized and experienced; then there will not be a need to practice anything artificial, no need to “remember” anything.
That is why all truth is in the discovery of our true nature.
This experience of oneness is explained in different ways by different individuals.
For instance, for a Buddhist it will be about “emptiness.” That is emptiness of a personality. Zen Buddhists will talk about “inter-beingness” to represent that everyone is part of that oneness, and thus; the idea of individuality is not “real.”
A Sanyassin will talk about “omnipresence.” To refer to this source of inter-beingness, to be located everywhere, “gluing” all together, they will call that “God.”
Taoist, will refer to this omnipresence, emptiness and inter-beingness as “the Tao.”
In Brahma Kumaris, that inter-beingness, that omnipresence is represented by the word “Drama.” Everything that exists is part of it. Everything. There is no sense of individuality for there is interdependence of all things.
However, when our consciousness is not ready to grasp the above, we need to rely on the sense of individuality. Then everyone is a full individual without any relationship with everything else. God is another individual, separated from everyone else. In this consciousness, there is the “other.”
There is “me,” “I” and “myself.” Three crazy guys trying to grab life for whatever “they” think is worth grabbing for. Spirituality here is about enhancing the awareness of “I” and the ego.
Avyakt7 is stating that according to our consciousness we will be able to understand. Please see that avyakt7 is not saying “mis-understand,” for every level of consciousness has its own truth, what people are able to “see,” and their “reality” is “real” for them… but no for someone else… 🙂
When a “concept” is all that matters, many individuals will get stuck with the word “omnipresence” and “individuality.” These individuals do not realize that all they see is their own physicality extrapolated into something which they are not capable to fully appreciate, and that is the extent of God or the Divine. Here is when differentiation occurs and many religions are born. Paradoxically, those religions will talk about the same experience of “togetherness,” under different perspectives of consciousness.
However, because for most believers, their talk is not consistent with their experience, their consciousness; even though the talk about “brotherhood,” “togetherness,” a “worldly family,” etc. is used; in the practical aspect, it is all a performance.
There is no honesty there.
Mathias: It is the movie of the moving Ocean. The ripple arises believing to be different than the Ocean itself. That is an illusion. That is what we call ego. That ripple will return into the Ocean again. That is death.
A different ripple will be born again. The ripple’s life time will be about enhancing ego driven illusions, that ripple will go back to the Ocean just as the other ripple who spent his lifetime trying to find his “real self.” 🙂
Ananda: Ah! There is no self!! It is an illusion…
Mathias: Self and no-self. Form and form-less. Isn’t that duality? 🙂
Ananda: Yes, that is duality.
Mathias: Words express duality. Understanding is beyond words and ideas.
Searching for God or illumination?
In the world of religions there are many faiths, beliefs and behaviors.
Typically 2 different paths have been embraced by the world. The first one is the monotheistic belief. That is, there is an all-powerful God to believe in. The second path is represented by Dharmic religions. Mainly Buddhism. For them, the question is not about knowing God, but on being illuminated, reaching self-realization.
Two different paths, we think.
In reality, it is the same thing just understood in two different ways.
Monotheistic religions have emphasized God as the ultimate goal. We cannot possess God. We can only become “like Him.”
Becoming “like Him” is the ultimate. Here is where plenty of interpretations have occurred in our perceptions: From asking God to help us, to worshipping God, to fighting for God, to praying to God for miracles, to loving God alone, to fearing God alone, to living for God alone, etc.
Very few have gotten to “being like Him.”
The question is:
What actually “being like Him” entails? 🙂
Simple. To be illuminated, self realized.
Two different paths leading to the same thing.
The Taoist verse below explains this paradox with greater elucidation:
“Do you wish to free yourself of mental and emotional knots and become one with the Tao? If so, there are two paths available to you. The first is the path of acceptance. Affirm everyone and everything. Freely extend your goodwill and virtue in every direction, regardless of circumstances. Embrace all things as part of the Harmonious Oneness, and then you will begin to perceive it. The second path is that of denial. Recognize that everything you see and think is a falsehood, an illusion, a veil over the truth. Peel all the veils away, and you will arrive at the Oneness. Though these paths are entirely different, they will deliver you to the same place: spontaneous awareness of the Great Oneness. Once you arrive there, remember: it isn’t necessary to struggle to maintain unity with it. All you have to do is participate in it. “
Hua Hu Ching CH 48
Different flavors of Spiritual Knowledge
Spiritual knowledge could be put into 3 “containers” in the human being:
1) The intellect: Reforming religions are in this group. It is about a philosophy behind it as “how to behave,” laws, commandments, etc are included. Their knowledge is meant to reform human beings. God is used as the source of that reformation. Examples: Christianity, Islam, Brahma Kumaris, Judaism.
Their views on “laws” are balanced with love for God. Without that love, their knowledge would be dry to digest. Notice that all of those religions have a philosophical eschatology (end of times) in their views. Even Buddhism could be considered here as pointed out by Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_time
2) The heart: The above religions could also fit into the heart in a way. There is that love for God. Probably Sufism is one of the higher exponents of this love to a super natural entity called God; but the “pure” path of the heart is shown by Taoism. In Taoism, it is about Nature and that love is not related with philosophical ideas or intellectual knowledge, but by observation and relation with Nature. That on going relationship brings that love with practical knowledge based on that observation. Thus, there is no philosophy about the origin of times or the end of times, nor explanations about God. It is the path of the heart because of that union experienced with everything while relating in it.
For many, God is metaphysical experience and hard to relate to. Nature however is available for all, although, most are not sensible enough to relate with it in that love. That demonstrates that our sensibility to beauty and gratitude to life is not developed.
There may be other paths as well relating with the heart.
3) The mind: This is the path of perception and deep observation of the self. Even though there may be, a philosophical belief of end of times or beginnings; the emphasis is on the mind since the mind is the filter, the lens which will connect us to our “reality.” Without a study of the mind, our perception will be colored by beliefs only. Zen is probably the highest exponent of this path. Buddhism also has the study of the mind as a main teaching.
Therefore, we have those 3 paths. All of them bring different experiences in the self. As a matter of fact, those individuals who are balanced in those 3 aspects in whatever their religion may be, are realizing wisdom. Then that wisdom will automatically take them into the ultimate “container” of knowledge; that is our ELEVATED ACTIONS. In other words, the confluence of those 3 paths should take us into our plain activity in the world. Our actions will show our spiritual level based on having walked the path of the intellect, the heart and the mind to know ourselves.
The law of karma (cause-effect) demonstrates this, for an elevated activity brings an elevated return.
Exploring the Depth of Living 