What is Tantra, Really? Setting the Record Straight
Jan 28, 2024
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Exploring the differences between classical Tantra and Neo Tantra, the origins and spread of Tantra, reviving the Tantric tradition, and the essence of Tantra's world embracing nature.
Classical Tantra is a deep spiritual tradition that intersects with philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and human development, contrasting with the Western sexual focus of Neo Tantra.
Non-dual Shaiva Tantra emphasizes direct experience of divine reality, initiation into a student-teacher relationship, and practices for happiness and liberation, setting it apart from other yogic paths.
Deep dives
Clarifying the Difference Between Classical and Neo Tantra
This podcast episode highlights the significant differences between classical Tantra and Neo Tantra. While Neo Tantra often focuses on Western sexual practices, classical Tantra is a deep spiritual tradition with intersections in philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and human development. The episode emphasizes that assumptions from a Neo Tantra background can lead to confusion and misunderstandings when exploring classical Tantra. It encourages listeners to understand the authentic teachings and practices of classical Tantra and appreciate its unique qualities.
The Significance of Classical Shaiva Tantra
The podcast delves into the study of classical Shaiva Tantra, associated with the religion of Shiva and Shakti known as Shaivism. This form of Tantra originated around 500 AD and spread to various religions, including Buddhism. The episode explains that classical Shaiva Tantra focuses on the direct experience of a divine reality, emphasizing the oneness or identity of God or Goddess with the true self. It discusses the surviving elements of the tradition in different regions and highlights the need for a Tantric revival to restore the original integrity of the classical tradition.
Understanding Non-Dual Shaiva Tantra and its Essence
The episode provides a precise definition and description of non-dual Shaiva Tantra, which specializes in non-dualistic spiritual teachings. It highlights three primary features of this tradition: direct experience of a transcendent and imminent divine reality, initiation into a student-teacher relationship and spiritual community, and spiritual practices aimed at happiness and unconditioned liberation. The podcast also explains that unlike other yogic paths, Tantra is world-embracing and life-affirming, seeking a deeper awareness of the totality of being in everyday life through specific practices of awareness, cultivation, and embodiment.
In this short solo episode, we take a look at some of the common misconceptions related to the modern use of the word of ‘tantra' and explore how the teachings of Classical Tantra differ from the popularized neo-tantra or Western sexual tantra. I then offer a precise definition of nondual Shaiva Tantra, going on to discuss how classical Tantra contrasts with other forms of yoga, and how much it overlaps with Tibetan Buddhism.
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