(An impromptu seminar at Ganga Darshan, January 1990)

Opening game

Stand up in two’s and we shall play a game. One person is the blackboard and the other person will write on their back. The blackboard should be very clean for writing on, so rub it well before commencing. Now write a number from 0 to 9 and see if your partner (the blackboard) can guess what you have written on their back. If they guess correctly they are very attentive. You can go on to write a letter and even experiment with other shapes depending on how attentive your partner is. Keep on changing round so both of you can try. In order to ascertain the letter, number or shape which has been drawn, you have to prepare your tactile attention because every sense has got its own attention. This game does not allow for absent-mindedness. You have to be constantly vigilant, constantly aware.

Constant

I shall give you one small instance in relation to Swami Satyananda Saraswati regarding awareness in simple everyday living. Some years ago Swamiji visited France for a seminar on transmission. It was held near Paris in a beautiful park in whose grounds stood a castle. Close to this park was a railway line. One afternoon, as we were on our way to lunch with a group of swamis around Swamiji, a train suddenly whooshed by. Swamiji turned to watch it as it sped past and when it was out of sight he turned back and said smiling but very pointedly, ‘It was a goods train with fourteen carriages.’

We were completely taken aback because we had only seen n train flash past. He explained that being attentive to the outside world is the best training for watching the inside world. Being attentive with the five senses teaches us how to prepare for ekagrata, one-pointedness, the finest aspect of dharana, and conversely, attention to the world within helps us to live more fully and attentively in the world outside. We should never be vague or uncertain to any of our interactions with life. We should even, as Swamiji once said, count the stars when we are out at night to keep our mind sharp and alert, keen and acutely perceptive.

In the Mahabharata, when Drona is training Arjuna how to become a fine archer, he trains him how to concentrate on the eye of the bird alone, not on the whole bird, sitting in the tree etc., just the eye to the exclusion of all else. This is one-pointed attention. However, there is another form of attention which has a panoramic view. For instance, in yoga, bhoochari and unmani mudra are practised to obtain such expansive attention. They develop the power of concentration and also of memory, apart from tranquillising the mind in preparation for meditation. You can see everything without seeing anything as it were, while being fully attentive in the process. This is multidirectional attention which is useful in life when you wish to have a very wide view of a situation. Then slowly, slowly it can close up to one point.

Is there some kind of opposition between attention and relaxation?

When a tiger is ready to jump you may think that he is very tensed for the spring but it is not so; he is completely relaxed. This idea that attention is linked to tension is a most false assumption. The best way to be attentive is to simply relax. In our society the reverse prevails; that in order to be attentive you have to be tensed. When your mind is tensed it is difficult for you to absorb anything being taught to you, but if we look at ‘Super Learning’ the process is to completely relax the mind through playing music and yoga nidra like techniques. In this way learning is made easy. However, by the act of tensing, you restrict all your sensory channels. Even when you wish to see from afar you should relax the eyes and not screw them up. So there is no opposition between attention and relaxation. On the contrary, the union of both is one of the great achievements of yoga. Relaxed vigilance is the best formula for learning.

Do you think the mind can be fully attentive to more than one task at a time or can we only concentrate on one thing?

Napoleon Bonaparte used to dictate four letters to four different secretaries simultaneously, and when he had finished dictating the fourth sentence to the fourth secretary who was writing the fourth letter, he would come back to the first letter exactly at the point where he had left off. His mind was so efficient and well-organised that he had quadruple attention. Of course he was an outstanding figure and this ability is very rare but it can be developed through the practices of yoga; and you will find that most yogis and enlightened saints have this ability to a very much higher degree than this great general. When we do kriya yoga we must be attentive to so many things maintaining the asana, movement of breath, visualisation, number of rounds etc., so we are involved in a very complex form of attention.

Is it not better to concentrate on just one thing at a time in order to develop attention?

It is a matter of awareness. When you expand your awareness and do many things at the same time, being attentive to all, that means you have achieved a high state of positive attention. However, when you try to do many things at the same time without being fully aware of any one of them, confusion ensues and instead of building up your attention you are destroying it. For such people it is better to concentrate on just one thing at a time to develop attention. So this is something yoga can teach- how to fix our awareness on just one point and how to expand our attention in all directions.

In France I have a funny little cartoon of an animal reading a book. It is actually an advertisement for a bookshop. This fellow is so engrossed in his book that he is paying not the slightest attention to the fact that his tail is on fire. So, the question is, ‘Is his mind attentive or unbalanced ?’ Certainly he is not a yogi. A yogi is attentive and alert on all sides.

Breath awareness for attention development

We shall close now with ten minutes of breath awareness. Take any comfortable meditation asana and become perfectly quiet and motionless. Be aware only of the breathing process, and unite your awareness with the flow of the natural breath. These two forces, breath and awareness, are moving together up and dawn the frontal psychic passage between navel and throat, between manipura trigger-point or kshetram and vishuddhi trigger-point or kshetram. Awareness is a force, a mental prana, and these two forces of mind and breath constitute our being. They move together within a path of power. Try to feel this movement with ever-increasing attention. Be aware of the energy as the breath moves up and down, up and down, up and down.

Now become aware of a third force moving. The breath is moving and along with it the prana is also moving – breath, prana and awareness. Feel them moving up and down in the psychic passage between manipura and vishuddhi. This movement of prana is neither heavy nor light, neither hot nor cold. It is not a physical sensation. Prana moves in the form of life. Come closer and closer with your attention to the movement of prana.

Then try to visualise the prana as it moves through the psychic passage together with the breath, together with the awareness. You may see it as a tube of golden light, or a tube of transparent glass in which the mercury is rising and falling, or as a beam of red or yellow light. Each practitioner will have his own particular manifestation. There is no set rule for this. The important thing is constant awareness of whatever you can see and/or feel – constant attention to the movement. Get ready to end the practice. Leave your awareness of the psychic passage, of the breath and the prana and become aware of your eyebrow centre – brumadhya, the trigger-point for the command centre, ajna chakra. Fix your attention there and try to see a tiny point of light or a tiny little star. Once you see it try to hold it steady. If you cannot see it you need more practice; it will come eventually. We shall chant Om three times together to end.

Om, Om, Om.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Nov, 1990)

When one accepts a mantra from his guru, as well as establishing a relationship with the guru, he is receiving a sound of great power. A personal mantra is one of the most precious things in life. Everything can fail you, but your mantra never will. Do not look at it from a religious point of view. You must see the mantra from the practical point of view.

Just as you sow a seed, you must plant the mantra deep within, so that in the course of time it will permeate your whole being. Every morning, before you commence your daily activities, and at night, before you retire to bed, you should repeat your mantra. Take your mala and sit down quietly in a comfortable meditative posture. The spinal cord should be upright and straight and the eyes should be gently closed. Hold the mala near your heart and with every repetition of the mantra, move one bead. The mantra can be repeated mentally or verbally. If your mind is turbulent, repeat the mantra verbally. If it is reasonably calm and quiet, say the mantra mentally, without moving your lips or producing a sound.

Always commence your mala rotation from the first bead after the sumeru (the junction point of the mala). Supposing your mantra is ‘Om Aim Namah’, every time you say ‘Om Aim Namah’, move one bead. Like this, repeat the mantra 108 times, moving the beads in co-ordination with each repetition. When you complete one round of mala rotation, turn the mala in your hand and commence another round. Never cross the sumeru. In this manner, practise as many rounds as time allows. If you can devote ten minutes to the practice, this is perfect, but if you can only spare five minutes, this is also good. Gradually, in the course of time, you can increase the number of rounds and practise for up to an hour each time.

When you are repeating the mantra there should be no tension or suppression. Let your mind be free. The purpose of mantra repetition is not to develop concentration but to withdraw the senses and still the mind. Even if you practise without concentration the mantra will do its job. In the course of time you will find that your mind has come to the point of unification by itself. No effort is required from your side.

Those who suffer from nervousness, fear, anxiety and other acute mental manifestations should always keep a small mala of 27 beads with them. Whenever they are free, even if it is just for a few minutes before lunch, after dinner, while talking to someone, waiting for the bus or train, or while watching television, they can repeat the mantra mentally.

Practise the mantra whenever you are idle, during the day or at night, whether you are thinking sensible things or useless things. If you keep your mind occupied with the mantra whenever it is free, you will soon find that the mind no longer wanders like a vagabond. The mind now has a base, a point to which it can return. Through this simple practice one can bring about a great transformation in the mental state. Mantra is a very powerful tool for handling all the manifestations of the mind.

Throughout your life you have been thinking and thinking, almost incessantly, and if you examine your thoughts, you will find that 99% of them are unnecessary. Just imagine how much mental energy is wasted on all those useless thought processes. If you had a base on which to centre your mind you would have strong willpower, a one-pointed mind and a lot of vitality. Now, if you can understand that your thinking consumes energy and mantra conserves energy, then you will realise the secret of mantra.

So, once you have a mantra which has been charged by a guru, it will immediately start to change the course of your life if you accept it with your heart and mind and utilise it daily. Each time you sit for practice, remember your guru, and at the end of the practice remember him again. Keep your eyes closed throughout the practice and relax your body and mind. Forget your name, forget your home and forget your environment. Just repeat your mantra, immerse yourself into it and become the mantra itself.

Using a mala

The purpose of the mala is to keep your awareness on the practice. At times you may be so involved in your thoughts that you forget what you are doing. It is only when you complete a round of mala rotation that your attention is brought back to the practice. A mala is also used to indicate how much practice you have done.

The mala should always be held in the right hand between the tips of the thumb and the ring finger. The middle finger moves the beads and the second and little fingers don’t come into contact with the mala. Rotate the mala towards the palm. When you reach the sumeru you have completed one round. Turn the mala with your fingers and start the second round.

Traditionally, the mala is always held just in front of the heart. The left hand is cupped and placed in the lap facing upwards. It can be used to catch the lower end of the mala to prevent it from swinging about and becoming tangled. If you prefer, your right hand can be placed on the right knee and the mala can rest on the floor.

Types of malas

For mantra meditation you should have a mala of 108 beads. They must be strung on strong cotton thread which is knotted between each bead. The most commonly used malas are tulsi, rudraksha, sandalwood, coral and crystal. Tulsi beads are made from the stems of tulsi plants which are highly revered for their psychic properties. Tulsi has a strong and purifying effect on the emotions and is soothing to the mind. The sensitivity of tulsi makes it one of the best mediums for practising mantra, however, it should not be used by those who take alcohol or a non-vegetarian diet.

Rudraksha, the seed of a jungle fruit, is the second most commonly used mala. It is not so sensitive to psychic things and there are no restrictions regarding its use. Rudraksha improves blood circulation and functioning of the coronary system and reduces high blood pressure.

Sandalwood malas are sweetly scented and contain pacifying and protective vibrations. They are cooling and beneficial to those who have any type of skin disease. Coral malas are used by those who have eczema, ringworm, scabies, etc., or mental disorders like schizophrenia and neuroses. Crystal malas have psychic properties and are used for higher tantric sadhana.

Rules for Practice

* Once you have received a mantra from your guru it should never be changed unless the guru advises it.
* A mantra is absolutely personal and should not be revealed to anyone.
* Mantra can be repeated at any time and in any place, although it is best to practise at a regular time each day, either early in the morning after asanas and pranayama, or before sleep at night.
* Mantra can be practised with or without a mala and in any posture, but when you are practising in the morning or before sleep, it is best if you practise with a mala and in a meditative posture with eyes closed.
* Clothing should be loose and comfortable. Many people experience greater steadiness and tranquillity if they place a geru dhoti over their head and shoulders during their mantra practice.
* Do not try to concentrate while practising mantra, otherwise you will create tension.
* Repeat the mantra quickly if the mind is disturbed and slowly if the mind is more relaxed. If you are sleepy, repeat the mantra verbally.
* The mala which is used for mantra sadhana should never be worn around the neck or lent to other people. When it is not being used it should be kept in a small bag of its own.
* The mala given to the disciple by the guru, at the time of initiation, should be used in preference to all other malas and must always be reverently kept.
* A mala which is obtained directly from the guru’s ashram is made by sadhaks and is therefore preferable to those available elsewhere.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, March, 1983)

“Let me be like a child, running barefoot through the forest of laughing and crying people, handing out flowers of imagination and wonder that God gives free.”
Swami Satyananda Saraswati

It was a warm summer day. The crowd in the waiting room looked harassed by the morning heat. The fan overhead whirred monotonously and hot air ruffled the papers on the table. There was a subtle blend of restlessness and lethargy that comes with boredom. A little child walked into my room shepherded by his very efficient looking parent.

Sukhdev was a dreamer. As he approached my desk, his eyes were like stars, and following his gaze I saw it reach the single rose in an empty medicine bottle. I knew then that this boy would go far- that he was more perceptive than every adult in that room, whose minds had strayed beyond the flower to the dust on the window ledge and settled there with discontent.

We want him to shine

The mother had brought him to a psychiatrist because his teacher felt that there was something odd about the boy. She was upset that an eight year old child did not play rough games with other children, that he often looked out of the window of the crowded classroom at the clouds floating by. He liked playing with mud at home and made himself dirty in the process. He studied only two hours in the evening, while the neighbour’s child laboured’ at his desk for four hours or more.

Besides, his father held a very important post in government service and ‘he had a tradition to maintain’. Tell me’, I asked the mother, ‘What sort of tradition is this?’ ‘His father comes from a very well known family. His grandfather was a high court judge and we are perfectionists, Doctor. We love our child. We would like him to be at the top of his class academically and in extracurricular activities; we want him to shine. His sister is no bother. She is very smart. It is only this boy who causes us endless worry.’

I looked at the boy they so ‘loved’ and yet had brought to a mental therapist for emotional plastic surgery- so that what he was could be replaced by a socially acceptable personality. It took me less than fifteen minutes to see that Sukhdev was above average intelligence. Finding the routine cramming of classroom facts stifling, and unable to escape the situation, he had intuitively taken recourse into little forays of adventure in fantasy to keep alive the spark of creativity. It took me all of three months to help the mother accept him and his unique individuality- to help her learn the beginnings of real love- that which does not bind, but frees.

The roots of violence

Day after day Sukdev’s mother rediscovered herself as she discussed mothering and parental attitudes. It requires courage in a mother, a courage born out of love, to set a son free from oneself, free from small values. Sukhdev’s mother had that love.

We read daily, accounts of rapes, violence, strikes, suicides, corruption, assaults. We reflected on the fact that hardened criminals, at one time, were innocent children. Where did they learn to be violent? We often recognise violence only when it is physical. If a deeply insecure parent goads a child into running the rat race of ambition, is he not injecting violence into-the child’s personality?

When a father tramples on the love and trust in a child for the sake of petty desires is this not violence? What is this generation doing for its young? We are busy building departments of education and health, projects and institutions, but we forget the foundation; that of wonder and comparison. Children all over are told to shut up and study whenever they ask, ‘Why are there so many stars in the sky? Why do butterflies have beautiful colours? Can I make mud balls?’

Often children are told that if they do not get good marks in school, they will have no future. ‘I often wonder what future we are talking about,’ I said to the boy’s mother, Is it a stereotype of today built with our insecurities, or a tomorrow of compassion forged by these little ones inspired by an inner freedom?’ She was trying out her wings, but conflict between the inner and the outer continued, ‘Parents sometimes say that children need to be spontaneous and creative, but the system today demands that they compete,’ she replied.

There is magic

This idea is an illusion we hold to justify our weaknesses. Millions of people in the west are satiated with luxury and feel discontented, bored and frustrated. Much of the problem is that they are ignorant of their potential, their inner capacity to move through a chaotic world and find magic in it. Because beyond the violence, cruelty and turmoil, there is magic. But you can see it only through the eyes of a child.

Watch your child follow an ant to its destination, rapt in its pilgrim progress. See him smell a half forgotten wayside flower. Look at his eyes light up as a cat uncurls. This is a wonder- a part of yourself that turns this monotony driven world into a symphony of love and faith.

Each individual has more than 15 billion nerve cells in the brain. Considering that the whole human organism is built from the potential of one single cell, consider the power lying dormant in each nerve cell of a highly specialised organ. Is it not all delusion to look at such a vast reservoir of possibilities and call it colourless, useless or inferior?

Few people know the implications of the research by Sperry, who was awarded the Nobel Prize last year for his split-brain experiments. He proved that the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the verbal conscious aspect of the mind and for logical, sequential and rational thinking. The right half is the seat of the subconscious and unconscious, the deeper layers of personality, the intuitive, artistic, creative dimensions of the mind. It is this aspect that is responsible for musical creations, masterpieces of art, scientific discoveries- in fact the essence of genius.

These deep and powerful parts of ourselves are often choked by logic, strangled with anxiety, and kept suppressed by the millions of impulses that bombard the average mind- the impulse to be cleverer than the other, to run down a rival, to market oneself and the world in a constant endeavour to fill up the growing vacuum within.

Building a firm foundation

Up to the age of eight years a child’s intuition is alive. Around this time, the pineal, which is a small pea sized gland at the base of the brain, starts atrophying and the child has the physical, mental and emotional turbulences of puberty thrust upon him before he can learn to cope. Yogis have known this from time immemorial.

Traditionally, a child was given a mantra, taught pranayama and surya namaskara at this age. These practices work through the endocrinal system, the autonomic and central nervous system delaying the sudden onset of puberty. This allows the emotional development to catch up with the physical and mental development, thereby creating an inner harmony which becomes a firm foundation for later responsibilities.

These techniques which have come down to us through the ages have been contaminated with social value systems and are rapidly losing their true purpose. Today, with the vast amount of research going on in western countries, in schools and hospitals, there is a resurgence in these well known yogic practices. They are being rediscovered in the light of practical, effective functioning; in the light of increased relaxation and awareness that goes towards realising the heights of one’s potential, to soar beyond one’s limited self.

Lighting a candle

If we see suffering and hardship around us, let us not throw stones or moan. It is only in the dark that one has the experience of lighting a candle. We have shackled ourselves far too long. We have held on to our external identifications of social status, power, family name, social values, cars, etc.

Let us sow the seeds of peace, creativity, pride in oneself, compassion for the other into the lives of the next generation by example not instruction. Let us renounce this need to see ourselves in our children. Let us allow them to break away from our limited concepts into the fullness of their own unlimited inner being.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1983)

The worship of woman has always been a central theme of tantra. However, this concept must be enlarged to include an appreciation and acceptance of the universal feminine aspects inherent in both sexes. This is not an easy task, because society and education in the west have reinforced the masculine values in both men and women. Nevertheless, men must discover the feminine side of their nature, and both sexes must restructure their way of thinking and living around these qualities.

The biology of sex

Every single cell of the body contains the complete genetic coding which determines the sex of an individual. This is how scientists are able to identify the sex of Olympic athletes by testing their blood. From the moment of conception, every human foetus has a latent set pattern for the brain and nervous system which includes sexuality.

The research discoveries of Charles Phoenix, Robert (Joy and William Young at Kansas University, USA, since 1950 have established that all mammalian foetuses begin life as females. The actual sexual differentiation is controlled by the gonads, those organs which later on produce the sex cells in the mature individual. If the gonads produce a small amount of androgen hormone, a male embryo results. If no hormonal impulse is given by the gonads, the foetus continues to develop as a female. Thus, during his whole life, the male is always influenced by this underlying female infrastructure.

Sex and society

In every patriarchal society, woman has been subservient to man, and sexually repressed. If she were free to express herself fully, she would undoubtedly disrupt the established order. Because tantra affirms the female side of human nature, it is seen as a threat to the Aryan patriarchal order. This is why it has always been persecuted in India.

On the other hand, in the evolution of any society, the male qualities of physical strength and prowess are vital for survival. Man regards himself as superior because he is taller and physically stronger. In many civilisations this has been used as an excuse to subjugate women, whereas its purpose is quite different. The woman necessarily has the main part to play in child-rearing. Therefore the role of the man, and the reason for his physical strength, is to protect the woman and offspring, even to the extent of self-sacrifice, if need be. Moreover, the great potentiality of the male reproductive system renders him much more easily sacrificed. A woman can, at most, give birth to twenty children during her lifetime. But even if all but a few males were exterminated, the population could be replenished within a short time.

Solar and lunar

The male qualities, while essentially related to war, are also characterised by intellect: exploration and dominance over the material world, science, technology, organisation and industry. They are activities of a solar type. Here intellect means reasoning, the cool logic that we should not confuse with the more intuitive understanding which is the real intelligence. True intelligence contains numerous feminine aspects. Every intellectual is not intelligent, and vice versa. We recognise in animals a certain type of intelligence; however they certainly cannot be considered as intellectual.

The understanding of emotion has to be enlarged to mean sensitivity rather than unreasonable and uncontrollable emotivity. This sensitivity is manifested in the lunar feminine values: the warmth of love, affection, intimacy, perception and empathy with nature and all living things. Other feminine values are also represented by art, music, dance, poetry, singing, literature and all forms of creative expression.

Tantra does not aim at a non-virile man; on the contrary, man should know his role and abide by it, as it is complementary to that of the female. Nor should the role of the woman be limited only to childrearing, cooking and church. Nevertheless, we have to understand that biologically the basic pattern is feminine, even in the male. Only then can a new state of awareness be realised.

Woman as initiator

The feminine qualities are deeply rooted in the layers of our psyche which form the unconscious, the world of instincts and impelling forces. J. Guenther writes in ‘Yuganaddha, the Tantric View of Life’: ‘The woman’s consciousness is different- she has already become aware of things while the man still stumbles in darkness. Women are able to sense the subtleties of any situation, and to react accordingly, while men, due to their conditioning, are less able to do this. The feminine reality thus merges with the timeless infinity of the cosmos. In this transcendental state, it is possible to experience an uninhibited free flow of energy. This is more than just intellectual knowledge; it is wisdom. The world of the woman may appear very strange to the man; however it is actually his own most intimate world as well, which only waits to be realised.’

The feminine values do exist in men, but from childhood they are suffocated and repressed, and their rediscovery is a difficult task. The first step is to understand that there is nothing to be understood, that everything has to be felt and experienced. That is why, in left hand tantra, the woman is the initiator, the guru. It is she who opens the doors which lead man into the depths of his own being. If tantra were a religion, it would be presided over by priestesses, and only men who had developed the qualities of intuition and transcendence would qualify as priests.

The tantric gains access to this feminine universe through the concrete aspects of the woman, his companion, providing he is able to open himself. At the same time, this enables the woman to become aware of the male aspects within herself. Again here Guenther writes, ‘Each time the man encounters his feminine partner, who represents an aspect of life not yet lived or perceived by him, excluded from his consciousness, he opens himself to that feminine part dwelling in him and the woman encounters the awaiting masculine part residing in her. The one-sidedness of their characters is abandoned, and their total beings are thereby enriched.’

Cosmic fusion

‘When man becomes aware that his current field of consciousness is only a fractional part of the totality of his divine nature, this brings him to a new vision of womanhood. From then on, he identifies all women with their divine aspects. He begins to appreciate in them all those abilities and qualities from which he has excluded himself. He realises that this disability cannot be overcome through suppression of his masculinity but only through a fusion in which feminine and masculine integrate themselves harmoniously. By introducing the underlying cosmic realities into his life, man will come to respect and venerate all women because he will find this new relationship to be much more fulfilling than his previous brutal domination.

‘Thus, feminine worship signifies recognition of the real qualities of woman and acceptance of her as a guide in that profound drama of integration in which she transcends the limits erected by the male. This is the reciprocal game between the inner and the outer world.

‘For the male, woman is both a material being and a goddess… By her, a world of love and beauty can be created.’

Woman was the original form of life of which the earliest populations were aware. Tantra, worshipping the mother goddess principle, woman as the first ancestor, has inherited that knowledge. Now the same fact has been discovered by modern science, but tantra has always recognised that the cosmic forces which animate all forms of life and expression in our world are predominant in every woman.

(Courtesy ‘Yoga Revue’)

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, October 1981)

Initiation into a personal mantra by a satguru is considered the foundation stone of spiritual life and serves as the portal or entrance into higher yogic sadhana. Daily practice of mantra repetition (japa yoga) is an indispensable step for psychic and spiritual purification. It is prescribed by teachers in all spiritual traditions as the safest, easiest and best means of systematically overhauling the patterns of consciousness in order to awaken higher experience and to sustain a higher voltage of energy in the human nervous system. Saints and enlightened beings from every spiritual tradition have attested that mantra has carried them to their elevated state.

Mantra is a most effective means of developing a platform of ‘witness awareness’ where the aspirant can watch the different thoughts, feelings, and sensations of the body/mind complex as they occur while remaining partially unidentified with these phenomena. This is the first stage in elevation of the consciousness beyond its habitual state of intoxicated identification with mental ideas and sensual experiences. Practising japa steadfastly and regularly is the best way to come to the realisation that ‘I am not the body or the mind; I am the witness of these phenomena.’ In japa yoga there is a continued rotation of consciousness cantered on the mantra so that the mind slowly and effortlessly enters a state of relaxed and concentrated awareness.

Four stages of mantra awareness

Japa can be practised in many ways. One of the best and simplest is repetition of the mantra using a mala. Hero a fixed number of rounds of the mala are undertaken each day as instructed by the guru. This sadhana is known as japa anushthana, where the aspirant makes a resolve to complete the required number of rounds each day.

Repetition of the mantra can initially be aloud (baikhari). This is especially useful in stabilising the patterns of consciousness when the mind is disturbed or highly distracted. The next stage is upanshu, or whispered repetition. The most powerful and subtle form of mantra repetition is on the mental plane – manasik japa. This is the form which is being widely investigated for its physiological and psychological effects in many laboratories around the world today.

Another form of mantra repetition is synchronisation of the mantra with the inflowing and out flowing breath. Here consciousness, in the form of the mantra, is rotated in one of the psychic-passages, initially between the navel and the throat centres in the front of the body. As the practice is developed, the spinal psychic passage from mooladhara up to ajna is utilised. Perfection of this form of japa is an essential prerequisite for advanced kriya yoga sadhana.

The fruit of extended and faithful japa sadhana is the experience of ajapa japa, the state where the purified consciousness begins to reverberate with the mantra spontaneously throughout waking, sleeping and dreaming states. Then there is no time when mantra awareness is absent from the field of consciousness, not only in meditation but in the midst of daily activities, dreams and also sleep. In that exalted state of awareness, all life activities become meditation, and the conventional barriers between waking, dreaming and deep sleep states dissolve to make way for a unified state of conscious awareness based upon the mantra itself. Such is the power of the mantra!

Obtaining a suitable mantra

According to mantra shastra there are many mantras, each with a different purpose. Specific mantras can be used to bring about all kinds of results, both material and spiritual. For this reason, no mantra should be treated lightly, and mantra sadhana should be undertaken only for a clearly defined purpose under the guidance of a guru.

Some mantras are universal, for example Om (the source of all mantras), Soham (the mantra of the natural breath) and Gayatri mantra. These mantras can be used beneficially by everybody. However, a suitable personal mantra, which unlocks the inner nature and psychic personality and rapidly expands the awareness, may be given by a satguru to a sincere disciple. Such a mantra possesses great power when it comes from a master who has mantra siddhi, or knowledge of mantra science.

That knowledge enables the guru to perceive the overall psychic and psychological characteristics of each aspirant and also the difficulties which he must confront and overcome in spiritual life. Acting upon this inner vision, the guru prescribes a particular mantra to help the aspirant evolve beyond those blockages.

An effective therapy

While mantra has been the vehicle for realisation for thousands of years in the various spiritual and religious traditions of the world, it is only in very recent years that it has been investigated scientifically. Mantra repetition has been found to profoundly alter the type and intensity of the brain waves, and to initiate profound changes in the physiological systems of the body.

Research studies have revealed that daily practice of japa yoga improves cardiac output and respiratory efficiency, lowers blood pressure, enhances alpha brain wave activity, and lowers serum cholesterol levels and levels of stress hormones such as lactate, cortisol and adrenaline in the bloodstream. These effects have led medical researchers to conduct further studies in which patients suffering from various disease conditions have been found to respond very favourably to japa yoga. In addition, psychologists have noted improved scores in parameters of emotional stability; anxiety and neuroticism indices; memory and concentration power; and antisocial, addictive, delinquent and criminal behaviours.

In all respects it would appear that both medicine and psychiatry stand to gain much from japa yoga in the form of a useful therapy for mental and physical diseases. Not surprisingly, research is continuing in an effort to unlock further yogic secrets which will aid and alleviate the myriad psychosomatic diseases developing in epidemic proportions as man accelerates into a modern stress filled lifestyle of increasing material affluence but devoid of spiritual knowledge or purpose.

Demystifying the mantra

Some research workers are now attempting to demystify this healing science of mantra yoga. For example, the studies of Benson and Carrington (*1, *2) have trial to standardise mantra meditation and eliminate the mysterious or ‘cultic’ elements. In Benson’s adapted technique, subjects silently repeat the word ‘one’ while breathing in, ‘one’… out, and so on. Similarly, in Carrington’s clinically standardised meditation practice, a sound is selected from a list and repeated mentally. In this way, the workers hope to replace the mantras received during initiation from the guru, with more pragmatic and quantifiable words and sounds.

Unfortunately these workers, in spite of their eminence in research circles, have a fragmentary knowledge of the structure of the mind as a whole, and of the means of transformation of consciousness. What they interpret as mysterious or ‘cultic’ elements of mantra science, such as the names of the Hindu deities, etc., have to be understood first of all, before they can be dismissed as irrelevant. Is it not always true that we shy away from what we do not understand, interpreting it as needlessly cultic or mystical?

Whether a mantra is a ‘mystic’ Sanskrit formula or the name of a Hindu deity is irrelevant; its real value is that it possesses the correct combination and order of sounds and vibrations to unlock the repressed material from within the brain, much like the correct key opens a lock. Only then can the unconscious mind be exploded and our limitations be known and transcended. Mantra is not a religious practice in the sense that western scientists know and experience religion in their own cultures. Rather, it is a science, realised and formulated by the greatest scientists who ever lived – the rishis and gurus. They constructed the religion on a perfectly scientific basis. That is how the deities and their names, forms and characteristics have evolved in the first place.

The deeper layers of mind are not rational. The vast unexplored labyrinths of the subconscious and unconscious mind cannot be plumbed or exposed by purely intellectual or objective means. It is a world where symbolism, colour and sound vibrations are the matrices, and it can only be unlocked by the correct focusing of awareness into the deeper realms of consciousness. The mantra is the vehicle to short circuit the rational and intellectual processes which act as hindrances on the surface of the mind, when we wish to direct the full force of consciousness inwards towards the source.

In order to dive into the deeper levels of consciousness, it is not sufficient to repeat ‘one, one, one’ or ‘tree, tree, tree’ or some other ‘demystified’ syllable devised by psychologists as suitable replacements for the ‘cultic’ Hindu mantras. Mantra is undoubtedly the best and safest way to systematically unleash the dormant powers underlying individual consciousness. But it must be correctly prescribed, just as a medicine must be correctly prescribed. Atropine will help a sufferer from asthma but is surely poison for a sufferer from tachycardia (accelerated heart rate). All mantras are not the same, just as all individuals are not the same.

Each of us has an individual personality which can only be unlocked by using the correct key. A person who has deep subconscious fears and inadequacies needs one mantra while another who is arrogant, aggressive and angry needs a different mantra altogether. The mantras and the qualities of their deities have specific actions on particular psychological makeup. It is perfectly scientific. The deities have no independent existence except as mediums by which limited individuals can channel their consciousness beyond their own egotistical ideals and notions which constitute the only real barriers to enlightenment and health.

Scientists who are in such a hurry to ‘extract the essence’ of the yogic techniques, which have now been widely shown to cure mental aberrations and physical diseases, and present them in a simplified way, devoid of religious and cultic overtones, are doing a great disservice to mankind. They are showing that they are not scientists in the truest sense of the term, in spite of their qualifications and pre-eminence.

In yogic terms, a scientist is one who possesses a free, open and enquiring mind. He seeks to know the truth and is able to control and direct his awareness both subjectively and objectively without fear. He must have faith in his own capacities to glimpse and extract the essence of truth and separate it from what is essentially meaningless or ineffectual. It is with this spirit that modern scientists should throw themselves heart and soul into a study, investigation and experience of mantra yoga. They must themselves become Sadhakas, surrender their egos and preconceptions and undertake yogic sadhana under a qualified guru.

In this way they will experience the truth directly and emerge with true wisdom and understanding. It is not sufficient to discuss yoga practices intellectually. To understand the power of mantra in overhauling the consciousness, it must be experienced by daily practice. Otherwise these researchers will remain ignorant and will distil a watered-down psychological parody of the liberating science of yoga for those suffering millions who look to them in all good faith for guidance and liberation from physical diseases and mental torment. The choice is theirs alone.

References
*1. H. Benson et al., ‘Stress and hypertension: Interrelations and management’, G. Onesti and A.M. Brest (Eds,), Hypertension: Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatment, Davis, 1978, pp. 113-124.
*2. P. Garrington et al., ‘The use of meditation-relaxation techniques for the management of stress in a working population, J. Occup. Med., 22 (4), 1980.

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, October, 1981)

Sexual life has always been a problem for mankind. From the beginning of history, the primal energy has been misunderstood. Religious teachers and moralists have denounced it. But still sexual life has continued, not because man respects it, but because he wants it. He may give it up, but he cannot remove it from his mind, for this is one of his most powerful urges.

In the context of yoga and tantra, the common definition of sexual life has no relevance. It is absolutely unscientific and incorrect. This definition has created a society and a nation of hypocrites. It has led thousands of young people into mental asylums. When you want something which you think is bad, all kinds of guilt complexes arise. This is the beginning of schizophrenia, and all of us are schizophrenic.

Therefore, the yogis have tried to give a correct direction to the sexual urges. Yoga does not interfere with sexual life. Normal sexual life is neither spiritual nor aspiritual. But if you are practising yoga and have mastered certain techniques, then sexual life becomes spiritual. Of course, if you are leading a celibate life, that becomes spiritual too.

Left hand tantra

The science of tantra has two main branches, which are known as vama marga and dakshina marga. Vama marga is the left path which combines sexual life with yoga practices in order to explode the dormant energy centres. Dakshina marga is the right path of yoga practices without sexual enactment. Previously, due to the barriers in sexual life, the path most widely followed was dakshina marga. Today, however, these barriers are rapidly being broken, and the path most sought after by the people everywhere is vama marga, which utilizes sexual life for spiritual development.

According to tantra, sexual life has a threefold purpose. Some practise it for procreation, others for pleasure, but the tantric yogi practises it for samadhi. He does not hold any negative views about it. He does it as a part of his sadhana. But, at the same time, he realizes that for spiritual purposes, the experience must be maintained. Ordinarily this experience is lost before one is able to deepen it. By mastering certain techniques, however, this experience can become continuous even in daily life. Then the silent centres of the brain are awakened and start to function all the time.

The energy principle

The contention of vama marga is that the awakening of kundalini is possible through the interaction between man and woman. The concept behind this follows the same lines as the process of fission and fusion described in modern physics.

Man and woman represent positive and negative energy. On a mental level they represent time and space. Ordinarily, these two forces stand at opposite poles. During sexual interaction, however, they move out of their position of polarity, towards the centre. When they come together at the nucleus or central point, an explosion occurs and matter becomes manifest. This is the basic theme of tantric initiation.

The natural event that takes place between man and woman is considered as the explosion of the energy centre. In every speck of life, it is the union between the positive and negative poles that is responsible for creation. At the same time, union between positive and negative poles is also responsible for enlightenment, and the experience which takes place at the time of union is a glimpse of the higher experience.

This subject has been thoroughly discussed in all the old scriptures of tantra. Actually, the energy waves that are created during the mutual union are not as important as the process of directing that energy to the higher centre. Everybody knows how this energy is to be created, but nobody knows how to direct it to the higher centres. In fact, very few people have a full and positive understanding of this natural event which almost everybody in this world experiences. If the conjugal experience, which is generally very transitory, could be extended for a period of time, then the experience of enlightenment would take place.

The elements that are brought together in this process of union are known as Shiva and Shakti. Shiva represents purusha and Shakti represents prakriti or energy. Shakti, in different forms, is present in all creation. Both material and spiritual energy are known as Shakti. When the energy moves outwardly, it is material energy, and when it is directed upwards it is spiritual energy. Therefore, when the union between man and woman is practised in the correct way, it has a very positive influence on the development of spiritual awareness.

Retaining the bindu

Bindu means a point or a drop. In tantra, bindu is considered to be the nucleus, or the abode of matter, the point from which all creation becomes manifest. Actually, the source of bindu is in the higher centres of the brain. But due to the development of emotions and passions, bindu falls down to the lower region where it is transformed into sperm and ova. At the higher level, bindu is a point. At the lower level, it is a drop of liquid, which drips from the male and female Orgasm.

According to tantra, preservation of the bindu is absolutely necessary for two reasons. Firstly, the process of regeneration can only be carried out with the help of bindu. Secondly, all the spiritual experiences take place when there is an explosion of bindu. This explosion can result in the creation of a thought or of anything. Therefore, in tantra, certain practices are recommended by which the male partner can stop ejaculation and retain the bindu.

According to tantra, ejaculation should not take place. One should learn how to stop it. For this purpose, the male partner should perfect the practices of vajroli mudra as well as moola bandha and uddiyana bandha. When these three kriyas are perfected, one is able to stop ejaculation completely at any point of the experience.

Ejaculation is not avoided because of loss in terms of the chemical structure of semen, but because it brings down the energy level. The sexual act culminates in a particular experience which is reached only at the point of explosion of energy. Unless the energy explodes, the experience cannot take place. But this experience has to be maintained, so that the energy level remains high. When the energy level falls, ejaculation takes place. Therefore, ejaculation is avoided, not so much to preserve the semen, but because it causes a depression in the level of energy.

To make this energy travel upwards through the spine, certain hatha yoga kriyas have to be mastered.

The experience which is concomitant of energy has to be raised to the higher centres. It is only possible to do this if you are able to maintain that experience. As long as the experience continues, you can direct it to the higher centres. But as soon as the energy level undergoes depression, ejaculation will take place.

Ejaculation brings down the temperature of the body and at the same time, the nervous system undergoes depression. When the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems undergo depression, it affects the brain. That is why many people have mental problems. When you are able to retain the semen without ejaculating at all, the energy in the nervous system and the temperature in the whole body are maintained. At the same time, you are free from the sense of loss, depression, frustration and guilt. Retention will also help to increase the sexual frequency, and that is better for both partners. The sexual act does not have to create weakness or dissipate the energy, on the contrary, it can become a means of exploding the energy. Therefore, the value of retaining the bindu should not be underestimated.

In hatha yoga there are certain practices which must be perfected for this purpose. You should begin with asanas such as paschimottanasana, shalabhasana, vajrasana, supta vajrasana and siddhasana. These are beneficial as they place an automatic contraction on the lower centres. Sirshasana is also important because it ventilates the brain so that all of one’s experiences will be healthy experiences. When these postures have been mastered, shambhavi mudra is perfected in order to hold the concentration steadily at bhrumadhya. Then vajroli mudra has to be practised together with moola bandha and uddiyana bandha in kumbhaka. Practice of kumbhaka is necessary while the ejaculation is being held. Retention of the breath and the bindu go hand in hand. Loss of kumbhaka is loss of bindu, and loss of bindu is loss of kumbhaka.

During kumbhaka, when you are maintaining the experience, you should be able to direct it to the higher centres. If you are able to create an archetype of this experience, perhaps hi the form of a serpent or a luminous continuity, then the result will be fantastic. So, in spiritual life, bindu must be preserved at all costs.

The female experience

In the female body, the point of concentration is at mooladhara chakra, which is situated at the cervix, just behind the opening of the uterus. This is the point where space and time unite and explode in the form of an experience. That experience is known as orgasm in ordinary language, but in the language of tantra it is called an awakening. In order to maintain the continuity of that experience, it is necessary for a build up of energy to take place at that particular bindu or point. Usually this does not happen, because the explosion of energy dissipates throughout the body through the sexual medium. In order to avoid this, the woman must be able to hold her mind in absolute concentration on that particular point. For this, the practice is known as sahajoli.

Actually, sahajoli is concentration on the bindu, but this is very difficult. Therefore, the practice of sahajoli, which is the contraction of the vaginal as well as the uterine muscles, should be practised over a long period of time.

If girls are taught uddiyana bandha at an early age, they will perfect sahajoli quite naturally with time.

Uddiyana bandha is always practised with external retention. It is important to be able to perform this in any position. Usually it is practised in siddhasana, but one should be able to do it in vajrasana or the crow posture as well. When you practise uddiyana bandha, the other two bandhas – jalandhara and moola bandha occur spontaneously.

Years of this practice will create a keen sense of concentration on the correct point in the body. This concentration is more mental in nature, but at the same time, since it is not possible to do it mentally, one has to start from some physical point. If a woman is able to concentrate and maintain the continuity of the experience, she can awaken her energy to a high level.

According to tantra, there are 2 different areas of orgasm. One is in the nervous zone, which is the common experience for most women, and the other is in mooladhara chakra. When sahajoli is practised during maithuna, mooladhara chakra wakes up and the spiritual or tantric orgasm takes place.

When the female yogi is able to practise sahajoli for say 5 to 15 minutes, she can retain the tantric orgasm for the same period of time. By retaining this experience, the flow of energy is reversed. Circulation of blood and sympathetic/parasympathetic forces move upward. At this point, she transcends normal consciousness and sees the light. That is how she enters the deep state of dhyana. Unless the woman is able to practise sahajoli, she will not be able to retain the impulses necessary for the tantric orgasm, and consequently she will have the nervous orgasm, which is short-lived and followed by dissatisfaction and exhaustion. This is often the cause of a woman’s hysteria and depression.

So, sahajoli is a very important practice for women. In uddiyana, nauli, naukasana, vajrasana and siddha yoni asana, sahajoli comes naturally.

The practice of amaroli is also very important for married women. The word amaroli means ‘immortal’ and by this practice one is freed of many diseases. The practice of amaroli over a prolonged period also produces an important hormone known as prostaglandin which destroys the ova and prevents conception.

Tantric guru

Just as in the scheme of creation, Shakti is the creator and Shiva the witness of the whole game, in tantra the woman has the status of guru and the man of disciple. The tantric tradition is actually passed on from the woman to the man. In the tantric practice, it is the woman who initiates.

It is only by her power that the act of maithuna takes place. All preliminaries are done by her. She puts the mark on the man’s forehead and tells him where to meditate. In ordinary interaction, the man takes the aggressive role and the woman participates. But in tantra, the two switch roles. The woman becomes the operator and the man her medium. She has to be able to arouse him. Then, at the right moment, she must create the bindu, so that he can practise vajroli. If the man loses his bindu, it means that the woman has failed to carry out her functions properly.

In tantra it is said that Shiva is incapable without Shakti. Shakti is the priestess. Therefore, when vama marga is practised, the man must have an absolutely tantric attitude towards the woman. He cannot behave with her as men generally do with other women. Ordinarily, when a man looks at a woman, he becomes passionate, but during maithuna he should not. He should see her as the divine mother, Devi. In India, the appellation of Devi is still attached to the woman’s name after marriage. This denotes that she is to be held in highest esteem and approached with an attitude of devotion and surrender, not with lust.

According to the tantric concept, women are more endowed with spiritual qualities and it would be a wise thing if they were allowed to assume higher positions in social affairs. Then there would be greater beauty, compassion, love and understanding in all spheres of life. What we are discussing here is not patriarchal society versus matriarchal society, but tantra, particularly left hand tantra.

Path of yogis not bhogis

In tantra, the practice of maithuna is said to be the easiest way to awaken sushumna, because it involves an act which most people are already accustomed to. But, frankly speaking, very few are prepared for this path. Ordinary sexual interaction is not maithuna. The physical act may be the same, but the background is totally different.

In the relationship between husband and wife, for example, there is dependency and ownership. But in maithuna there is no idea of ownership; each partner is independent, one unto himself, Another difficult thing in tantric sadhana is cultivating the attitude of passionless-ness. The man has to virtually become brahmacharya in order to free the mind and emotions of sexual thoughts and passion which normally arise in the presence of a woman.

Both partners must be absolutely purified and controlled internally and externally before they practise maithuna. This is hard for the ordinary person to comprehend because for most people, sexual interaction is the result of passion and physical or emotional attraction, either for progeny or pleasure. It is only when you are purified that these instinctive urges are absent. This is why, according to tradition, the path of dakshina marga must be followed for many years before the path of vama marga can be entered. Then the interaction of maithuna does not take place for physical gratification. The purpose is very clear – awakening of sushumna, raising the kundalini energy from mooladhara chakra and exploding the unconscious areas of the brain.

If this is not clear when you practise the kriyas and sushumna becomes active, you will not be able to face the awakening. Your head will get hot and you will not be able to control the passion and excitement, because you have not tranquillized your brain.

Therefore, in my opinion, only those who are adepts in yoga qualify for vama marga. This path is not to be used indiscriminately as a pretext for self-indulgence. It is meant for mature and serious minded householder Sadhakas, who are evolved, who have been practising sadhana to awaken the energy potential and to attain samadhi. They must utilize this path as a vehicle of awakening. Otherwise it becomes a path of downfall.

Practice of Vajroli

In the tantric system, there are two techniques given for vajroli – one is from hatha yoga and the other from kriya yoga. The hatha yoga vajroli is mainly directed towards maithuna, and the kriya yoga technique towards chakra awakening. Results are reached much sooner with the first method (in one or two years), but results gained with the second method are far more complete and powerful, even if it takes longer to perfect (four to five years).

The traditional hatha yoga technique involves insertion of a flexible silver or gold tube up the urethra. This method has to be utilized before puberty, when the walls of the urethra are more elastic, so that discharge of semen (which very often occurs when the tube reaches the urithroid, immediately after the curve of the urethra) is avoided. In this practice, it is not the tube which has to bend at the curve, but the urithroid which has to be stretched.

In the kriya yoga method, uddiyana bandha must be practised in siddhasana twice a day in the morning and evening, for one or two years, until mastery is achieved. Pranayama must also be continued. The practice of siddhasana places an automatic lock on mooladhara without performing moola bandha, while the practice of uddiyana bandha strengthens the urithroid. It is necessary to maintain uddiyana bandha for at least one and half minutes. Only then will it be possible to proceed to the next stage. During this first stage, techniques of the following stages are not to be performed.

When perfect control of uddiyana bandha is established, it is necessary to eliminate acidity in the body with a convenient diet. For this purpose, besides diet, it is necessary to drink a lot of water until the urine becomes clear and odourless. If diet and water are not enough to eliminate acidity, seeds of dry coriander are to be masticated. The most convenient way to check if acidity has been eliminated, is to hold back the flow of urine for a moment while urinating. If a burning sensation is felt, it means that acidity has not yet been eliminated.

When siddhasana and uddiyana are mastered and acidity is eliminated, the practice has to be continued, trying to stop the flow of urination. When a quarter is left to flow, the flux has to be stopped, then the contraction is released and the urine is allowed to flow a little, then again the flux is stopped, and so on. This is not performed while standing but in namaskara. It is necessary to practise interrupted urination for about six months.

When the flow of urine is perfectly under control and it is possible to stop and start the flux at will, it is necessary to practise sucking the urine back up again. This technique is very difficult and requires one or two years to perfect. Only a small amount of urine is actually sucked back up in comparison to that which is afterwards emitted, but the feeling of sucking is very clear.

When it is possible to suck the urine back up, the same thing can be done with semen. The next stage, therefore, is to suck the discharging semen back up. In order to master this technique, it is necessary to lengthen the gap between the moment in which the urge to discharge semen is felt and the moment in which it is actually discharged. This gap has to be gradually lengthened up to one minute, not more. At the beginning, a longer gap would cause one to lose consciousness. The experience is an explosive one. During that minute, the body must remain immobile, eyes closed, and breath retained either inside or outside. Concentration has to remain on the control of the semen only. Holding back causes a very clear sensation in mooladhara chakra like a little ball hitting it.

Finally, when perfect control of this technique is achieved, concentration is directed to the chakras.

Summing up

The complete technique of vajroli can be summed up in the following stages:

1. Sit in siddhasana and practice uddiyana, increasing gradually until it can be held for one and half minutes.

2. Eliminate acidity of urine by means of (i) diet, (ii) water, and (iii) seeds of dry coriander.

3. Practice interrupted urination while performing namaskara. Time needed: six months.

4. suck the urine back up. Time needed: one or two years.

5. Hold back the ejaculation up to one minute.

6. Progressively increase the period of holding back until permanent retention is achieved.

7. Direct the concentration to the chakras.

Sahajoli

Sahajoli is performed in siddha yoni asana, so before beginning the practice it is necessary to first perfect this posture. Then the practice should be developed gradually along the following lines:

Seated in siddha yoni asana, after washing the legs and feet thoroughly, contract the muscles of the vagina and then relax them, repeating several times in succession.

When the vaginal muscles become stronger, contract the inner part of the vagina and hold the contraction. Gradually increase the contraction of all vaginal muscles until it becomes more intense and deep.

When deep contraction has been achieved, begin to contract the vaginal muscles, raising the opening from the heel. Then bring the heel up close to the vaginal opening, and relax the muscles so that the heel enters the vagina. Continue to contract and raise the vagina, then relax and lower it, until the heel enters approximately two centimetres into the vagina.

When this stage has been mastered, repeat contractions while sitting in bhadrasana and gorakshasana.

Alternate practices

1. Perform naukasana with the arms and fists clenched strongly. While holding this position, contract the vagina also. The practice has to be done holding the breath inside. When this can be performed with ease, contract the whole body, starting with the contraction of the vagina.

2. Assume namaskara with the arms outside the legs and the hands flat on the floor. Contract all the muscles of the vagina and hold the contraction for as long as possible, while retaining the breath inside and performing shambhavi mudra.

Note:

This concludes the preliminary practices for vajroli and sahajoli. These techniques are to be practised and perfected gradually, until the aspirant is ready to utilize them in combination with maithuna for awakening the spiritual energy.

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, March, 1981)

The system of tantra is a very controversial and misinterpreted subject, and I do not agree with the way it is being presented in the world today. There are beautiful illustrated books, but they do not represent the tantric science truly and accurately. Therefore, I want to explain what I have been taught about tantra from my guru and my teachers, and how it brought about a metamorphosis in the entire structure of my own thinking.

Tantra is the most ancient spiritual heritage of mankind. It has faced open challenge many times but has always emerged victorious, surviving the tests of time and history. It survives because it is not an institution or a philosophy, but a system whereby man can improve the structure and quality of his body and mind, and transform his ailing personality.

Not only in this century, but for eons past, man has been exploring the possibility of expanding the frontiers of his consciousness. This doesn’t mean that everybody has been aware of the terrible limitations of the mind. Even today there are millions of people who are not at all aware. But we also have a growing population which seeks to experience the expansion of consciousness into the unlimited mind. That aim, that process, and that experience, is tantra, and it has always been with man.

Tantra versus other systems

For those who have practised various meditation systems, the question often arises: ‘What is the difference between tantra and other systems of meditation?’ In other systems of meditation emphasis is laid on concentration of mind and control of the breath and the sensual perceptions, whereas in tantra, we bypass the behaviour of mind. We don’t come into confrontation with the nature of the mind. This is the basic difference.

Etymologically speaking, tantra is a combination of two ideas – the expansion of mind and the liberation of energy. The meaning of tantra, therefore, is a process by which we expand our consciousness and liberate energy. What is expansion of consciousness? We know that our mind has limitations. The mind receives information through the sensory channels, and depending on the information they supply, it acquires knowledge by means of cognition and perception. If you have no eyes, you won’t be able to see, and if you have no ears, you won’t be able to hear. The senses provide stimuli and the mind is able to function on the basis of those stimuli. This is the limitation of ordinary human consciousness. The perceptions are dependent on the quality, the quantity and the procedure of the sensory activities.

Is it possible then, if these sensory channels are dissociated, so that the seat of consciousness, the brain, is isolated, to nevertheless have cognition, perception and knowledge? Is cognition a quality of the mind, or is it dependent on the stimuli that are sent to the brain? In tantra, the consciousness is considered a homogeneous entity. Even without the association of the senses, it is possible to have knowledge, cognition and perception. We don’t have it simply because our consciousness is not given the chance to experience its homogeneous nature.

The mind, the consciousness, is homogeneous, but the whole consciousness is not functioning. In this relative world of the senses, one aspect of consciousness is in operation, but the other areas of consciousness are silent. They are dormant, inactive.

If we know how to activate the silent areas of consciousness, then we can experience the homogeneity of consciousness. This homogeneity of mind is the subject matter of consciousness. Through the practice of meditation, we can isolate the consciousness and achieve total awareness of the entire mind.

In tantra, the science of kundalini yoga is very important because it is a system of awakening the higher energies in man and thereby illumining the entire consciousness. At the base of the spine is a centre which is known as mooladhara chakra, the seat of kundalini. Mooladhara is the switch for another centre at the top of the spine known as ajna chakra, the monitoring centre. In between these two are four more centres lying parallel to the given areas: swadhisthana – pubic bone, manipura – navel, anahata – sternum, and vishuddhi- throat pit. These six centres are situated along an important channel or nadi in the spinal cord known as sushumna. When the consciousness is isolated, when it is disconnected from the sensory associations, the vibrations of mooladhara chakra begin to resonate. Then the energy rises in sushumna, awakening the chakras, and also switching on the higher centres in the brain.

Tantra is a dynamic process’ of meditation, but in other systems we find a passive process. The practitioner simply sits with his eyes closed and tries to face his mental perceptions. But more often he finds himself fighting with them. We hate some of our mental perceptions, and this sometimes brings on psychological tragedy, even if we are unaware of it. Today, meditation has come to mean a state of mind which is unconscious. As such, meditation is not a dynamic process of life, but a process of total elimination of mind and consciousness. In tantra this is totally unacceptable.

What is the purpose of eliminating the mental structure, of hypnotising the processes of mind? What, after all, are we going to gain by that? Our meditation should be aimed at creating a process of activity and dynamism. In the language of tantra, the purpose of meditation is to awaken, not to obliterate, the consciousness. The present state of your mind must follow a process of awakening, not hypnotism. This is the fundamental difference between tantric meditation and other meditations.

I do not believe it is possible to awaken the mind by suppressing it. Withdrawing the perceptions of the mind will never awaken it. Mind is a hub of continuous activity, a continuous flow of events and experiences. Every experience that arises in the mind is a resonant wave of energy manifesting in the form of energy patterns.

A thought is not psychological stuff, or a biological reaction. It is a resonant wave of energy. What is cognition, what is knowledge? Resonant waves of energy. Most people sit in meditation and try to eliminate them all, but this is not the way. Unless an awakening takes place, it is never possible to reach the stage of meditation.

The consciousness has to expand, to keep on flowing through and through all the networks of the mind. You do not have to come into confrontation with the mind, with the area of perception. When you practise tantric meditation and awakening takes place in mooladhara chakra, it does not matter what is happening in your mind. It does not matter what you are thinking, what nature of fantastic imaginings are going on in your mind. It also does not matter if your mind is thinking terrible things.

Thinking about ail kinds of things is the nature of the mind because mind is composed of different principles. Mind is not composed of purity alone. That’s the mistake our religious mentors have made. Total purity cannot be the sole component of the mind, just as total evil cannot be. Mind is a composition of sattva (equilibrium), rajas (activity and dynamism) and tamas (inertia). These three qualities frame the nature and the structure of the mind. As such it will never be possible to extinguish the thoughts and tendencies of the mind; we have to find a different path altogether.

Practices for awakening

In tantric meditation the objective is to activate the silent areas of consciousness. For this, it is not sufficient to just close your eyes. Something more is needed. Therefore, in the practice of tantra the techniques of kriya yoga are of the utmost importance. These practices bring about a change in the energy levels in the whole psycho-physiological structure.

People in both the eastern and western countries have to know the real objective, the ultimate purpose of meditation. There are, of course, people who need meditation for tranquillity, soothing tensions, calming the nervous system, lowering the blood pressure, and creating a state of relaxation. For them, it is not necessary to go into meditation; pratyahara alone is sufficient. When you isolate the consciousness from sense experience, a state called pratyahara is attained, where there is absolute tranquillity and physical and mental relaxation. For many people this is enough and any practice will do very well. That is why many forms of meditation are being practised by people all over the world. But for those sincere aspirants who have become aware that this body is not only made up of flesh and bone, but is a composition of energy, and that this energy can be awakened, for them there is the practice of kriya yoga.

The practices of kriya yoga form the main spiritual techniques in tantra. Kriya yoga is not a system in which you just close your eyes; it is a method in which you activate each and every system, organ, and aspect of your existence. Shakti is the most ancient and the most primal power. During the course of evolution, the energy has been manifesting itself in different states and dimensions. Now we have evolved to the state of human life, and this energy is trying to find a way out, a way up.

In the spinal column there are three important channels. In the centre is sushumna, on the right is pingala, and on the left is ida. These nadis or channels are clearly defined in tantra. Ida is the carrier of the mental energy, and pingala the carrier of pranic energy. These two flow all throughout the day and night. When you stop the flow of these two types of energy, then sushumna, the spiritual channel, begins to flow.

Ida flows through the left nostril, and pingala flows through the right. When you stop both these flows, mooladhara chakra becomes active. Therefore, the practice of pranayama, breath retention or kumbhaka, is of great importance in the awakening process.

Yoga, as we know it, is not an independent system. It is the practical aspect of tantra. When you practise your asanas, pranayama, or any other hatha yoga technique, you are practising tantra. All these practices have a direct bearing on the awakening of sushumna nadi. Unless sushumna nadi wakes up, actual meditation will not take place no matter what method you have employed. Even though the mind is active, if you have a technique by which you can send energy waves through sushumna, the mind will automatically be transcended. You don’t have to control the mind; you have to transcend the mind. That is the key.

People who do not understand this make a mistake with their meditation practices every time they sit down to meditate. They close their eyes and they try to close their mind. Why is it necessary to stop the mind when you can liberate energy by keeping the mental activities intact? The mind has to be made homogeneous; you have to expand it. At the same time, wherever you are, you have to develop the awareness of another existence, another dimension. Then meditation becomes an ongoing process which occurs spontaneously throughout daily life.

Meditation Practice

Please be seated in a comfortable cross legged pose. Close your eyes and chant Om with me 3 times.

Now focus your attention on the tip of your nose. When you try to look at the nose tip with your eyes closed, this is known as nose tip gazing. By fixing the mind on the nose tip you are also steadying the eyes, and when the eyeballs are still, concentration and meditation can occur more easily.

It does not matter if your mind wanders from its concentration point every now and then, but the eyes should remain steady. When your mind and your eyes are fixed on the nose tip, you don’t have to make strenuous efforts to concentrate. Just bring your awareness to the nose tip from time to time. Maintaining awareness of the nose tip, follow the natural movement of the breath.

Witness each inhalation and exhalation.

Without moving your awareness from the breath or the nose tip, listen carefully to the instructions.

The natural breath is usually even, but sometimes it becomes deeper, shorter or longer. It does not matter, the important thing is to maintain awareness of the nose tip and the breath at the same time.

Breathing generally continues involuntarily, but at times you have to voluntarily breathe in and out. If the breath becomes shorter or longer it does not matter. Don’t try to control the breath, merely witness it.

In synchronisation with the breath, begin to mentally repeat your personal mantra, or, if you do not have one, repeat the mantra so-ham. As you inhale use so, as you exhale use ham.

You have to maintain simultaneous awareness of the nose tip, the breath and the mantra. Nose tip gazing helps to stabilise eye movement, and breath awareness makes the mind open and free, so that the mantra penetrates the deeper layers of your consciousness.

Continue mantra repetition with the breath for 10 to 15 minutes.

The breath will become finer and finer, at times it will be deeper and at other times it will be shorter. If you are able to maintain constant awareness of the breath, it will become deeper, but if you lose contact with the breath, due to the fluctuations of the mind, then the breath will become shorter.

The nose tip is a very important centre. If you are able to keep your mind fixed on the nose tip, and at the same time follow the breath, you can influence mooladhara chakra.

If you feel tension when you concentrate on the nose tip, it means you are making too much effort and are not sufficiently relaxed.

Nose tip gazing, breath awareness and mantra repetition should be practised simultaneously. Threefold perception at one instance- this is one way of practising mantra meditation.

Now, for a few moments only, relax your mind – not the body, only the mind.

No nose tip awareness, no breath awareness, and no mantra awareness. Relax the mind completely. Let it go where it chooses, let it think what it wants.

This relaxation of the mind is important if you practise your mantra for a long time. But if you are only practising your mantra meditation for 10 minutes, then it is not necessary.

If you can pause for a minute or two at the end of each 15 minutes of practice, or for 5 minutes at the end, it will be very good.

The nose is shaped like a triangle, you can imagine it. When you concentrate on the nose tip you are fixing your mind on the lower middle point of the base of the triangle.

The right side and the left side are the channels where you feel the inspiration and the expiration. Again, for just a few minutes, witness the breath. Focus your attention on the nose tip and the ingoing and outgoing breath.

Keep going and centrally establish the nose tip as a point. When you are aware of the breath in the proximity of the nose tip, you get a better idea of the breath and also of the nose tip.

Begin to repeat the mantra in synchronisation with the breath, so with inhalation, ham with exhalation. Nose tip awareness, breath awareness and repetition of the mantra.

Now chant Om with me 3 times. Hari Om Tat Sat. You may open your eyes.

This is how mantra meditation should be practised.

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, March, 1980)

Hatha yoga is a very important science. In ancient times it was practised for many years as a preparation for higher states of consciousness. Now, however, the real purpose of this great science is being forgotten altogether. The hatha yoga practices which were designed by the rishis and sages of old, for the evolution of mankind are now understood and utilised in a very limited sense. Often we hear people say: ‘Oh, I don’t practise meditation, I only practise physical yoga, hatha yoga.’ But now the time has come to correct this viewpoint.

Ida and pingala

Hatha yoga concerns two important and vital systems in the physical body- the solar and lunar forces. In tantra and in hatha yoga these are known as ida and pingala. Ida represents the mental force, and pingala the pranic force. In the body these pranic and mental forces interact with each other, respectively controlling, guiding and directing the senses of action and of knowledge. Due to them we live, move, think and know.

Pranic and mental force are conducted through ida and pingala nadis within the framework of the spinal passage. From each chakra they branch off via the network of nadis into all the respective organs and parts of the body. The scriptures and tantric texts state that in this physical body there is a complex of 72,000 nadis. I believe this is a conservative estimate. Nadi does not mean nerve. It means a flow, just as electricity, a radio wave or a laser beam is a flow. There are 72,000 channels or flows that carry these two interacting energies of ida and pingala from pore to pore of the human body. There is not one point in this body where you do not have the interaction of these two forces.

In the practices of hatha yoga we are concerned with the balance of ida and pingala; these two interacting forces of prana and mind. When the pranic force predominates and the mental force becomes subservient, there are physical imbalances due, to excess prana in the system. On the other hand, if the mental force is predominant and pranic force subservient, there are diseases related to the mind. This is the definition of somo-psychic and psychosomatic diseases. Diseases do not originate only in the mind, they also originate in the body. Body is part of the mind, and mind is part of the body. Mind and body are not two separate realities. At different stages of manifestation, we know them as body and mind, but in essence they are one.

Science of purification

In order to purify the mind, it is necessary for the body as a whole to undergo a process of absolute purification. Hatha yoga is also known as the science of purification, not one type of purification, but six types. If you take an enema, this is one type of purification; shankhaprakshalana is another. Purification of the whole nervous system is also a part of hatha yoga. Besides purifying the physical body, we have to purify the nadis. The body has to be cleansed in six different ways for six different impurities. When you clear the body of these impurities, the nadis function and the energy blocks are released. Then the energies move like wave frequencies along the physical structure of the channel, and they go right up to the brain.

Therefore, we consider hatha yoga as the preliminary practice of tantra, kundalini yoga and kriya yoga. When the rishis discovered the science of hatha yoga, they did not have yoga therapy in mind. Although yoga has proved to be very effective in the treatment of many impossible and incurable diseases, I consider the therapeutic effect of yoga as a by product and incidental. The main objective of hatha yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activities and processes of the pranic and mental force. When this balance is created, the impulses generated give a call of awakening to sushumna nadi- the central force which is responsible for illumining the higher centres of human consciousness. So the real purpose of hatha yoga is not to build the body or improve the health, but to energise and awaken the higher centres responsible for the evolution of human consciousness. If hatha yoga is not used for this purpose then its true objective is lost.

Basis of transformation

Solar energy represents the sun, prana. Lunar energy represents the moon, mind. These two forces maintain the rhythm of life and consciousness. This is one stage of evolution, but mankind has to evolve. If civilisation is not structured along evolutionary lines, then man has to face disaster, death and absolute extinction. You cannot deny evolution.

Everything in this universe is evolving, even the rocks. If there is metamorphosis in every part of creation, why shouldn’t man’s consciousness undergo this state of metamorphosis? Transformation is a scientific fact. It is not a philosophy, faith or creed. It is the path of evolution and it gives meaning to life. This physical body constantly undergoes various processes of transformation, which affect each and every molecule of its material substance.

Now people have begun to realise that matter in its ultimate form is energy. Therefore, we will have to reanalyse and redefine what the body is and how far this transformation can be effected. Can the body be turned into fight particles? Think about it in terms of science, not in terms of the faith or belief that you have had up until now.

If this body can undergo a state of metamorphosis, then what is the way? The answer is yoga. Through the processes of yoga, the body is rendered so subtle and pure, that it is transformed into a yogic body which is unaffected by old age and disease.

Hatha yoga is practised in order to initiate a process in this physical body, whereby the pranic molecules and the mental forces which interact with each other in the scheme of life and existence, may be transformed. Unless the physical molecules are transformed, it is no use to discuss compassion or unity.

A great challenge is open to us. If matter in its ultimate form is energy, then this physical body can be transformed into solid energy through systematic practice of the six cleansing techniques of hatha yoga: neti, dhauti, basti, nauli, kapalbhati, and trataka. After this, asana and pranayama should be practised.

Dimensions of prana

Hatha yoga is the preparation for pranayama. Most people think of pranayama only as breathing exercises but actually it is far more. In Sanskrit ‘ayama’ literally means dimension, not control. So pranayama is practised in order to extend the dimensions of prana.

Years ago I wanted to know about the dimensions of prana. Has prana many planes of existence? In which planes does prana flow? What happens if prana does not flow? Around that time, I had a dream in which I saw a beautiful city with large roads lined with electricity poles. I went into the buildings and found lights, telephones, televisions, everything, but there was no electricity; the whole city was in complete darkness.

Similarly, within us are planes of existence, areas of consciousness which are in absolute darkness. These planes are much more beautiful and creative than the ones we live on now. But how are we going to penetrate and illumine them? It is useless to talk about the different states of consciousness. You must be able to experience them, even as you experience the state of dream or sleep. When the pranic energy is aroused and awakened through the practice of pranayama, it is circulated to these dark areas of consciousness. Then the inner city is illumined and man is reborn into a new dimension of existence, a new area of experience.

The practical aspect

If you want to achieve this transcendental experience, the practices, of hatha yoga and pranayama should be perfected. Also the rules and recommendations should be observed. This does not mean giving up all the pleasures of life, but, as you well know, ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it too.’ So, once you have decided to step into another dimension of consciousness, you must be ready to sacrifice some of those things which are definitely detrimental to the practice of pranayama and hatha yoga. This is an important point that has to be considered. Therefore, I remind you that the practices of hatha yoga, asanas, and pranayama are ultimately intended for developing the quality of human consciousness- not just the mind. With this knowledge, with this attitude, we can progress through the practices.

Neti is a simple practice in which warm saline water is poured in through one nostril and out the other. With practice, you will be able to take a tumbler of cold water straight in through both nostrils, and you will feel how cooling and refreshing this is, The practices of dhauti are mainly concerned with cleaning the digestive tract. There are several types of dhauti. Kunjal, the stomach wash, is done by drinking saline water and vomiting it out. Vastra dhauti cleans the mucus out of the oesophagus and stomach by swallowing a long thin strip of cloth and then pulling it out. Shankhaprakshalana gives the entire digestive tract a complete wash and overhaul. It involves drinking sixteen glasses of saline water and performing a series of five asanas in between every two glasses. This removes all the decomposed and foul smelling mucus from the intestines.

Basti is the yogic enema in which water or air is sucked up through the anus and then expelled.

Nauli, the abdominal roll, strengthens the abdomen and removes all kinds of abdominal ailments.

Kapalbhati, the frontal bellows pranayama, purifies the frontal region of the brain and prepares the mind for meditation.

Trataka is a concentration technique in which you control the mind by controlling the pupils. This is practised by fixing a point of concentration, for example, the flame of a candle or a black dot. Gaze at this point for a minute, then close your eyes and visualise the counterpoint at the eyebrow centre.

Hatha yoga and pranayama are the foundation of kundalini yoga and tantra. My tradition is Vedanta, but I realise that philosophy is intellectual and you can never reach the point of evolution through the intellect. Intellect becomes a barrier to spiritual awakening, and we have to find a powerful means of transcending it. I have tried many methods, and have found pranayama most effective.

Pranayama

Much has been written about the science of pranayama. Nadi shodhana pranayama is purification of the energy channels. First you breathe in through the left nostril (which stimulates the right side of the brain). Hold your breath. Then breathe out through the right nostril (which stimulates the left side of the brain). Again hold the breath. Breathing in and out is an automatic process. Kumbhaka, holding the breath, is the actual pranayama, and it takes years of practice to perfect. When you have made some progress in the practice of pranayama, and can hold the breath without any discomfort, you have to add moola bandha (contraction of the perineum), uddiyana bandha (abdominal contraction), and jalandhara bandha (chin lock). These control and balance the increased energy throughout the system.

If you practise pranayama, you do not have to worry about the mind; the wild mind does not exist for you. As you go on practising pranayama, you push the pranic force into the different dark areas of your consciousness, and the mind evaporates. There is no thought process. Thoughts are impressions. You are reading this; it is an impression. You become aware of impressions stage by stage, and so you think that they are moving. But thoughts don’t move – they don’t travel into the past, present and future – they are just there, that’s all.

When you change the structure of the physical material, the mental substance automatically undergoes a change. Mind is a further manifestation of the body, and when you influence the mind you also influence the spirit. So, body, mind and spirit are not ‘the trinity’ – they are the unity, one. This is the understanding behind the practices of pranayama and hatha yoga.

In India the practice of bhoo samadhi (underground samadhi) is well known. The yogi is buried underground and stays there in a state of trance for days at a time, his breathing rate and metabolism slowing down remarkably.

Scientists have calculated that an ordinary man would die after two hours in such a situation. But some yogis can voluntarily reduce the rate of their physical processes, so that the need for oxygen is greatly reduced.

In 1977 Swami Satyamurti, who was 102 years old, was buried underground for nine days. After six days he was declared clinically dead. Machines that were recording his pulse rate indicated that his heart had stopped, which meant that his brain was being deprived of oxygen. On the ninth day he emerged from his ‘grave’ in perfect health, as testified to by the medical doctors and the scientists attending the demonstration.

This is a remarkable feat. It may not be a great spiritual feat, but it is certainly a scientific feat and guideline. Through the practice of pranayama, the involuntary processes of body, brain and mind can be mastered. Control over these processes enables you to direct the major course and destiny of your life, and also of your death.

Hatha yoga is a great science which everyone can practise according to his own capacity. Maybe not all, but at least a few techniques can be practised each day. Hatha yoga techniques, along with asanas and a few pranayamas, are sufficient for most people. I have the greatest respect for meditation, but I believe it is necessary to practise these three preparatory limbs first. Then you may go further if necessary. If the preparation is perfect, there will be no need to learn meditation from anyone. One fine morning while practising pranayama, your mind will be lifted into a new realm of consciousness.

Satsang on Hatha Yoga

Are asanas and pranayama included in hatha yoga?

Academically, no. Hatha yoga principally means neti, dhauti, basti, kapalbhati, nauli and trataka, which are termed the shatkarmas. But asana and pranayama are popularly regarded as part of hatha yoga. Asanas are in raja yoga and so is pranayama. I am telling you the academic difference, but actually there is no difference. Hatha yoga and raja yoga are all the same.

Kapalbhati is a shatkarma, but it is also a pranayama and a kriya. Whereas other pranayamas require a somewhat purified system, kapalbhati does not because it purifies, so it comes under the shatkarmas.

Which is the superior practice for an educated person, hatha yoga or gyana yoga?

If an educated man has a physical problem, he should certainly practise hatha yoga. If an uneducated man has philosophical problems, then he should do gyana yoga. It depends on the problem. If you are sick you will ask, ‘To which doctor should I go- surgeon, ayurvedic, homeopathic, allopathic and so on?’ If you have appendicitis, then you must go to a surgeon. Likewise, if a man has physical or mental disorders, if his nadis are not functioning in complete harmony, then he should first take to the practices of hatha yoga.

What is the actual difference in the practice of kapalbhati and bhastrika pranayama?

In both kapalbhati and bhastrika, the respiration is rapid, but in kapalbhati the emphasis is on exhalation, whereas in bhastrika the inhalation and exhalation are equalised. During bhastrika the practitioner is aware of the movement of the abdomen and gains progressive control over it, while in kapalbhati attention is focused on the frontal region of the brain.

Why are bandhas practised with pranayama?

One gains the maximum benefits from pranayama when the bandhas are practised with kumbhaka (breath retention). Pranayama stimulates the flow of prana, and the bandhas control the flow and direct it to the required areas. When you perform moola bandha (locking the perineum) and jalandhara bandha (chin lock), you are forcing apana (the vital energy in the lower part of the body below the navel), to flow upwards and unite with prana (the vital energy in the region of the body between the larynx and the base of the heart).

When prana and apana unite it is a fantastic experience which generates vitality and helps to awaken kundalini.

Is it true that the rishis and munis in the Himalayas practise pranayama to withstand the cold and ice and live for years without food etc.?

In raja yoga there are eight fundamental stages: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. The first five stages are intended to gradually remove all external distractions and direct the mind inwards. The purpose of pranayama is to awaken the sushumna nadi, because we know that without awakening sushumna you cannot succeed in concentration (dharana). When sushumna wakes up the mind becomes one-pointed without any effort.

In the Himalayas, and other places of the world, there are many mahatmas, rishis and sannyasins who have a very austere life. They are able to maintain themselves by preserving and increasing the pranashakti, or life force, in their physical body. Through intense practice of raja yoga, hatha yoga and dhyana yoga, they are able to completely change the nature and chemical structure of the body so as to withstand these extreme conditions.

With the practice of pranayama, more oxygen may be inhaled but that is not the important point. If oxygen alone is the purpose, then deep breathing would be sufficient. In pranayama inhalation and exhalation must be practised in the ratio of 1:2, because this ratio is most beneficial for the heart. From the pulse you can observe that with inspiration the heart rate speeds up, whereas with expiration it slows down. Therefore, when the ratio of 1:2 is used, the overall effect is that of relaxation of the coronary muscles, but without a reduction of the supply of oxygen to the brain and body tissues. Whereas if you practise 1:4, for example, the effect of relaxation is cancelled because the brain accelerates the heart rate in reaction to a decreased supply of oxygen in the blood.

When kumbhaka is incorporated into pranayama, certain portions of the brain can be controlled. There are two systems in the body known as the voluntary and involuntary nervous systems. You can move the hands, but not the hypothalamus. But through the practices of pranayama, the brain can be trained to act according to your demands. You can stop its functions or accelerate them. This is how many yogis have been able to stop the heart for a number of days and revive it again. The heart is not an independent organ; it is controlled by a higher centre in the hypothalamus of the brain. With control of the brain, you can automatically control your coronary behaviour, body temperature, and digestive system, etc. If there is something wrong in the brain, the heart will immediately stop. Medicine has been used to treat the heart but actually one should look for the cause of the problem in the brain, and rectify it there, because this is the centre of control.

What are the benefits of neti?

Neti purifies the nasal passages and aids in the cure of colds and sinusitis, as well as various diseases of the brain and is therefore beneficial for epilepsy, hysteria, migraine and depression. It gives a general feeling of lightness and freshness in the head and removes drowsiness. Spiritually, it aids in the awakening of ajna chakra. In jala neti water is used and in sutra neti a special waxed cotton thread or a thin rubber catheter is passed into the nostril and pulled through the mouth.

Tell us something about trataka.

The Sanskrit word ‘trataka’ means to steadily gaze. If someone is staring at you for a long time you call it trataka. There are many ways of practising trataka. Some people do trataka on a candle flame, on a black dot, a crystal, the moon, a picture or a symbol, on the reflections in water or their own image in a mirror.

Trataka is a very important practice and a direct method of influencing the brain. The eye is actually an extension of the brain and the optic nerve is one of the twelve cranial nerves that emerge from the brain, not the spinal cord, so therefore, when we engage the optic system we are influencing the brain. The yogis discovered that making the eyes steady by gazing at a point either at the eyebrow centre, the nose tip, or a point outside of the body, immediately and beneficially affects the brain, and this has a reciprocal effect on the eye movements, the retina and the whole visual apparatus.

If you watch a sleeping person you can know whether he is sleeping deeply or dreaming. You can immediately tell by his eye movements whether he is worried, frightened, anxious, dreaming, thinking, sleeping or in samadhi, in deep sleep the eyes may automatically assume shambhavi mudra. When a person is dreaming, there are fluctuations in the eyeballs which can be seen, felt and also measured by machines. In states of profound meditation the eyeballs are usually centred between the eyebrows or at the nose tip, and when a man dies his eyeballs generally go straight up, they never stay in the centre. An anxious person’s eyes are unsteady and by stilling the eyes we can generally overcome the uncontrolled fluctuations of an anxious brain.

Do you recommend the practices of yama and niyama?

When we begin practising yoga and meditation we try our level best to stop the dissipation of energy. The yamas and niyamas are usually recommended for this, but of course everyone is not able to practise them. I think we have to express everything in our lives and let the yamas and niyamas occur naturally. If we try to develop them by restraint, we are likely to be suppressing and we may be causing more harm than good. Many people try to practise yamas and niyamas and they force themselves into a rather rigorous situation.

It is not bad to be truthful; it is not bad to be non-violent, but sometimes we are not able to handle the psycho-emotional situations arising in our life through the practice of those dharmas. Therefore, in order to handle this situation, we have to first purify the whole body and the whole group of nadis. That is why in hatha yoga we have the system of purification of ida and pingala. When we are able to create harmony and equilibrium between the mental and pranic forces in our system, then these great dharmas, these great observances in the raja yoga of Patanjali, become very natural and spontaneous.

The spade work which we have to do in order to make yama and niyama the natural expression of our being, is the practice of hatha yoga. Purification of the 72,000 nadis which carry the computerised impulses throughout the body, and the six hatha yoga body purification techniques create a psychobiological harmony, and this harmony ultimately creates spontaneity of the positive dharma in us.

I am peaceful within and without, not because I am forcing myself to be, but on account of the great transformation that has taken place in the structure of my psychobiological system. It has become my nature to be non-violent and full of love and understanding. In the same way I do not have to force myself to practise brahmacharya because my body has been purified. My psychological and emotional structure has been properly adjusted by balancing the impulses of ida and pingala. Therefore, I am able to retain the hormones in the higher centres. So brahmacharya has become a spontaneous and natural expression of my consciousness. I don’t have to practise it, it is my nature. This is how a positive dharma has to be developed in the form of yama and niyama.

Why should one practise hatha yoga before tantra?

By the practices of hatha yoga you can harmonise the two great forces in man- prana and mind. They are known as ida and pingala and they emanate from mooladhara chakra and join each other in ajna chakra. Their union takes place in the void behind the eyebrow centre and in yoga this place is known as shoonya. In hatha yoga we call it sushumna. When ida and pingala unite, they activate sushumna and for the purpose of activating sushumna, we practise hatha yoga.

If you have practised hatha yoga and have arrived at shoonya, you must then practise raja yoga to experience the consciousness. So firstly union must take place, then an experience comes, and then you meditate on that point. This is raja yoga. When you meditate on that point what happens? The matter and the consciousness are separated, and you go in completely. That is tantra. So, hatha yoga comes first raja yoga next, and then tantra comes last.

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, March, 1980)

Today we are witnessing the renaissance of a very ancient culture of humanity. The purpose and the basis of this culture was to evolve the individual consciousness from the shackles of worldly or human limitations. It comes from a civilization in history which was more aware of the deeper mysteries of man. Rather than discovering the mysteries of matter it preferred to discover the mysteries of mind and consciousness, and for centuries our ancestors carried on this knowledge by glorious tradition. However, in recent centuries a dark age has confronted mankind in which we developed the material side of life and society but utterly neglected the spiritual or greater part of life.

Tantra and the mind

The ancient culture was based on tantra, the science which was concerned with the expansion of consciousness and the liberation of this consciousness from matter. Just as a scientist separates the energy from matter by a process of fission and fusion, in tantra the mind can be processed through a process of fission and fusion. The tantric teachers never defined mind as ‘thoughts’, they never defined mind as ‘emotions’; mind is neither memory nor emotions, nor thoughts, it is not kalpas and sankalpas, thinking and counter-thinking. Mind is only consciousness. The emotions, memory etc, and modifications of the mind are not the mind itself.

There are two great forces that are underlying human existence. One is the mind, the other is the prana, and it is this mind which is the subject matter of tantra. It is important that this mind which carries the impressions, the knowledge, the samskaras etc., be made free and able to shine in its real nature, and it is through the path of tantric meditation that we are able to have this experience of the mind. Most of us who have read about the mind do have a certain concept of it, but this concept is not an experience; it is only an intellectual concept. However, those yogis who have experienced the mind have experienced power.

Now coming back to tantra. The two forces underlying the human existence in tantra are known as Shiva and Shakti. Shiva is consciousness, Shakti is energy. Consciousness plus energy is existence. When consciousness and energy come into contact with each other and interaction takes place between them, creation begins. The tantric yogi tries to separate these twin principles by the practice of dhyana yoga, and in doing so he is able to create power, knowledge and experience.

Of count, mind end prana are cosmic forces which are present In every human being, and these twin forces are responsible for the whole of life, action and knowledge. So if there is an imbalance between the mind and the prana there is an imbalance throughout the life. This is why in tantra, first of all purifying and balancing practices of hatha yoga are emphasized, and why the practices of hatha yoga have been so clearly enumerated in the tantric books. The harmonization of these two principles, and the balance between them, is known as the balance between ida and pingala.

Let me explain the meaning of tantra according to the scriptures. Tantra is a word which is a combination of two ideas, ‘expansion’ and ‘liberation’. When we talk about the expansion of the mind we are only talking in terms of expanding the mind from the external horizon to the internal recesses. When we stretch the mind externally on to the objects around, with the help of the senses, we do achieve some knowledge, but this is limited. There are other dimensions of our existence, these are the inner planes and they should be experienced. For this purpose we have to stretch our mind, we have to expand our consciousness from the external objects to internal awareness. Then comes liberation. The word ‘liberation’ should not be understood in a religious sense, but as a liberation of energy. First, as you liberate energy from matter by a subtle process of physics, in the same way, in tantra, after the expansion of consciousness you liberate the mind. When the mind is liberated from the shackles of the association with matter, than it becomes homogeneous, It then not only operates through the medium of the senses, it is also able to operate independently. And then with this homogeneous mind you proceed further to the realization of the infinite reality. The purpose of tantra is to make the aspirant capable of experiencing reality, and in doing this it does not take us through the confused bewilderment of intellect, it takes into consideration the practical difficulties of the aspirant.

Nadis – the paths to total experience

The nadis are the medium for the flow of consciousness throughout the physical structure of man. The mental energy, the pranic energy, and the spiritual energy flow through and through the body by the medium of the nadis. The nadis are not nerves, the literal meaning of nadi is ‘flow’, just as electricity flows through wires. As the negative and positive forces of electricity flow through complex wires, in the same way prana shakti and mental shakti (manas shakti) flow through every part of our body via media which are known as nadis.

Out of 72.000 nadis of the body, three are considered to be the most important. These three nadis are known as ida, pingala and sushumna. The ida system is responsible for the mind, pingala is the channel for the flow of prana, and sushumna is the channel for the awakening of the spiritual consciousness. Now the picture is coming clear. The prana shakti- pingala, the manas shakti- ida, and atma shakti- sushumna. Pranic force, mental force, and spiritual force. These three are the constituents of our existence. Man is nothing beyond these three. If man is to have knowledge of himself he has to have knowledge of these three. Purifying the nadis is done through the process of hatha yoga. By this process we clear the channels of prana and the channels of mental shakti. Also, through the practice of asanas and pranayama, we purify not only the nadis but also the glands.

It is very easy to talk about the realization of the absolute, but there are so many obstacles confronting us on the way. The purification of nadis, the glands and the whole physical structure by hatha yoga goes a long way towards relieving these. By the practice of mudras and bandhas, we are able to create an opportunity or a field by which the inherent power and bliss are awakened. Let me talk about one or two mudras. Vipareeta karani mudra: It is very important that we are able to sublimate (redirect) the shakti in us. Ordinarily the shakti flows from the ‘moon’ (bindu chakra) to the ‘sun’ (manipura chakra) and there it is consumed. However, if through the practice of vipareeta karani mudra we are able to reverse the flow of shakti and preserve it, we are able to live a healthy life and we are able to meditate.

In the hatha yoga form of khechari mudra the membrane underneath the tongue is actually cut, and the tongue is elongated so that it can be inserted into the naso pharynx. There it stimulates lalana chakra, a gland that is situated in that area. The gland secretes a fluid, known as amrit (nectar) which is responsible for arresting the process of catabolism throughout the body, thus improving the process of metabolism. In raja yoga, in tantra, they do not cut the root of the tongue. They turn the tongue back and stick it against the soft palate, and gradually in the course of time the tongue reaches the gland. Also in tantric meditation when the consciousness is awakened, it straight away hits that gland and produces the same effect.

When the nectar begins to flow the yogi enters into a state which is called unmani. In this particular state of mind he is neither aware of the external consciousness nor is he completely asleep; he is in an in between state, in imperishable bliss. The nectar and the ‘intoxication’ which it produces are the first element of tantra. In the modern tantric text this particular element is translated as ‘wine’, though in Sanskrit it does not mean that. It is madya which means anything that is able to create a condition of the mind which is something like intoxication. Because of this mistake, much misunderstanding has arisen.

The union of Shiva and Shakti

After cleaning the nadis through the complete process of hatha yoga one has to enter the domain of kriya yoga, and I personally feel that there is no greater spiritual practice than kriya yoga. You do not confront the mental problems of maintaining a steady posture, but at the same time, with each and every practice of kriya yoga you are awakening and stimulating the deepest consciousness in you. Kriya yoga comes under the title of kundalini yoga, the science that is aimed at the release of energy.

Where is the energy and which is the passage? And if it awakens, what happens? Is there any energy here in this body? Or is this body merely a bundle of flesh, bone, marrow and muscle? Kundalini yoga says shakti is dormant and the seat of this shakti is in mooladhara chakra. But it is only dormant because of ignorance, because man is subjected to his instinctive karma and samskaras. It can be awakened and it rises up the passage of sushumna into sahasrara chakra. Shakti is in mooladhara and Shiva is in sahasrara- Shakti travels up sushumna as if climbing a ladder and in sahasrara becomes one with Shiva, That is the concept of maithuna, the second element of tantra. It is translated as sexual copulation and that is why many people think that tantra is sexual yoga. In Sanskrit, however, the word maithuna comes from the word mithuna which is an idea expressing the union of two in one.

The rise of kundalini

The shakti flows through the spinal cord along the sushumna from mooladhara directly up to ajna. In the central canal is a grey passage and the six chakras, the six psychic centres, are interwoven within it.

The event of awakening the kundalini in mooladhara is not a fiction! Many, many scientists have been working on this. One scientist. Dr. Motoyama of Japan, has improvised a small unit by which he is capable of measuring the waves of currents taking place during the awakening of kundalini in mooladhara.

Kundalini is the shakti and the awakening of kundalini brings about a change in the structure of human consciousness. When the nature of mind changes, meditation is spontaneous. Meditation is not something you achieve by exercise and practice, it is just an unfoldment of what you really are. The nature of consciousness known is meditation. Distractions are imposed on us, frustrations are imposed on us, schizophrenia is imposed on us. They are not our nature, they are just impositions. The real nature of the mind is blissful and is always in meditation, and it is possible to unfold it through the awakening of kundalini. Therefore, through the practices of hatha yoga, asanas, pranayama and kriya yoga we bring about a total change, indirectly, in the structure of the mind.

There are many lower manifestations of the mind that have to be thrown away. There are many lower expressions and manifestations of the mind but we should not fight with them at all, we have to transcend them. If you close your eyes and try to concentrate your mind and fight with the tendencies, fight with the impressions, fight with the samskaras, you will probably spend your whole life doing it. and many have done so. We say in tantra that if certain situations in life can make the mind restless, then certain situations can also bring about samadhi. It is only a question of how you tackle the problems of the mind.

Fighting with the mind, what a funny problem! When you are trying to fight with your own mind in the practice of concentration, one aspect of the mind is fighting with the other aspect. This is how you are splitting the mind. Mental division takes place and once this becomes abnormal it creates schizophrenia. The way many people are tackling the problems of the mind is creating more mental problems. But tantra is very clear about it. The way is the awakening of the kundalini shakti, so this becomes a very important event in the life of a spiritual aspirant.

Directing the pranic energy

One of the practices of tantra is known as prana vidya, the knowledge of the prana shakti. Even as you are able to move your hand, and to move your body, you should also be able to switch on more prana if it is too low, or switch down prana if it is too high, or to direct it to any part of the body where there is illness. Prana is a force; it is the basis of life, and in fact, the whole body itself is a miracle of prana.

I will never use the words ‘magnetic force’ for prana. I have tried to translate it that way but I have failed. Some call it energy; others call it vitality, but in yoga it is prana. Prana can be increased in a number of ways and can thus influence our consciousness. Pranayama is one way of increasing prana. It is charged by inhaling more ions into the body. The yogis like to practice pranayama in the Himalayas because in the higher altitudes, beside rivers, these ions are plentiful, and when you practice pranayama you inhale them. It has also been seen that the human consciousness is influenced by another practice of pranayama. This is the practice of retention of breath. However, it should be learned under a guru, because it strongly influences the awakening of kundalini.

As you can see, in tantra, shakti is most important and all the practices that have been prescribed by tantra use this shakti to make the mind capable of comprehending the great reality.

I am talking about tantra this evening with a definite purpose in mind, ! am not ashamed to say that I teach tantra. Tantra is yoga and yoga is tantra, and every teacher of yoga is a teacher of tantra. In order to teach tantra, you don’t have to teach your students to drink, to have sexual intercourse or to eat meat or fish. Everybody can do that if he likes, it is his life, but it has nothing to do with tantra. Tantra is a science by which you are able to transcend your limitations and for centuries man has been trying to do this. He does not need a science for drinking, he does not need a science for sexual interactions, we don’t need metaphysics for eating meat. This is plain logic. What we do need is a science by which something that has not been known can be accomplished.

The mind is always aware of time and space and we want to turn to the absolute. The mind is aware of activity and we want it to experience the highest. Since the dawn of creation this has been the problem of man, but nowadays the demand is urgent. Therefore tantra is the science for this age.

Mantra – the sound of liberation

One very important aspect of tantra should now be borne in mind, that is mantra. Tantra is mantra and mantra is tantra. Without mantra there could be no tantra. Tantra means a process of expansion and liberation. Mantra means a process of contemplation and liberation.

Mantras are not the names of gods and goddesses, they are the sounds, the words, the vibrations put into a particular pattern, and they are more subtle than the actual physical waves. They are more subtle than any kind of wave that we know in science today. Mantra has no limitations; mind is the basis of mantra and the mantra can be launched through the mind. The main mantra, that of the supreme, is aum. It is the primal mantra, the first seed of creation.

Please remember, I am not talking about Hinduism here, I am only talking about tantra, but while I am talking about tantra I am also talking about the basis of Hinduism. In fact, all religions, the entire range of philosophies throughout the passage of history and every side of metaphysics have come out of tantra. Therefore, when I tell you about aum, I am telling you about the first vibration responsible for all creation.

We do not know exactly what the sound aum is, but from our teachers and gurus we have come to know a particular way of vibrating. When this aum is produced by us it resounds through and through our physical, astral and spiritual existence. It not only influences the alpha patterns in the brain, it not only purifies the nadis, it not only influences the microcosmic structure of the body, but it charges the whole atmosphere around us. And we are in an age where we have much good scientific evidence for this.

Concentrate on aum, convert your consciousness into aum and then transmit the vibration and currents of aum. Your son, wife or husband in the next room will receive it directly if they are ready for it. The power of mantra is greater than the power of a nuclear weapon. There is no comparison, because mantra power is a constructive power and by practicing mantra we awaken unseen forces within us. These forces are infinite.

Aum is one mantra, but there are ranges and ranges of mantras. Most important of these are the bija mantras, seed mantras. When the yogi reaches very high consciousness, when he has transcended the physical consciousness, the astral being, and when he has broken through the barriers of unconsciousness, then he begins to hear those sounds known as bija mantras.

Whether a man believes in a personal god or does not, whether one is a theist or an atheist, if he is a man of common sense and if he is scientific in his outlook, he should pick up the correct mantra for himself. The science of tantra revolves around the mantra.

Then there is yantra and mandala, which are other aspects of this science, and we will deal with these another time. Remember, mantra, yantra, mandala. These are the three pillars of tantra, and yoga is the practical application of tantra in life. Tantra is the science which our wise ancestors used to teach and by which they became aware of the greater reality and eternal existence. It is an eternal science, it is the most powerful science and is all-comprehensive. Tantra is certainly the science for the new age.

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, January, 1979)

Today we are witnessing the renaissance of a very ancient culture of humanity. The purpose and the basis of this culture was to evolve the individual consciousness from the shackles of worldly or human limitations. It comes from a civilization in history which was more aware of the deeper mysteries of man. Rather than discovering the mysteries of matter it preferred to discover the mysteries of mind and consciousness, and for centuries our ancestors carried on this knowledge by glorious tradition. However, in recent centuries a dark age has confronted mankind in which we developed the material side of life and society but utterly neglected the spiritual or greater part of life.

Tantra and the mind

The ancient culture was based on tantra, the science which was concerned with the expansion of consciousness and the liberation of this consciousness from matter. Just as a scientist separates the energy from matter by a process of fission and fusion, in tantra the mind can be processed through a process of fission and fusion. The tantric teachers never defined mind as ‘thoughts’, they never defined mind as ‘emotions’; mind is neither memory nor emotions, nor thoughts, it is not kalpas and sankalpas, thinking and counter-thinking. Mind is only consciousness. The emotions, memory etc, and modifications of the mind are not the mind itself.

There are two great forces that are underlying human existence. One is the mind, the other is the prana, and it is this mind which is the subject matter of tantra. It is important that this mind which carries the impressions, the knowledge, the samskaras etc., be made free and able to shine in its real nature, and it is through the path of tantric meditation that we are able to have this experience of the mind. Most of us who have read about the mind do have a certain concept of it, but this concept is not an experience; it is only an intellectual concept. However, those yogis who have experienced the mind have experienced power.

Now coming back to tantra. The two forces underlying the human existence in tantra are known as Shiva and Shakti. Shiva is consciousness, Shakti is energy. Consciousness plus energy is existence. When consciousness and energy come into contact with each other and interaction takes place between them, creation begins. The tantric yogi tries to separate these twin principles by the practice of dhyana yoga, and in doing so he is able to create power, knowledge and experience.

Of count, mind end prana are cosmic forces which are present In every human being, and these twin forces are responsible for the whole of life, action and knowledge. So if there is an imbalance between the mind and the prana there is an imbalance throughout the life. This is why in tantra, first of all purifying and balancing practices of hatha yoga are emphasized, and why the practices of hatha yoga have been so clearly enumerated in the tantric books. The harmonization of these two principles, and the balance between them, is known as the balance between ida and pingala.

Let me explain the meaning of tantra according to the scriptures. Tantra is a word which is a combination of two ideas, ‘expansion’ and ‘liberation’. When we talk about the expansion of the mind we are only talking in terms of expanding the mind from the external horizon to the internal recesses. When we stretch the mind externally on to the objects around, with the help of the senses, we do achieve some knowledge, but this is limited. There are other dimensions of our existence, these are the inner planes and they should be experienced. For this purpose we have to stretch our mind, we have to expand our consciousness from the external objects to internal awareness. Then comes liberation. The word ‘liberation’ should not be understood in a religious sense, but as a liberation of energy. First, as you liberate energy from matter by a subtle process of physics, in the same way, in tantra, after the expansion of consciousness you liberate the mind. When the mind is liberated from the shackles of the association with matter, than it becomes homogeneous, It then not only operates through the medium of the senses, it is also able to operate independently. And then with this homogeneous mind you proceed further to the realization of the infinite reality. The purpose of tantra is to make the aspirant capable of experiencing reality, and in doing this it does not take us through the confused bewilderment of intellect, it takes into consideration the practical difficulties of the aspirant.

Nadis – the paths to total experience

The nadis are the medium for the flow of consciousness throughout the physical structure of man. The mental energy, the pranic energy, and the spiritual energy flow through and through the body by the medium of the nadis. The nadis are not nerves, the literal meaning of nadi is ‘flow’, just as electricity flows through wires. As the negative and positive forces of electricity flow through complex wires, in the same way prana shakti and mental shakti (manas shakti) flow through every part of our body via media which are known as nadis.

Out of 72.000 nadis of the body, three are considered to be the most important. These three nadis are known as ida, pingala and sushumna. The ida system is responsible for the mind, pingala is the channel for the flow of prana, and sushumna is the channel for the awakening of the spiritual consciousness. Now the picture is coming clear. The prana shakti- pingala, the manas shakti- ida, and atma shakti- sushumna. Pranic force, mental force, and spiritual force. These three are the constituents of our existence. Man is nothing beyond these three. If man is to have knowledge of himself he has to have knowledge of these three. Purifying the nadis is done through the process of hatha yoga. By this process we clear the channels of prana and the channels of mental shakti. Also, through the practice of asanas and pranayama, we purify not only the nadis but also the glands.

It is very easy to talk about the realization of the absolute, but there are so many obstacles confronting us on the way. The purification of nadis, the glands and the whole physical structure by hatha yoga goes a long way towards relieving these. By the practice of mudras and bandhas, we are able to create an opportunity or a field by which the inherent power and bliss are awakened. Let me talk about one or two mudras. Vipareeta karani mudra: It is very important that we are able to sublimate (redirect) the shakti in us. Ordinarily the shakti flows from the ‘moon’ (bindu chakra) to the ‘sun’ (manipura chakra) and there it is consumed. However, if through the practice of vipareeta karani mudra we are able to reverse the flow of shakti and preserve it, we are able to live a healthy life and we are able to meditate.

In the hatha yoga form of khechari mudra the membrane underneath the tongue is actually cut, and the tongue is elongated so that it can be inserted into the naso pharynx. There it stimulates lalana chakra, a gland that is situated in that area. The gland secretes a fluid, known as amrit (nectar) which is responsible for arresting the process of catabolism throughout the body, thus improving the process of metabolism. In raja yoga, in tantra, they do not cut the root of the tongue. They turn the tongue back and stick it against the soft palate, and gradually in the course of time the tongue reaches the gland. Also in tantric meditation when the consciousness is awakened, it straight away hits that gland and produces the same effect.

When the nectar begins to flow the yogi enters into a state which is called unmani. In this particular state of mind he is neither aware of the external consciousness nor is he completely asleep; he is in an in between state, in imperishable bliss. The nectar and the ‘intoxication’ which it produces are the first element of tantra. In the modern tantric text this particular element is translated as ‘wine’, though in Sanskrit it does not mean that. It is madya which means anything that is able to create a condition of the mind which is something like intoxication. Because of this mistake, much misunderstanding has arisen.

The union of Shiva and Shakti

After cleaning the nadis through the complete process of hatha yoga one has to enter the domain of kriya yoga, and I personally feel that there is no greater spiritual practice than kriya yoga. You do not confront the mental problems of maintaining a steady posture, but at the same time, with each and every practice of kriya yoga you are awakening and stimulating the deepest consciousness in you. Kriya yoga comes under the title of kundalini yoga, the science that is aimed at the release of energy.

Where is the energy and which is the passage? And if it awakens, what happens? Is there any energy here in this body? Or is this body merely a bundle of flesh, bone, marrow and muscle? Kundalini yoga says shakti is dormant and the seat of this shakti is in mooladhara chakra. But it is only dormant because of ignorance, because man is subjected to his instinctive karma and samskaras. It can be awakened and it rises up the passage of sushumna into sahasrara chakra. Shakti is in mooladhara and Shiva is in sahasrara- Shakti travels up sushumna as if climbing a ladder and in sahasrara becomes one with Shiva, That is the concept of maithuna, the second element of tantra. It is translated as sexual copulation and that is why many people think that tantra is sexual yoga. In Sanskrit, however, the word maithuna comes from the word mithuna which is an idea expressing the union of two in one.

The rise of kundalini

The shakti flows through the spinal cord along the sushumna from mooladhara directly up to ajna. In the central canal is a grey passage and the six chakras, the six psychic centres, are interwoven within it.

The event of awakening the kundalini in mooladhara is not a fiction! Many, many scientists have been working on this. One scientist. Dr. Motoyama of Japan, has improvised a small unit by which he is capable of measuring the waves of currents taking place during the awakening of kundalini in mooladhara.

Kundalini is the shakti and the awakening of kundalini brings about a change in the structure of human consciousness. When the nature of mind changes, meditation is spontaneous. Meditation is not something you achieve by exercise and practice, it is just an unfoldment of what you really are. The nature of consciousness known is meditation. Distractions are imposed on us, frustrations are imposed on us, schizophrenia is imposed on us. They are not our nature, they are just impositions. The real nature of the mind is blissful and is always in meditation, and it is possible to unfold it through the awakening of kundalini. Therefore, through the practices of hatha yoga, asanas, pranayama and kriya yoga we bring about a total change, indirectly, in the structure of the mind.

There are many lower manifestations of the mind that have to be thrown away. There are many lower expressions and manifestations of the mind but we should not fight with them at all, we have to transcend them. If you close your eyes and try to concentrate your mind and fight with the tendencies, fight with the impressions, fight with the samskaras, you will probably spend your whole life doing it. and many have done so. We say in tantra that if certain situations in life can make the mind restless, then certain situations can also bring about samadhi. It is only a question of how you tackle the problems of the mind.

Fighting with the mind, what a funny problem! When you are trying to fight with your own mind in the practice of concentration, one aspect of the mind is fighting with the other aspect. This is how you are splitting the mind. Mental division takes place and once this becomes abnormal it creates schizophrenia. The way many people are tackling the problems of the mind is creating more mental problems. But tantra is very clear about it. The way is the awakening of the kundalini shakti, so this becomes a very important event in the life of a spiritual aspirant.

Directing the pranic energy

One of the practices of tantra is known as prana vidya, the knowledge of the prana shakti. Even as you are able to move your hand, and to move your body, you should also be able to switch on more prana if it is too low, or switch down prana if it is too high, or to direct it to any part of the body where there is illness. Prana is a force; it is the basis of life, and in fact, the whole body itself is a miracle of prana.

I will never use the words ‘magnetic force’ for prana. I have tried to translate it that way but I have failed. Some call it energy; others call it vitality, but in yoga it is prana. Prana can be increased in a number of ways and can thus influence our consciousness. Pranayama is one way of increasing prana. It is charged by inhaling more ions into the body. The yogis like to practice pranayama in the Himalayas because in the higher altitudes, beside rivers, these ions are plentiful, and when you practice pranayama you inhale them. It has also been seen that the human consciousness is influenced by another practice of pranayama. This is the practice of retention of breath. However, it should be learned under a guru, because it strongly influences the awakening of kundalini.

As you can see, in tantra, shakti is most important and all the practices that have been prescribed by tantra use this shakti to make the mind capable of comprehending the great reality.

I am talking about tantra this evening with a definite purpose in mind, ! am not ashamed to say that I teach tantra. Tantra is yoga and yoga is tantra, and every teacher of yoga is a teacher of tantra. In order to teach tantra, you don’t have to teach your students to drink, to have sexual intercourse or to eat meat or fish. Everybody can do that if he likes, it is his life, but it has nothing to do with tantra. Tantra is a science by which you are able to transcend your limitations and for centuries man has been trying to do this. He does not need a science for drinking, he does not need a science for sexual interactions, we don’t need metaphysics for eating meat. This is plain logic. What we do need is a science by which something that has not been known can be accomplished.

The mind is always aware of time and space and we want to turn to the absolute. The mind is aware of activity and we want it to experience the highest. Since the dawn of creation this has been the problem of man, but nowadays the demand is urgent. Therefore tantra is the science for this age.

Mantra – the sound of liberation

One very important aspect of tantra should now be borne in mind, that is mantra. Tantra is mantra and mantra is tantra. Without mantra there could be no tantra. Tantra means a process of expansion and liberation. Mantra means a process of contemplation and liberation.

Mantras are not the names of gods and goddesses, they are the sounds, the words, the vibrations put into a particular pattern, and they are more subtle than the actual physical waves. They are more subtle than any kind of wave that we know in science today. Mantra has no limitations; mind is the basis of mantra and the mantra can be launched through the mind. The main mantra, that of the supreme, is aum. It is the primal mantra, the first seed of creation.

Please remember, I am not talking about Hinduism here, I am only talking about tantra, but while I am talking about tantra I am also talking about the basis of Hinduism. In fact, all religions, the entire range of philosophies throughout the passage of history and every side of metaphysics have come out of tantra. Therefore, when I tell you about aum, I am telling you about the first vibration responsible for all creation.

We do not know exactly what the sound aum is, but from our teachers and gurus we have come to know a particular way of vibrating. When this aum is produced by us it resounds through and through our physical, astral and spiritual existence. It not only influences the alpha patterns in the brain, it not only purifies the nadis, it not only influences the microcosmic structure of the body, but it charges the whole atmosphere around us. And we are in an age where we have much good scientific evidence for this.

Concentrate on aum, convert your consciousness into aum and then transmit the vibration and currents of aum. Your son, wife or husband in the next room will receive it directly if they are ready for it. The power of mantra is greater than the power of a nuclear weapon. There is no comparison, because mantra power is a constructive power and by practicing mantra we awaken unseen forces within us. These forces are infinite.

Aum is one mantra, but there are ranges and ranges of mantras. Most important of these are the bija mantras, seed mantras. When the yogi reaches very high consciousness, when he has transcended the physical consciousness, the astral being, and when he has broken through the barriers of unconsciousness, then he begins to hear those sounds known as bija mantras.

Whether a man believes in a personal god or does not, whether one is a theist or an atheist, if he is a man of common sense and if he is scientific in his outlook, he should pick up the correct mantra for himself. The science of tantra revolves around the mantra.

Then there is yantra and mandala, which are other aspects of this science, and we will deal with these another time. Remember, mantra, yantra, mandala. These are the three pillars of tantra, and yoga is the practical application of tantra in life. Tantra is the science which our wise ancestors used to teach and by which they became aware of the greater reality and eternal existence. It is an eternal science, it is the most powerful science and is all-comprehensive. Tantra is certainly the science for the new age.

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, January 1979)