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)

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)

Swami Satyananda Saraswati
given at Caxton Hall, London on Sept. 18th 1979

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)