What is Tantra from the School of Awakening?

Awaken, revitalize, and energize your senses, and experience the fullness of sensual and sexual enjoyment in the context of deepening intimacy. There are meditations designed for each type of person, which can be practised as an integral part of your daily life. Some meditations can be practised alone and others can be practised with a lover.

In this life approach, which has it’s roots in ancient Eastern mystical tradition, the body is viewed as a miniature replica of the whole cosmos. Tantra is an art, a science, a spiritual path and a lifestyle. It is a Sanskrit word which essentially means transformation. The basic concept of this life approach is that each human being is a reflection of the entire cosmos. By entering inside one's own subjective being with a witnessing consciousness, all aspects of the body / mind and emotions are revealed in their refined potential. The refined potential of every human being is divine. Therefore, in Tantra, the whole person is accepted as divine. Each aspect of being human can become a door to expanded consciousness. You can begin the Tantric path from wherever you are right now. If you have anger, you can learn a method for discovering the tremendous potential for spiritual awakening contained within that energy. If you are feeling sexual, this quality becomes a key to open all the secrets of human energy. In fact, with Tantra, each sensorial experience offers a door to cosmic consciousness.

What is Tantra?

Tantra is an art, a science, a spiritual path and a lifestyle. It is a Sanskrit word which essentially means transformation. The basic concept of this life approach is that each human being is a reflection of the entire cosmos. By entering inside one's own subjective being with a witnessing consciousness, all aspects of the body / mind and emotions are revealed in their refined potential. The refined potential of every human being is divine. Therefore, in Tantra, the whole person is accepted as divine. Each aspect of being human can become a door to expanded consciousness. You can begin the Tantric path from wherever you are right now. If you have anger, you can learn a method for discovering the tremendous potential for spiritual awakening contained within that energy. If you are feeling sexual, this quality becomes a key to open all the secrets of human energy. In fact, with Tantra, each sensorial experience offers a door to cosmic consciousness.

The Origins of Tantra

The origins of Tantra are probably as old as the human race. However, as a teaching, it was first recorded through the scriptures of Shiva, a Tantric Master who lived between 5-7000 years ago in India. He has given to the world 112 methods of meditation which use each aspect of the human experience as a door to spiritual awakening. His life approach embraces sensual love between men and women as an integral part of the spiritual path. He has honoured the feminine and revealed the importance of an equal balance between male and female principles. A depiction of God according to Tantra is Ardanareshvara, half man, half woman. In Shiva temples throughout India the object of worship is a stone carving of the female genitalia which cradles a stone carving of the male genitalia, symbolising among other things, the importance of the balance between feminine and masculine principles. The name given to the male genitals is Lingam, meaning wand of light. The name given to the female genitals is Yoni, meaning sacred place.

The highest spiritual attainment according to Tantra is called Mahamudra, which means 'The Great Gesture' arising from the experience of orgasm with the universe. The way to reach this sublime state is through the art and science of Tantric meditation. These methods have always been passed as a direct transmission from a Master. In other words, the power of the teaching is contained not in the written word, but in the oral and experiential ambience created with the presence of one who has realised Mahamudra. The practitioner of Tantra imbibes it and is transformed. This transformational process is experienced as a remembrance of one's essential nature.

by Mahasatvaa Ma Ananda Sarita PhD
Ananda Sarita is co-founder of the School of Awakening, based in the UK. She and her colleague, Nirav Chintan, offer highly acclaimed Tantra courses for couples and individuals. She is co-author of two books, Tantric Love and Tantric Sex, translated into many languages throughout the world. Sublime Dezine Studio is one of their sponsors in the US.