Sri Humananda
Advaita Vedanta Tantra Yogi
My Yoga Paths
- Tantra - Jnana - Kriya - Laya -
Poetically, Tantra means 'to sit near the fountain of Truth and Beauty'.
It is unfortunate that Tantra is so misunderstood in the West. It is mostly immediately related to matters of sex and sexuality when it is truly not, although there are correlations with such expressions at times.
For those who want a better understanding of Tantra, the following should prove informative.
Tantra deals with the energies inside of you. The science of Tantra identifies these energies, and the practice of Tantra leads to a better management of these energies. In short, that is really all it is. Tantra has evolved over time. The older Tantra had some strange things going, and some of today's so-called "neo-tantra" is not less strange at times, so be careful what you get involved in. You'll know - you'll feel it. If it is odd or wrong, or even doubtful, move on. Because what it is ultimately not about is physical sex or eroticism. Tantra lives inside of you and you only - and deals with energy.
With practice, one comes to an understanding of the nature and qualities of these energies inside of you. You also start noticing that some energy is positive and some negative, some that we can identify as 'male', and some we can identify as 'female'. Also, that opposite energies attract and similar energies repulse each other. Just like in the natural world of physics.
The energy centers are at the very core of Tantra philosophy, and they are called Chakras – a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “circle”. The Chakras are spinning, quite rapidly, all the time, at various speeds, and they radiate different colors.
For a fairly close, basic background, see the Wikipedia site definition of Chakra.
Tantra, like many other Yoga Paths, is deeply involved with these Chakras. One learns, over time, to energize them all, and independently, and get to know their influences on your consciousness. It is, indeed, an entire world within you.
Eventually the goal is to balance yourself by energizing your entire being – to merge the negative and positive energies into a whole.
Tantra is not a toy, and you can go terribly wrong with it. It should really only be taught by a qualified Tantric teacher. It is a science as such, and a philosophy, but more than that, it is a practice and eventually becomes a way of life.
It is believed that since these energies do in fact exist – you can feel them – and they are in you, they also “belong to you” and since that is the case, you are the “owner”.
Therefore, you should be able to get to know more about them and manage, manipulate, and eventually control them in order to get the maximum potential use out of them.
Hence the science, philosophy, and practice of Tantra.
The following links mostly to Wikipedia
Jnana in Sanskrit means "knowledge", and is often interpreted to mean "knowledge of the true self". In the Vedanta school of the Hindu religion, to know Brahman as one's own Self is jnana. To say, based on experience "I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness," is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana.
Jnana yoga is one of the four basic paths in yoga (jnana, bhakti, raja and karma.) Jnana yoga teaches that there are four means to salvation:
- Viveka - Discrimination: The ability to differentiate between what is real/eternal (Brahman) and what is unreal/temporal (everything else in the universe.)
- Vairagya - Dispassion: After practice one should be able to "detach" her/himself from everything that is "temporary."
- Shad-sampat - The 6 Virtues: Tranquility (control of the mind), Dama (control of the senses), Uparati (renunciation of activities that are not duties), Titiksha (endurance), Shraddha (faith), Samadhana (perfect concentration).
- Mumukshutva - Intense longing for liberation from temporal limitations.
Kriya Yoga is a very specific system of Yoga that was revived in modern times by Lahiri Mahasaya. Paramahansa Yogananda brought it into widespread public awareness through his book Autobiography of a Yogi. The system consists of a number of yogic techniques that hasten the practitioner's spiritual development and help to bring about a profound state of tranquility and God-communion with one's own self.
Laya Yoga – shaivic system of practicing Yoga based on chakras development and inducing Kundalini energy. Laya means absorbing and dissolving or melting all difficulties and negatives, liberating from obstacles and problems by dissolving karma and destroying ovules of causes. It is usually called yoga of absorption or absorbing the lower nature by higher divine spiritual forces.
We can say that "Laya Yoga" term is usually used in two different meanings: first is every particular method of practice or even every single exercise, which melts mind conditionings or causes of suffering. Second meaning is many-sided and ordered initiation system referring to liberation of conditionings by methods of absorbing and dissolving. Laya Yoga can be practiced either as tantric system or vedic one – adequately "Tantrika Laya Yoga" or "Vaidika Laya Yoga".
Philosophically the spiritual aim of Laya Yoga school describes treatise "Yogabija" (142) as identity, uniformity (aikya), kshtera (fields of mind and ego) with kshterajna (authority of field, cognitive consciousness). After realizing this identity the mind melts itself, and when Laya state appears, vital force (pavana) becomes stable. Because of the state of absorption (Laya) a man can achieve ananda - a state of bliss and happiness and transcendental consciousness as well.
Laya state as higher spiritual state of Yoga is described as entrance of one single soul (atman) to the Absolute or All-Spirit, unification with God. Laya is entrance into God, coming into divine consciousness, merging with Highest Consciousness, with All-Spirit. "Laya" term as ending state of consciousness or spiritual realization is identified with fourth level of consciousness expansion called as Turiya or it's sophisticated higher phase.
Laya Yoga pays attention to practicing such groups of exercises like mantras, mudras and yantras – appropriately work with sound, shape and gestures, and work with signs and symbols (mandala). This sequence complies with methodology of introducing exercises – what is often forgotten by teachers of chakras in the West. They usually teach in rather accidental way, much different than Eastern Masters. Mantra purifies speech organs and sense of hearing. Mudra enables higher energies to flow through all our body and yantra enables us to contact with higher extraterrestrial creatures. During contact with higher existences we should be very careful, because not all of them are Gods or Goodies indeed and demonic worlds are full of spirits as well, even often pretending Gods.
As far as asana (yoga postures and exercises) are concerned, the positions associated usually with yoga, system of Laya Yoga uses usually such positions of meditation: sitting (sit on knees, lotus), standing (tree), lying (sawasana) or walking. Of course with appropriate focusing, visualization, rhythm of breathing and prayer (mantra). Lots of bows and half-bows are practiced and ritual moves called sthulla-karira. Laya practice contains also well known in northern India "transcendental runs" which are similar to jogging and tranquil lying on water surface with minimal moves indispensable for maintaining on the surface. It is called "water relaxation" and is usually connected with a session of intensive purifying breathing.
Laya Yoga at it's basis is correctly associated as a mystic way, a way to unification with God through intensive prayers, singing mantras, meditations of light and revering (nods, glorification) which all leads to stimulation of Kundalini power. Work with chakras and chakra's therapy which commonly are used in the West should be more connected with practice of Laya Yoga that to Kundalini Yoga. Unfortunately from a methodological point of view western systems of chakra’s therapy sometimes are devoid of elementary basis such as making correct connection with God through intensive exercises and long lasting glorification of some form of God.
