May all be happy and free!

For many people word ‘Tantra’ brings either bad taste in mouth or some creepy images of sexual fantasies. However, I know for fact that the real practice of Tantra is far from sexual orgies or fantasies.

The truth is everyone wants to be happy. And we all understand that happiness is a state of mind. We try many different things (foods, drinks, yoga, art, ambition, sex, shopping, games, etc) to get into that state of mind, where it “feels good”. However, we know for fact that it does not last long, something or other changes our mental state and we become bored, stressed, depressed, angry or unhappy. It is the same old uncomfortable trip on an uneven gravel road that we all sometime go through with flat tire.

Siddhas and Tantriks tell us that there is an internal process that continuously weaves all the sensations, thoughts  and feelings to create our metal state. Hatha Yoga Pradipika gives the hint by saying: “wind moves mind moves, stillness in one brings the stillness to other (chale vaate chalam chittam nischale nischalam bhavet.)

Movement of winds within subtle spaces of our being creates our mental-emotional state. Knowledge and understanding of how to manage the movement of inner-winds so that we can create a desired mental state is the Tantra. Tantra literally means ‘to weave’. It is a practice of weaving our mental-emotional state.  Now, given a choice who will not like to be in a  state of bliss all the time?

In Tantra inner-wind is metaphorically referred as Dakini. Dakini is a Sanskrit term, Khandro is its Tibetan equivalent, it means “Sky-Goer“. Dakinis are portrayed in female form and are shown in union with peaceful or wrathful Buddha forms which represent the various mental states of peace or suffering. Different traditions have given various names to the inner-wind or dakini: Valley-Spirit, Mother, Breath-of-life, Chit-vriti , Hiimori, Archetypal-energy, etc. All names point to the same moon, names are not important, realization through direct experience is the key aspect of Tantra.

 Khyungpo Naljor, a twelfth-century teacher in Tibet, had a visionary experience in which a lion-headed dakini appeared to him and sang this song about working with dakini:

Crystal dakini guards against interruptions.
Jewel dakini increases wealth.

Lotus dakini gathers energy.
Action dakini gets everything done.

When wanting and grasping hold sway
The dakini has you in her power.

Wanting nothing from outside, taking things as they come,
Know the dakini to be in your own mind.

The essence of mind is realization.

Know that the crystal is the non-thought of mind itself
And the crystal dakini guards against interruptions.

 Know that the source of wealth is contentment
And the jewel dakini fulfills all wants and needs.

Know that the lotus is the non-thought of freedom from attachment
And the lotus dakini gathers energy.

Know that action has no origination or cessation
And the action dakini gets everything done.

Those who do not understand these points
Can practice for eons and know nothing.

So, the heart of the matter is
To realize that the dakini is in your own mind (chita).

“The round shape of our head emulates heaven. The square shape of our feet emulates earth. Heaven has the four seasons, the five movements, the nine divisions, and the 366 days. Human beings have four limbs, five organ (zhang) systems, nine orifices, and 366 joints. Heaven has wind, rain, cold, and (summer) heat, while human temperament has ‘taking’, ‘giving’, joy, and anger. Our gallbladder functions like clouds, the lung like mist, the liver like wind, the kidney like rain, and the spleen like thunder. All of these are the union of Heaven and Earth made manifest within the human being.” ~ The Huainan Masters (Huainanzi): JingShen Xun, 120 B.C.E..

Ninth Night of Navratri (Goddess-celebration of Nine Nights in Hindu and Tantrik Traditions). The final night of journey, night of Goddess Siddhidatri. Siddhi means ‘perfection’, ‘accomplishment’, ‘attainment’, and Datri means ‘Bestower’. The Goddess of Great Perfection. She is also known as Prajñaparamita, “the Perfection of (Transcendent) Wisdom” or Mahamaya or the “Mother of all Buddhas.”

She is the ultimate nature of all sentient beings which is pure, all-encompassing, primordial bliss or naturally occurring timeless perfect-clear-light of bliss.

“Love never sleeps, nor even rests,
nor stays for long with those that do.
Love is language that cannot be said,
or heard.” ~Rumi

“You can hold back from
suffering of the world,
you have permission to do so,
and it is in accordance
with your nature,
but perhaps this very holding back
is the one suffering
you could have avoided” ~ Franz Kafka

“I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope,
for hope would be hope for the wrong thing.
And wait without love. For love would be love,
of the wrong thing.
Yet there is faith.
But the faith and the hope and the love, are all in the waiting.
And the darkness shall be the light
and the stillness the dancing.” ~ T.S. Elliot

Satcitananda – Sat (Truth), Cit (Mind), and Ananda (Bliss). Truth that dissolves mind so we can experience great bliss.

 Eigth Night of Navratri (Goddess-celebration of Nine Nights in Hindu and Tantrik Traditions). Night of Goddess Mahagauri, ‘Maha’ means ‘Great’ and ‘Gauri’ means ‘pure and clear light’. the Great Awarness of Clear Light. The Stillness of mind and dissolution of ‘I-ness’ leads to the realization of Mahamudra.

“Mind without projection is mahamudra.
Train and develop this and you will come to the deepest awakening.” ~ Mahasiddha Tilopa

“Many lamps are lit in the house,
But the blind are still in darkness;
Sahaja is all-pervasive
But the fool cannot see what is under his nose.
Just as many rivers are one in the ocean
All half-truths are swallowed by the one truth;
The effulgence of the sun illuminates all dark corners. ” ~ Mahasiddha Saraha

“Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing,
There is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.” ~Rumi