Teachers have kept Tantra Sadhana shrouded in secrecy, making it inaccessible to the untrained and common people. This secrecy stems from the unique perspective Tantra demands of seekers. It requires them to abandon their usual way of seeing the world and develop a “superhuman and divine outlook.” Tantra’s requirements are so rigorous that it’s a closed practice, requiring a qualified teacher to unlock its secrets.
The Core
The core of Tantrik philosophy is the concept of duality in everything. Nothing exists in isolation; everything has two opposing sides. This can be seen as the positive and negative poles, represented by Shiva and Shakti. Ancient texts like the Puranas, Manusmriti, and Mahabharata describe the universe’s origin as a single entity splitting into male and female halves, reflecting this concept of duality.
Even modern science seems to support this idea with the theory of the universe starting as a single atom that is divided.
This inherent duality creates a natural attraction between opposites, like positive and negative poles. This attraction exists at all levels, from the cosmic to the atomic. Even our behavior reflects this double consciousness of unity and duality. Attraction wouldn’t exist if things were completely separate, but repulsion wouldn’t exist either without some underlying unity. This is the mystery of attraction, often called love or affection.
While Shiva and Shakti represent the ultimate cosmic duality, on lower levels, this bipolarity can lead to repulsion. One family might struggle to appreciate another, or social groups might view each other with suspicion.
Goal of Sadhana
According to Tantra, the root of suffering is this confusing existence, the splitting of one into two. True reality is oneness, not duality. Because this dualistic existence is unnatural, there’s always an ambivalence between the poles, with love and hate taking turns to dominate. Tantra teaches that the goal of Sadhana (spiritual practice) is to move from duality back to unity.
Here’s where Tantra differs from other spiritual paths. Most religions advocate rejecting the external world for the internal, the material for the spiritual. They see desires as obstacles and joys as hindrances. Tantra, however, sees the world and our desires as potential tools for growth. Everything in the world is a path to perfection. The visible world is a gateway to the invisible, not a barrier.
Our unintelligent approach to desires creates problems. We fear them because we’re told they’re bad, and objects are seen as shackles. Tantra argues that objects themselves aren’t the problem; it’s our relationship with them. Every experience involves a subject-object connection. We can’t overcome the object’s influence without first relating to it. Trying to eliminate the object creates a vicious cycle.
Tantra’s Radical principle
Tantra proposes a radical solution: to conquer desires, you must channel them into other desires, and to overcome objects’ allure, you must use other objects. This aligns with another Tantrik principle: “that by which one falls is also that by which one rises.”
This core principle sets Tantra apart from other spiritual practices. It’s a challenging and potentially dangerous path, even though its teachings are logical and grounded in human psychology.
Tantric teachers acknowledge the difficulty of internalizing and practicing this doctrine. Therefore, Tantrik Sadhana involves a gradual progression through various stages of understanding. These stages aim to disentangle the subject from object attachment and ultimately transcend the subject-object relationship altogether.
Seven stages of Tantra Sadhana
The seven stages of Tantra Sadhana are: Vedachara, Vaishnavachara, Saivachara, Dakshinachara, Vamachara, Siddhantachara, and Kaulachara. The first three are for beginners (Pasujivas), the next two for those with normal human instincts (Virajivas), and the last two for those with a dominant divine element (Divyajivas). These stages are believed to represent Karma (work), Bhakti (devotion), and Jnana (knowledge). Up to this point, the path is relatively straightforward.
However, the Vamachara stage introduces a significant shift. “Vama” doesn’t mean “left” as commonly interpreted, but rather “reverse.” It signifies a turning inward, a movement away from the natural flow of the senses. Tantrik practitioners (or Tantrik Sadhakas) like Ramapada Acharjee, begin the most secretive phase of their practice here.The goal is to overcome the perception of them as external and separate. This stage is not meant to be explained but learned directly from a master.
Conclusion
The greatest obstacles to spiritual progress are typically considered wealth, power, and sex. Tantra aims to harness and overcome these very things, which could lead to downfall for the untrained. The Pasu, Vira, and Divya Bhavas represent the animal, human, and divine aspects of things encountered as challenges on the spiritual path.
