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Tantra is a world view of reality, and more than anything is considered in India as a philosophy of how to see the world. The word Tantra actually means loom, weave or system. It represents a view of the world where there is a loom type web connecting all of us together; from the heavens to the hells; from the earth to all the planets; from this reality to the Ultimate Reality of Truth. World Affirming not world Denying
Tantra is a tradition which is world affirming. It sees the importance of the world in which we live in, and understands the importance of the conceptual reality of Divine Embodiment. This vision differs from many other traditions of the world, which views that happiness is world denying, such as Christianity, which sees often (but not always), that an ultimate happiness is something only available for the afterlife. Or, like Advaita Vedanta which sees the world as being an obstacle (or more correctly as an illusion) which we need to deny. The world is seen as a hurdle, an attachment which causes pain, suffering, and bondage. Tantra however, views that our world, the so-called manifestation, is created out of the same stuff as the non-manifest. That is, the world is as important as the transcendent.
An all inclusive philosophy
This view of Tantra has profound effects on how and what spiritual practices, such as yoga and meditation, are done by an individual. For a tantric practitioner all of life becomes a sacred, holy ground for discovering the Divine. The Transcendent Universal is the sacred underlying substratum of the universe, the earth, and most importantly the person, mind, emotions, and body. While many different spiritual traditions that look upon sex, dancing, music, the arts, etc., as either being sinful, or not productive to a path. Tantra sees the bigger picture and has managed to create a spirituality which can incorporate all of these into it, and more.
This understanding of an all-inclusive philosophy can be enough for some to start incorporating this vision into everything they do, and with that all of life becomes a movement into the Sacred. For others, it can take longer; not being convinced that all of life becomes a movement into the Sacred. For the majority of us, we need to follow the time honoured tradition of moving toward this vision in baby steps; with gradual growing awareness.
By Bringing awareness into everything we do, it helps us embrace the Tantric Vision of the Ultimate.
We need to add awareness to everything we do. When all of what we do is infused with the presence of awareness, of the Sacred, separated from the minds’ story and personality, one can realize this vision. This scenario does not involve the ego, the person, or the identity. Instead we can start to realize this profound, mind blowing reality only when the ego is humbled. This is why many of our great masters have had great humility; it is the wisdom of the Spirit, coming from an open and brave Heart.
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