In the ancient times tantras for the expansion of consciousness were written and taught, concerning every aspect of nature. Ancient texts describe 14,000 different tantras. Unfortunately most are no longer available to us. Their subjects included the whole range of spiritual, psychic and material knowledge including the science of departed souls, palmistry, mathematics, music and healing.

The spiritual aspect of music is mentioned continuously in the tantras. Tantra states that the sound spectrum is capable of expansion in two ways. One is anahata (unstruck sound) and the other is ahata (struck sound). Anahata nada are those particular kind of sounds which are connected with the subtle planes of being. This anahata nada can be heard in the meditation practice known as nadanusandhana.

Anahata nada is transformed into ahata nada as it passes through the vocal cords in the voice box in the larynx. This is the origin of sound which can be perceived by our sense of hearing. Only sounds caused by vibrations between the frequencies of 30 and 30,000 Hertz (cycles per second) can be heard by human ears, although the ears of some other species, including dogs, remain sensitive to slightly higher frequencies. Sounds of less than 30 Hz and more than 30,000 Hz are inaudible to humans, though they are not necessarily without effect.

In tantra, the science of using gross and subtle sounds to acquire control over worldly and spiritual advancement is termed mantra shastra. Mantra is the production and awareness of sounds, both gross and subtle, in particular combinations. Mantra is the vehicle of tantric power. Without mantra, tantra does not exist.

According to the tantras, one end of the sound spectrum can be traced to its source as the first fundamental outpouring or expression of God's creativity. Out of this sound (parashakti) the whole of creation is forever unfolding and returning. In the Upanishads it is recognised as Om while in the Bible it is considered to be the word underlying the creation as the first verse of Genesis states: "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God." In nadanusandhana, sound is traced to this original blissful source.

At the other end of the sound spectrum, is the form of ahata nada which has been perfectly structured in Indian classical music. Alteration of consciousness through music was one of the major practices in the tantric rituals of bygone days. Indian classical music is considered to have originated from Shiva. According to the Puranas, Shiva made five ragas from his five mouths, and Parvati (Shakti) made the sixth raga from her mouth. Later on, Parvati made 36 raginis. Yamalashtaka Tantra, Shakya Tantra and Uddishbodyam all mention the yoga of music and the power of music in influencing the state of consciousness of both musicians and listeners alike. The development of Indian classical music has occurred directly as a majestic outgrowth or unfoldment of the principles and experiences of nada yoga based on the fundamental, transcendental sound.

At various stages of conscious awareness, the mind is easily attracted by different waves of nada. Some waves readily induce hypnotic states, others induce mental clarity, others induce heightened awareness of various emotional states and so on. Certain vibrations of nada seem to be disagreeable at particular times of the day. Other combinations are agreeable to individuals of one nature and disagreeable to others.

These nada vibrations in Indian music are known as raga or musical notes. For example, the morning music, the Bhairavi and Bhairava ragas, appeal to a few, but not to all temperaments, likewise the midnight music of Malkos and the Durga or Jogia ragas. The evening ragas, like Bhimpalasi, are more popularly appreciated. Most boys and girls of tender age prefer Bhairavi. This shows that the human mind reacts differently to different sound waves according to many factors, including our individual psychic personality, mental and emotional characteristics, and also the time of day, the seasonal conditions, etc. For example, the monsoon season is undoubtedly the time when ragas of high and tender emotional pitch are appreciated.

According to Shiva Samhita: "There is nothing as effective as nada to merge the mind." Just reflect upon how quickly one's whole mood and outlook change in response to favourable (or unfavourable) music. Scientific experiments have revealed that plants exposed to musical notes grow more quickly, animals are more calm and yield more milk, while patients in hospital require fewer drugs and medications and their surgical wounds heal more quickly when exposed to pleasing music.

Definitely music has active elements which stabilise the consciousness and reduce mental imbalance, bringing about a cohesiveness in the individuals concerned. Musical notes have been found to influence the digestive processes. Eye power, memory and mental performance have been improved by the influence of music.

Amongst tribal cultures the calling of deities through drums and dances is a common ritual. These ceremonies utilise the beat of drums to induce a state of deep trance in which the individual expresses himself freely, unhampered by the usual neurotic inhibitions and personality blockages. In the process, great relief is gained and many psychosomatic symptoms magically disappear overnight.

All these effects were recorded in tantra shastras in a most systematic and practical way. The influences, both beneficial and detrimental, of various notes, sounds and combinations upon the physical, mental and emotional structures of man, have been recorded and utilised by the gurus and spiritual teachers to guide the evolution of their disciples, and mankind in general, even up to the present day.

Kundalini and Chakra Activator Suits 

To understand the relationship of rhythm and music to the more primitive ego structure, it is necessary to consider the relationship between physiology and music. Rhythm may be viewed as the language of physiology. Body functions such as heartbeat, brainwaves, peristaltic rhythms, hormonal secretion cycles, etc. are characterised by various rhythms. The entire nervous system communicates at a preconscious level by means of a series of neural impulses interpreted according to their rhythm. Neurophysiological experiments have shown clearly that the fundamental neuronal processes are occurring in the brain and vegetative nervous system as the underlying pattern of our consciousness. Upon these fundamental physiological rhythms the more complex communications of language and the psychological ego are built up, much as a complex piece of music is based upon recurring and underlying beats and melodies.

Each neuron has an inherent conduction velocity, amplitude and reaction time which are constant for that neuron - like a fundamental. They combine to make nerve bundles, which combine to form ganglia on the way to the brain. As the relationship becomes more complex, we begin to appreciate that consciousness exists in our nervous system in the form of a constant, ongoing, electrical activity, which is essentially rhythmic and musical in nature.

Because the central nervous system is bilaterally symmetrical, the impulses of a nerve group can be readily translated into a mathematical matrix, which can be translated directly into a complex of musical sounds simply by equating frequencies. Thus the rhythms of our life become a raga or symphony, playing eternally within our own nervous system. The basic measure or phenomenon of our continuing consciousness is thus musical. This continuous dance of consciousness is explained in the tantras as Lord Shiva's dance- Tandava Nritya. This is a peculiar sort of dancing pose in which Shiva has a damaru (small drum) in his hand. The faster he dances, the rhythm of the drum speeds up accordingly just as the level of activity in the autonomic nervous system constantly mirrors our state of consciousness and our level of psychological activity.

Bharatakalpalata Maitjari has expressed this concept of rhythm very nicely. It states: "Rhythm should be taken into consideration as time, and that time is known as Shiva. Nada (sound) has come from Shiva. Nada is the creation of the mind and mind makes time. Thus rhythm is itself a form of time."

In another tantric text, Uddisha Mahamantrodaya, some unknown types of drums are mentioned. These include talnilayam, patan, thuthuka, angulisphota, bhrammaka, mithkkatha, madadhala, etc. It is possible that these refer not to forgotten musical instruments, but to the physiological rhythms and internal melodies which accompany the various states of consciousness experienced in different chakras and centres of consciousness in the awakened nervous system during the psychological and emotional catharsis which occurs in the full experience of kirtan.

The more primitive the psychic level, the more it is in tune with the bodily events that rule over it. Thus music becomes a means of communication with the physiologic processes which dominate the primitive ego. This is also why music and mantra are perhaps the easiest and simplest means of arousing the kundalini shakti, the divine, unconscious, spiritual power in man.

Destructuring of the psychological ego, and surrender to the deeper, more fundamental physiological rhythms of life or the 'primitive ego' is the first step in bringing to birth a greater man and a greater personality, just as an old and decrepit ruin must first be demolished before a new building can be created on the same site.

Music is thus a more fundamental language, enabling communication at a more primitive physiological level of rhythm which puts the neurotic personality back into contact with his own roots, the source of his lost energy. At the same time, music enables a rapport to be established with psychotic patients which is not attainable with conventional language, and can help to develop more external, socially and interpersonally oriented patterns of behaviour. Thus the healing potential of kirtan and music therapy is profound. It balances the lopsided developments of the human personality which correspond to the two extremes of neurosis and psychosis, and is the most direct means of awakening kundalini in the sushumna nadi.

The healing journey of the schizophrenic or autistic child will involve a trend towards more complex music, aimed at precipitating a reintegration of the lost or dormant ego and socially oriented personality. However, for the neurotic person, cut off from his or her own roots and source of power, regression and dissolution of psychological complexes and anxieties by wholehearted participation in kirtan is one of the best ways to attain physical, mental and spiritual balance.

Music therapy is one of the newly emerging forms of psychological treatment. As yet it remains in its infancy, for modern psychology has been concerned solely with the gross, vibrational (ahata) dimension of sound. Psychologists as a whole remain unaware of the range of experience and effects of the subtle dimension of sound, and its manipulation by mantra.

The best understanding of mantra and music will emerge from physiological experiments to determine the effects of various sounds and music forms upon the bodily systems of untrained subjects, under controlled conditions. Mantra science and its external expression as music, is the means by which science can bridge the gap between the language of physiology and the phenomenon of consciousness.

Sound Bath - The Paralokik Healer 

Kriya Yoga has its source and origin in the great system of Tantra which was conceived more then 4000 years before Christ. It will be very difficult for the people of the West to accept the reinterpretation of Tantra in the light of Yoga which I am going to put before you this evening.

To a great many, in India or in the western countries; Tantra means a kind of ceremony which includes all those peculiar things which are not Very acceptable in a respectable society, such as playing with the skull of ate animal or the skull of a man and many other dirty things.

But those who sincere students of Tantra Shastra find that the great system of Kriya Yoga has emerged out of the vast body of this system. Not only Kriya Yoga, but even Hatha Yoga, Pranayam, Mantra Yoga, Ajapa-japa, Kundalini Yoga, Nada Yoga, Tratak, Yoga Nidra and even the practice of Inner silence Antar Mouna, are offshoots and derived from the vast body of Tantra.

What we know in the West and in the East by the word Yoga, the same is meant by the word Tantra, rather Tantra is the basis and Yoga is an offshoot of Tantra.

The science of Mantra, about which we have heard lot from time to time, is not a part of Bhakti Yoga, or the path of devotion, but is an essential part of Tantra. Without the system of mantra, the system of Tantra does not exist.

The word Tantra literally means stretching or rather expansion and liberation. Expansion plus liberation is Tantra The etymological structure of this word Tantra conveys the ideas of two great processes. The first of these is the process of expansion and the second is the process of liberation of release.

If we say Tantra Yoga it means the Yoga which includes the practices for expansion of individual consciousness and then finally for liberation of consciousness from the fold of Prakriti or nature or matter.

The whole Tantric system can be said very plainly to be the native place or the native home of all the yogic science wherever you may find them in India, Tibet, China, Japan and south-east Asia. Anywhere, the Tantric system, is the father or the mother system.

The ultimate purpose of Tantra is to provide a layman with the practices, easy and difficult, according to his social moral and intellectual structure for spiritual realization, for the expansion of his personal self, the small self, and finally to make him free from the bondages of Maya, Prakriti and unreality.

The Tantras suppose and it is true that everybody is not the same. Everybody is not capable of great austerity or acts of renunciation and of practicing a rigorous system of life. But, at the same time, everyone has the right to become aware of the highest consciousness, the highest truth.

Sometimes, in the western countries and also in the eastern countries, even at the present time, people feel that the practices of Yoga are not meant for everyone, they are only meant for the recluse, for renunciates and for those who are celibates or brahmacharyas, but the system of Tantra has brought this insight to us that the above statements are not true. Yoga being an inseparable part of Tantra, is practicable and approachable by each and everyone in expectance of attainment.

There are some people who say that in the Tantric system, of Yoga you include the sexual life, and wine, and meat, flesh and such other things and therefore this is not a pure Yoga, this is not a higher yoga and as such we do not want this Tantric Yoga, we want something better. But this is a wrong conception.

The practices of Tantra are divided according to the Gunas, according to the internal quality of the aspirant which are three in number. The Sattvic, that is to say, the pure ones, Rajasic, the dynamic ones and the Tamasic, the lazy, ignorant and thoughtless people. According to the practitioners qualifications the practices of Tantra are divided and practiced.

Even though the person with sensitive qualities will maintain continence and refrain from taking such undesirable diets, yet there are practices of Tantra for the evolution of his consciousness. But that does not mean that a man who has not completely adjusted morally and who has not corrected his diet and so on, is not alright. He can also practice the system of Tantra of Tantric Yoga but then the practices are slightly different.

The object of Tantric Yoga or the object of the practices of Tantra is not only to do some ceremonial work or some practices like that but the ultimate purpose is to identify your self with highest consciousness, to realise the highest consciousness and to render this lower mind free from all the limitations that it is subjected and attached to.

The symbolisms of Tantra which you see in the form of Yantras or the diagrams; and in the form of pictures of animals and men are all indicative of the planes of human consciousness or the states of psychic evolution or involution of man, where he is standing, during the process of expansion and fusion.

Consider for instance, how the Tantra tries to expanded and liberate the consciousness by the practices of Mantra Yoga. This will be my one example. When you accept a Mantra from your spiritual master you must be sure that he knows the Mantra. Not only that he knows the Mantra but also that he knows what a Mantra is in distinction to an alphabet a, b, c.... the word Mantra does not mean a word. The Guru who knows the science of sound and the composition of a Mantra in relation to the elements, in relation to the sound vibrations, and so on, knows what the proper Mantra for an aspirant is, and he should initiate the aspirant into the Mantra accordingly. The expert Guru who knows the science will provide you with a Mantra which will help you to expand your consciousness, to bring about a state of integration of the pattern of your consciousness if it is completely dissipated and it is completely imperceptible. Therefore it is said that the aspirant should not take a Mantra unless he is convinced of the vast knowledge his Guru has of this system. Because it is not only a respectable man, it is not only a godly or saintly man, but Tantra being a science, it is an expert man who should be made to handle the system of Mantra.

Mantra plays a very important role in our spiritual life. It brings about a great change or transformation of our consciousness by the sound vibrations, etc., which are intrinsically attached to the Mantra. In his most unique book, The Garland of Letters, the great author Sir John Woodroffe has written a lot about its sound, its colour, its frequency, its influence in diseases and so on, according to Tantra Shastra.

According to Tantra Shastra any sound is known as Varna which means colour. For instance, 'Ka', it is a sound according to us, 'Ka' According to Tantra Shastra it has a colour. 'Kha', it is a sound but it has a different colour from 'Ka', 'Ga', it is not a letter of an alphabet but it is a sound and it has a different colour. Therefore, 'Ka', 'Kha', 'Ga', they are different colours perceived by us in the from of sound and it is also said that these sounds are imperishable. When they are accepted and assimilated by the subconscious mind they remain there and make patterns and those patterns are responsible for the development, expression and unfoldment of your subconscious mind and behaviour.

Mantra, therefore, is not only a name of God as is generally misunderstood. This error must be corrected and you must remember that Mantra is something besides the name of God.

In different reflex centres of Ida and Pingala we have different sounds and those sounds belong to that particular Chakra or to that particular circle. There are some sounds that are conducted through Ida to the centres of the brain. Ultimately, the right sound belonging to the particular structure of a chakra is conducted to a certain brain centre provided the Nadi or nerve is flowing properly. For each brain centre there is one sound, that is to say, every sound influences a particular centre in the brain.

It may also be explained in the following way. When a Mantra is recited, the construction or the compiled construction of the Mantra is a combination of different Tattvas, different elements, having different velocities and intensities But in addition to that every sound has a separate influence; on a particular Chakra and the influence is conducted to that part of the brain which corresponds to that particular centre.

In Kundalini Yoga, which is a part of Tantra, they always talk about the Bija-Mantras of Muladhara, Swadhisthana,; Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Agna and Bindu, once main Bija-Mantra which represents that particular centre has such as Yam, Vam, Ram, and Lam.

In addition to this each Chakra, each centre, has the different modes of consciousness represented by the various sounds on the petals such as Yam, Vam, Ram, Lam, that is the four syllables or the four sounds, then eight sounds, then twelve sounds, then sixteen sounds, then two sounds. All these sounds are different from each other and they are the centres of the sounds, and every sound that is produced by your mouth or is heard has a counterpart in that centre.

At the same time the brain, so to say, I use the word brain, or the Sahasrara Chakra has all the sound, has the centres corresponding to all the sounds which were in all the other Chakras As such a sound is produced, its influx is received by the corresponding Chakra in the Body and the influence is carried through Ida or Pingala to the particular centre in the brain which corresponds to that particular sound. Of these there may be 56, 64, or 86 or 108, it does not matter.

Therefore, concluding my discussion of Mantra, it is very important for practitioners to accept and receive the right Mantra which will influence the whole body, the entire brain and influence their behaviour, their thinking, and every, thing, else in the right way. This is why we say, in Tantra, that with the help of mantra you can completely change your-self and you can even help yourself and if you are powerful you can even heal others by the right type of Mantra.

This Mantra Yoga, about which I have spoken very briefly and in my limited language, is one of the most important items of Tantra Shastra. From this you can now under-stand how important Tantra Shastra is in your life and whether you need this Tantra Shastra or not. You can also decide if this Tantra Shastra as expounded by me here is a fine science or a horrible science.

In addition to Mantra and Yantra, i.e. the system of diagrams, I am going to talk to you about another important item of Tantra Shastra, that is the system of Yoga Nidra or psychic sleep. Without pride I must tell you that I was the first, not only in India but abroad, to reveal this type of 'Yoga Nidra' in 1962. This happened to be my first discovery I am not an inventor, this happened to be my first discover when I was revising all the tantric books. It was then that I came to understand that Yoga Nidra was one of the most powerful methods not only of relaxation but of reawakening the degenerated brain centres. The Yoga Nidra that I first discovered in Tantra is such a peculiar one that if I were to teach you that Yoga Nidra I would have to prepare you for sometime with the science of sound, of science of Mantra. I do not remember exactly at the moment but I think there are about 670 sounds and you can practice yoga Nidra on those 670 or a little more not less. When you practice Yoga Nidra on those sounds it is as good as practicing Yoga Nidra on different centres of the brain of which you have no idea at all. There are various Yoga Nidras, different system of Psychic sleep.

Their purpose is first to enable a Yogi to practice astral projection, second to enable a Yogi to practice long hours of meditation and third to enable a person to rest, relax and to heal himself. Furthermore to enable him to I awaken the centres of the brain by the different sounds or the different Mantras, a number of which are very important and very influential. In the Tantra the Yoga Nidra is such an elaborate system, it is something like surveying the whole body on the external physical plane, that is the external physical limbs, the internal plane such as the heart, the lungs, the respiratory and the circulatory system and not only that but even the thoughts, emotions, etc.

Yoga Nidra begins with the external body thumb, second finger, third, fourth, fifth, palm, etc. Ultimately it goes to that point where you are made so sensitive as to perceive colours, emotions and many other things which is difficult in the beginning. Although I am very eager to take out all the different systems of Yoga Nidra according to different systems of Tantra for the benefit of healing, for the benefit to spiritual revival but so far it has not been possible. Maybe if everything works out alright, then in a few years time, all the system of Yoga Nidra, and there are thousand in the Tantra, will be know and they will be of great use to the broken man of today.

It was in Tantra that I came to discover that Yoga Nidra, the psychic sleep can be practiced while standing sitting and not only while lying down. It is in the Tantra Shastras that I came to know that Yoga Nidra can be practiced with eyes open, with eyes closed, while talking, without talking in anyway you like.

Yoga Nidra is practiced by awakening one end of sensation and conducting the same sensation through the sound principle, or through the feeling principle to the brain. Out of all the system I can suggest to you one kind of Yoga Nidra. This particular Yoga Nidra, which we almost do in our everyday life is not a part of any other system but we have taken it from the body of Tantra and are trying to propagate it to people for their physical and mental well being. This is what I think you learn here in Copenhagen.

Well the system of Tantra is very vast and it is not up to me to tell you everything about Tantra this evening. I merely come and present myself before you in order to make it very clear to you that what you have been learning in the name of Yoga so far is only Tantra and nothing else because Yoga is not an offshoot of Sankhya but Yoga is a branch of Tantra or is an offshoot or Tantra. Only in the name of Tantra are we practicing Yoga but perhaps the Teachers in western countries feel very shy about telling the people they are teaching Tantra.

There are 64 books of Tantra, that is to say there are 64 different systems and they sometimes differ very much from each other. They may talk of different practices such as Tratak, Nada Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini, Mudra, Bandha, Pranayama, they may talk of hundreds of practices but the fundamental concept is that there are two things, the Purusha and Prakriti, consciousness and content of consciousness. Of these two the Shakti must be awakened over the Purusha, not the consciousness according to Hinduism, according to Hindu Tantra it is awakening of Shakti, it is the awakening of Prakriti. It is the awakening of matter or force which is supposed to be most important and this Shakti, is sometimes known as Kali, and sometimes it is known as Durga and of course it is mostly known as Mother, not the mother, the wife of my father but Mother a very fine concept of Tantra.

There is only a little difference between the Buddhist Tantra and the Hindu Tantra. The aim of Buddhist Tantra is to awaken the consciousness, the awareness and the aim of the Hindu Tantra is to awaken the Shakti. But apart from these two aspects which differ, ultimately there is no difference. There is only a little difference in so far as their approach is concerned.

Tantra is a philosophy and the various practices of Tantra fall into the different categories of 'left hand' Tantra and "right hand' Tantra- vamachara and kaulachara. Tantric thought accepts life as it unfolds itself, with alt its varieties of personality, and seeks the growth of the different facets of personality without imposing any idealistic disciplines. It simply seeks to transform the human attitude, behaviour, nature and expression.

We have certain desires according to our likes and choices. Now, these desires or ambitions, or goals which we set in life, represent the aspect of self-satisfaction- I want to satisfy myself by achieving something in life- and this desire for self-satisfaction can be a great motivating force if it is channelled in a positive direction. It can also be a very limiting and selfish force if it is channelled in a negative direction. So the main emphasis in Tantra is on channelling every kind of desire, feeling, urge and instinct and giving it spiritual colour, not worldly colour. It should have a spiritual tint to it because the instincts of hunger, sensory and sensual enjoyment, fear, etc., are considered to be the Instincts connected with mundane human life.

Now, in Tantra, direct confrontation is needed with these instincts which inhibit the growth of our personality, or which restrict our expressions. If the desire is for sensual, sexual, sensory pleasure, then it is a very powerful force which can either expand our perception or limit it. The aim is that we should eventually attain the final realisation of what lies behind these forces, instincts and urges. What are they? Where are they coming from? In which direction are they going? How can we sublimate that energy which is contained in an instinct, in a desire or in an ambition?

In Tantra certain sadhanas have been prescribed. One, for example, requires that the sadhak goes to the graveyard and does meditation there. Now anybody who goes to a graveyard and tries to meditate will definitely have heart failure if their psyche begins to manifest. By psychic manifestation I mean that the inner experiences in the form of instincts and urges begin to surface, and when they come up it becomes a very visual experience. You see something which is not there. You may see a ghost, a spirit, a deity, a demon-anything can he seen. It is a projection of one's own consciousness, and tantric sadhana acts as a catalyst to project the consciousness and experience it in all its variety.

If we are able to change our attitudes, our daily perceptions and our idea of our self and what we are, then a certain kind of purification or transformation will take place within us. We shall rise beyond the experiences of instinct, urges and the basic samskaras and karmas of life. Different types of personality have been defined in yoga, modem psychology and also in Tantra. Yoga has defined personality according to the three gunas- sattvic, rajasic and tamasic, whereas modern psychology has classified it in terms of dynamic, emotional, intellectual and psychic.

Tantra classifies personality into 'pashu', 'veer' and 'dev', 'pashu' meaning the 'animal' personality, 'veer' meaning the 'warrior' personality, and 'dev' the 'divine' personality. And according to the Tantric system these three personality person who contain aspects of sattva, rajas and tamas. Even a person who has an animal-like personality will have attributes of sattva, rajas and tamas. Even the divine personality will have aspects of rajas and tamas in different intensities. And the veer bhav, the warrior-like personality, will also contain all three gunas. This is a broad classification which represents the basic structure of our personality. So, the transmuting of the personality from animal, to heroic to divine is the transformation of personality in Tantra which happens through tantric sadhana.

Tantric sadhana is a most difficult area to under-stand' It has generally become associated with techniques and practices which involve certain kinds of sensual satisfaction. However, if we study the different traditions of Tantra, the Maha nirvana Tantra or any other aspect of Tantra, we find that the principles are based on the Samkya system: the awakening of the chakras and of the kundalini Through the practice of pranayama, mantras, concentration on yantras, mandalas, and other kinds of meditation, which bring us closer to our inner personality or psyche.

Tantra considers the female aspect to be the superior part of creation, and in this aspect of Tantra, which is the kaulachar, mantra initiation is given by the female: the wife can initiate the husband, the mother can initiate the son, the daughter can initiate the father. It is a mantra initiation.

The aspects of Tantra which have been associated ( with other philosophies such as Buddhism, Vajrayan Tantra, Mahayan Tantra, Tantrayan Tantra, are again meditative or analytical. They are the aspects of gyan yoga: self-analysis, self-awareness, 'who am I?' 'where am I?' 'am I what I perceive myself of be, or am I something more than that?' They involve certain practices such as vipassana. Vipassana is just one technique There are other techniques which are known lo the general public and which are only given and taught at the time of initiation. They act as systems for stopping the gross mental activity and stimulating the subtle mental activity.

The 'right-hand' system of Tantra is Yoga - yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana. Yoga is a compilation of techniques from Tantra and Samkhya both. In kundalini yoga, in kriya yoga, where we are dealing with chakras and the kundalini, it is an aspect of Samkhya as well as a part of Tantra, The practices of kundalini and kriya yoga are considered to be a synthesis of Yoga and Tantra.

'Left-hand' Tantra accepts the five principles of life - pancha makar. These five principles are: matsya (fish), mans (flesh), maithuna (sex), madira (wine), mudra (grain), but they have to be understood and taken from the spiritual point of view. How they have to be accepted with a spiritual attitude and used for spiritual attainment is explained in the "Kularna Tantra" which is a treatise. If by drinking wine one were able to reach self-realisation, every drunkard in the world would be realised; if by eating meat one were able to attain self-realisation, then every non-vegetarian would be self-realised, if by sexual union one were able to attain self-realisation, then everybody in the world would be self-realised, including the animals. However, this is not the case.

So it should not be taken from its literal but from its symbolic aspect. The body develops its own wine inside and this concept has been clarified in the kundalini practices. That nectar is created by bindu chakra, and through practices such as khechari mudra, bandhas and other mudras, we can learn to transmute that nectar. That is the concept of wine. It is definitely not drinking rum and champagne and other things.

The concept of fish is the concept of pranayama. Tantra says only two fish have to be taken. What are these two fish? The breath which is Sowing in the two channels - ida and pingala. This breath must be controlled. Therefore control of breath and prana is considered to be having the meal of fish.

Like this, different things have been explained in Tantra. The actual practical aspects like the sexual relationship, the drinking of wine, or the eating of meat- in our ignorance we say that they are a part of Tantra, because we are not able to understand the exoteric meaning. If however, we look at them from the spiritual angle, then even the vamachar aspect of Tantra is a meditative process.

So Tantra, to my understanding, is nothing but a direct experience of the realities of life. It is necessary to try to initially analyse and understand the tradition from which these systems of thought have come, and what they are trying to tell us, then compare that with modern conditions and situations: 'Is it really valid? Is my understanding right? Is the understanding of the author correct and true?' Because on one side we are saying that in order to evolve spiritually there has to be control of mind, which will lead to some transformation and transmutation of the basic tendencies or vrittis, while on the other side we are saying that the drinking of wine is alright; do it, being tamasic is alright, being rajasic is alright also, one should become rajasic, etc.

Tantra emphasises an experiential awareness rather than an imposed idealistic discipline; and other systems of thought emphasise an imposed idealistic discipline with the hope that, if your convictions are strong, then in course of time you will be able to transcend the vrittis of life. If one's sankalpa shakti (the power of resolution), iccha shakti (willpower) kriya shakti (the power of action) are all strong, then one can change things. The urge may be there, but if these forces are not strong and powerful, then that urge simply becomes a desire, like everything else in life which may be fulfilled, or which may not be fulfilled.

Much of Tantra is concerned with worship in a ritualistic form, using the three basic tools of mantra, yantra and mandala. This ritual is not based on superstition or blind faith but has been scientifically, systematically and practically designed to direct the whole process of living, towards transcendence. All religions originally used these methods, but now the aim of ritualistic worship has been generally lost sight of and has degenerated into the performance of mere automatic and meaningless actions which are not understood by the practitioner. When this happens no benefit is derived from the ritual.

The modern scientific mind scoffs at rites and rituals as mere superstition because there is no basis for worship in modern scientific thought. However, Tantra utilises systematic ritual with awareness as a means of contacting the things with which science cannot commune, even with its most delicate and complicated instrument. The rites of Tantra do work if performed correctly, and the proof is not to be found in books or theories but in one's own personal experience.

Tantric rites are utilised for involving or tuning in with the different levels of being which are beyond normal perception. They are concerned with worship, set actions, mantras, yantras, mudras end other actions, which make the mind calm, receptive and one-pointed. This is conducive to the experience of meditation which will transform one's understanding and relationship with life, oneself, and other people. Tantra aims at transforming everything in life into a ritual so that the individual performs every action and thought with a feeling of worship and awareness. The action of bathing dressing, sitting for worship, offering various symbolic sacrifices, the union of man and woman, the stages of development from conception, birth, marriage to death, are transformed into worship.

In Tantra one has to be continually aware of every action and thought whether it is a set ceremonial worship or an everyday duty. Each act has to be performed with absolute attention, not mechanically or unconsciously, and this awareness and concentration eventually prepares one for meditation. Tantric worship is not confined to the temple. It is done from the moment one gets out of bed in the morning to the moment one returns to bed at night.

Together with yantra and mandala, mantra is the most important aspect of Tantra - its essence. Almost invariably, these three are used in conjunction with each other to form powerful combinations. The mantra is the vehicle of consciousness, while yantra, mandala or devata is the form of consciousness. The mandala, yantra or devata is the manifested form or configuration of Shakti while the mantra, which is also Shanti, is the link between consciousness and form. This applies to everything in the world around us. The form is the expression; the mantra is the vehicle of expression.

Mantra is the direct link with the 'beyond'. The world we know is materialised and shaped through mantra, through sound at all levels and degrees of subtlety. Mantra originates in the substratum of Shiva, and can be used to retrace the direction of manifestation so that one again merges with consciousness. A mantra is therefore a means to make a 'U-turn' and retrace one's path back to the source.

Man's 'inner being' is constantly in contact with something much greater than the limitations of individuality, but the average person is not aware of this. Mantra brings about a state of 'resonance' between an individual and the depths of his being. They are the tools through which we can harmonise with the inner cosmic forces.

A yantra is a specific form of mandala consisting of geometrical shapes and figures, and often diagrams of deities (especially in Buddhist Tantra). It is a particularly powerful form of mandala and deep concentration upon it can lead to the realisation of its higher nature. The word 'yantra' means 'instrument, 'machine', 'apparatus', or 'implement'. The yantra is indeed an implement (or tool) because it acts as an instrument for tuning in with consciousness, a spiritual machine for inducing states of meditation.

A mandala is a focus for cosmic powers. During tantric worship and practices the mandala becomes the symbolic centre of the universe. It is laid out according to a fixed plan and its construction is a rite in itself. Everything in the manifested world is a mandala in essence. Each and every object is a focal point of consciousness: every thing is a manifestation of Shakti, an expression of the underlying consciousness. Thus, deep concentration on any form can bring about a realisation of this consciousness.

For this reason, bhakti or devotion is an important part of tantric meditation practices as it supercharges the power of concentration, which becomes more piercing when backed up by the emotion of reverence and love.

Each one of us and our every thought forms a mandala. A man and woman in union form a closed unit or circle which can also be a perfect mandala for attaining higher states of consciousness. The guru is a most powerful mandala as he acts as a magnet to draw down cosmic consciousness. He radiates and glows with the light of this great force. It is through the guru that cosmic powers are unleashed and transmitted to the disciple. This is the grace of the guru mandala.