Tantra & Buddhism

CHAPTER-1

Live Spontaneously!

‘Have a mind that is open to everything,

and attached to nothing.’

Tilopa’s Mahamudra Teachings

Buddhism—especially the Tantric Mahamudra of Tibet and the Zen of Japan—teaches that spontaneous living makes us strong. This idea echoes throughout core Tantric and esoteric Buddhist teachings. It is the very essence of the Tantric Mahasiddha traditions of both India and Tibet.

Eventually, all of Tantra—whether that of ancient Kashmir (the Trika or Shaiva Tantra that has roots in ancient Hinduism), the Vamachara Tantra of eastern india, or the Vajrayana of Tibet—is based upon creating spontaneous, blissful energy within you. All of life is in fact looked at in the Tantric vision as a great cosmic interplay of energy: the idea being that our energy should ideally be dynamic yet relaxed, detached yet loving, bold yet blissful. Tantra says you are, in your basic reality, simply a pure witnessing energy of blissful consciousness. Understanding this, feel free, happy, relaxed, unforced, natural, and effortless in all things. This is the fundamental Tantra attitude. In Tantra, our realization of ananda or self-bliss itself is the true worship/prayer, for that is the nature of the Divine.

Tilopa, the great master of the Mahamudra Tantra of India and Tibet taught: ‘Don’t recall. Don’t imagine. Don’t think. Don’t examine. Don’t control. Rest.’ This is the world’s clearest teaching about living with a meditative energy that is completely spontaneous, naturally joyous, and effortlessly dynamic. It enables us to react with our greatest intuition, insight, courage, mental clarity, wisdom, inner power, strength, and swiftness during tough times. It is the golden spiritual rule—intense and fiery—for facing life’s challenges. You ‘rest’ within the greater power of deep consciousness, and the correct response to the situation comes out of that. ‘Rest’ does not mean non-action; quite the opposite. It implies cutting away the unnecessary anxious thoughts, and being established in one’s highest and purest state of blissful being. By letting go completely of the mind’s fears, one’s consciousness and energy become crystal-clear to act dynamically. So doing, a spontaneous light shines on the road ahead, guiding you.

In fact, the Tantra of ancient Bengal says that in all our impulses and actions—be it prayer or meditation, or even the sexual act/intercourse/orgasm—our energy must be free, unbounded, and as spontaneous as the vast cosmic energy. This idea is found reflected in all Tantric symbolism: whether in the erotic temple sculptures of Khajuraho, or the ‘Yab-Yum’ depictions of sexual union in Tibetan Tantra. It forms the basis of the female-male Tantric symbols in union: Shakti (pure energy) and Shiva (pure consciousness) of India, as well as the idea of the ‘Yin-Yang’ energies in Tantra-inspired Taoism (the meeting of the polar energies of ‘female’ and ‘male’ being the main metaphor for both Tantra and Taoism).

Tantric Keys and Secrets

Tantra is in a way the ‘worship’ of pure cosmic energy (Shakti) itself. This is key to understanding Tantra. At a ritualistic level the practice is called shakti sadhana in the ancient Tantra of the Indian subcontinent. All the occultic or esoteric symbols we associate with Indian and Tibetan Tantra—the mystic ‘third eye’ located between the eyebrows, the ‘serpent power’ or Kundalini energy at the base of the spine, the meeting of the ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ mystic powers (together called Ardhanarishwara in Indian Tantra) at the agya chakra or pineal gland area, etc.—are essentially about awakening our highest energies!

Tantra means spontaneous energization and expansion of the self. All Tantric practices—Mahamudra, Dzogchen, Kundalini—imply spontaneous energization of our beings, allowing us to attain union with the highest universal energies. This idea is echoed not only in Buddhist Tantra and Hindu Tantra, but also on lesser known paths such as Jain Tantra.

In fact, it is written in the old Buddhist Tantra scriptures that Gautam Buddha had himself attained complete enlightenment by these energization practices in the company of his beloved partner Yashodhara, before he left the palace! Hence, this implies that the secret teachings of Tantra were not for everyone: he taught a more ‘moral’ way to others after leaving his palace. This idea is also echoed in great Tantric sacred texts such as the Guhyasamaja Tantra.

Whether we look at the core Buddhist Tantra scriptures, or the deepest Hindu ones such as the Tantraraja Tantra, we would find the recurrence of certain key themes that form part of the secretive aspects of Tantra:

a. The insistence is upon absolute fearlessness ( virya ) in awakening our highest spontaneous energies, even in the face of death or difficulties.

b. Tantra uses secretive coded language or sandhya-bhasha that at an outward level talks about various rituals such as pujas (for example chakrapuja and deity or goddess worship), but inwardly implies energization.

c. Tantrics on various paths—Vajrayana, Kaula , Mantramarga , Vamamarga / Chinachara , Aghora , etc.—are connected by the idea of universal love. This means the quality of love being manifested within is the real thing, and not the typically moralistic expressions of organized religions (that often preach love but create more conflict). Tantra teaches that even in the act of physical love-making, the real thing is being loving towards the whole cosmos, and not just the individual.

d. Elements of the oldest mystic paths—such as the Bon of Tibet and the Natha traditions of India—find expression in the later ritualized Tantra of both Buddhism and Hinduism ( Sanatan Dharma ), respectively.

e. Tantra is fundamentally about attaining cosmic consciousness by the transformation of our human consciousness. Because it is primarily about consciousness—and not ‘religion’ as such—the deepest minds such as Jung and others have been drawn to it in modern times too.

f. Being content, carefree, happy, free from complexes about the body or mind, and thereby being loving and compassionate, is the biggest key to self-power and Tantric empowerment. Behind all the Tantric scriptures you would find this truth (whether expressed by the great Tantric Naropa, or Sri Ramakrishna, or the British-Indian Tantric John Woodroffe, or the composer of the Tantrasaara, Abhinavgupta, or Shantideva).

Being Spontaneously Free, Relaxed, and Practising Joyful Loving

At the heart of Tantra is the concept of one’s energy being in a state of let-go: non-clinging, boundless, and spontaneously free! This allows cosmic joy and universal love to fill your being, relaxing you from within. Being transformed from low-energy states to spontaneously high-energy states is Tantra: where you feel fulfilled at all three layers of being i.e. mind, body, and soul. Tantra implies inner cleansing, inner happiness and bliss, a state where your energies are released and are spontaneously expressed with all their natural power. The person of Tantra drops all the darkness of fear because now she or he is able to see the divine light within the self. One’s view of oneself—and that of the whole universe—becomes spiritualized through the Tantra attitude, the Tantra way of looking at things. Hence, Tantra implies an attitude: a way of perceiving life to be a complete expansion of being, beyond worries and tensions. Being open, natural, and spontaneous is the main thing: in fact, the ritualistic portion of Tantra is not as important as this feeling of spontaneous openness. The hidden dimension of your inner energies and powers is Tantra in essence.

Spontaneity creates the ability to think, ideate, and act fast during crisis situations of all sorts. It is the key to fearless, natural, and balanced dynamism when faced with any sort of adversity or tough situation. The way of the greatest Tantrics—including Virupa, Tilopa, Abhinavgupta, Vasugupta, Marpa, and Milarepa—was the way of inner spontaneity. It leads to the state of samatha or deep insightful calmness, joy, plus clarity and inwardly creative playfulness, activating the unlimited powers of one’s being. It unlocks one’s higher powers of courage, self-realization, and cosmic realization.

The teaching of spontaneity is key to the highest Tantra teachings of India and Tibet, including Mahamudra Tantra, Dzogchen, Rigpa, and other tantric paths. Spontaneity is meant to take us to enlightened wisdom (the Great Perfection) in both consciousness and dynamic action. Tantra is, eventually, both a spiritual path as well as a means to creating wisdom for living in the material world, overcoming all odds and situations. The abiding lessons of the great Tilopa and