Tantric Sadhana

By Dr. I. K. Taimni

A study of the tantric methods of attaining higher states of consciousness may give the impression that the process of acquiring Self -Realization is to a large extent mechanical, using this word in its widest sense. This seems to be anomalous in view of the fact that the Reality, which is the object of realization, is the essence of consciousness, and it is hard to see how this can be brought about by the manipulation of forces working through established centres within the physical or super-physical bodies. The anomaly is, however, resolved if we remember that although the realization of our spiritual nature in varying degrees is not a mechanical process, the establishment of connections or communications between the different vehicles of consciousness is - almost as much so, in fact, as the connecting up of electric circuits. If, therefore, a soul which has already evolved spiritually and attained higher states of consciousness incarnates in a new body, the mechanical connection of the centres in the new physical body with those in the subtler bodies floods the lower physical consciousness with the higher knowledge or consciousness and makes it appear as if this realization had been brought about by purely mechanical means. As a matter of fact, spiritual unfoldment follows its normal course in the long life of the soul but in its advanced stages it may appear to be accomplished very rapidly and sometimes through the mere manipulation of different kinds of subtle forces, because when a soul incarnates in a new physical body it recapitulates very rapidly the progress it has already made in previous lives.

Tantric sadhana is really meant for such highly evolved souls as are mature and come into this world to continue intensively, or to complete, their inner unfoldment. They have already attained a high degree of moral and spiritual development and all that is necessary is to connect their subtle vehicles with the physical body so as to put them in conscious touch with the subtle planes.

Knowledge of the structure and way of manipulating a machine is absolutely necessary if it is to be worked properly and safely; and the human machine consisting of the physical and subtle vehicles is far more complex and difficult to operate than any merely physical machine can be. Hence the need for a competent guru who knows it thoroughly and can manipulate it expertly. A sadhaka rash enough to dabble in practical occultism without the necessary know-how or under the guidance of an incompetent guru is inviting disaster. So long as he confines himself to doing asanas and the simpler forms of pranayama (breath control) there is no danger, but as soon as he begins to practise more technical pranayama involving kumbhaka with the object of arousing the kundalini without the necessary moral preparation and the guidance of a competent guru he is on dangerous ground.

One reason why a competent guru who can guide the aspirants on this path is not easily found is, of course, that the aspirant often lacks the necessary qualifications. For, as pointed out above, only mature and highly evolved souls can tread the Mountain Path and take this short cut to Self-realization. Less evolved souls have first to learn the elementary lessons by easier and safer methods. When they are ready for the methods of rapid development the needed guru will appear. For it is a law of spiritual life that when the disciple is ready the guru appears.

What has been said above also shows the futility of making a detailed study of the literature dealing with tantric practices. Since such literature deals with the hidden side of man's constitution and generally uses symbolical language, it can be understood only by those who possess the keys to the hidden mysteries or who are in conscious touch with the realities of the subtler planes. Those who try to acquire extensive and detailed theoretical knowledge without having any practical contact with the inner planes are like a student trying to master some branch of physical science without ever entering a laboratory or coming into practical touch with the facts the science deals with. His knowledge may be encyclopaedic but it will be unrealistic and his mind is likely to be confused with undigested ideas and purely theoretical details. In the study of any practical science it is necessary for at least a part of the knowledge to be based on direct contact with the facts the science deals with. Without this it is impossible to make proper use of the theoretical knowledge we may have amassed. If this is true even of facts that can be observed through the sense organs and comprehended by the concrete mind it is easy to see how much more it applies to facts of the super-physical bodies with which tantra deals. And yet there are people who spend their lives amassing extensive and detailed information about these things without any relation to the facts of actual experience.

There are two other complicating factors in the study of tantric literature dealing with practical problems of self-culture. One is that blinds have been put up at every step to prevent people foolish enough to dabble in these things without proper guidance and know-how from injuring themselves and others. This explains why a person may follow the instructions laid down in a book for attaining a certain end in exact detail without getting any result. He simply does not possess the key to unlock the secret that is hidden behind the deceptive formula. Despite this safeguard, however, it is not safe to practise these things on the basis of purely theoretical knowledge, for even though one will not obtain the desired result there is no certainty that one will not obtain undesirable results of the most serious nature by unknowingly arousing forces and powers about which one knows nothing and which one cannot control.

The other complicating factor in the practical application of directions and instructions given in tantric literature is the interpolation of a considerable amount of spurious matter. It is natural that a system of self-culture which provides easy methods of developing higher states of consciousness and powers of various kinds should attract the attention of people who aim at exploiting the unwary and ambitious. This has led to the gradual production of considerable spurious literature which has diluted and debased the corpus of true knowledge originally provided by competent teachers. The spurious literature is of two kinds. One part consists of scraps of theoretical knowledge filched from various sources, compiled and presented in an attractive manner. Many Hindus are inclined to believe anything written in Sanskrit and regard it with reverence, even though they have not the slightest idea what it means. This blind faith is exploited by unscrupulous writers to foist spurious occult literature on the credulous as genuinely spiritual. The other type of spurious occult literature is of a still more dangerous kind. It embodies genuine knowledge concerning the manipulation of forces connected with the lowest levels of man's nature. This, in its crudest form, is used as a means of gratifying the baser human tendencies and animal propensities, and in its higher but more dangerous forms it may be veiled and camouflaged black magic. It is the admixture of true practical tantric literature with this kind of counterfeit which has given it a bad name and which makes the average man suspicious of it and of everything connected with it. Since it is not always easy to distinguish between the true and the counterfeit tantric literature, it is perhaps well, human nature being what it is, that this prejudice does exist and keeps people away from dangerous fields of exploration.

Nevertheless there can be no doubt that tantric literature does contain not only some of the highest concepts of religion and philosophy but also techniques of practical spiritual training which, in the hands of those who possess the necessary keys and knowledge can open up the inner realms of the mind in a very effective manner.