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Tantra Yoga is not a religion in the classic sense in that
it does not seek to impose a mythology, or rigid system of
beliefs on to anyone. Although it is not a religion per se,
there is a very real and authentic history to its
development that dates back well beyond 3,500 BCE.
Of
course, that history will vary according to whatever
tradition you look to. Study the Far Eastern Taoist schools
and you won't be surprised to find out that they claim to be
the original Tantrists. Sign up with either the Hindu or
Buddhist Tantra lineage and you will find the same cultural
misappropriation. This revisionist and historic "pseudo
metamorphosis" is still going on today where even the
Dalai Lama, and even some Native American traditions are
lining up to "get in on" the tantra act.
"There's
gold in them thar thrills".
Actually
it should come as no great revelation that in the
matriarchal ages there were a whole lot of native peoples
all around the planet who were a lot more proficient at
making love than waging war.
And it
should prove no great mystery why most of these playful and
loving souls were not around for long after the molten-iron
started pouring, and the swords started swinging, and the
chariots began rolling along with the idol worshipping heads
of their foreign-tongued neighbors. (It's important to
remember the word "Satan" or Shaitan, always
refers to somebody else's god.)
If
there's any consolation it is in knowing that these early
Tantrists probably had a lot more fun during their short
time here than all the blood-crazed barbarians combined.
One
glimpse of the magnificent Sex temples at Kujaraho and
you'll feel sort of like Jeff Goldblum in The Big Chill,
when he looked around impishly, late one night, and
declared,
"I
have the feeling there's sex going on around here."
The same revelation is right now dawning on a whole bunch of
people all around the planet.
More
and more souls are discovering that humans are not solely
descended from the murderous, flesh-eating, chariot-driving,
world-conquering, club-wielding, robot Neanderthals that
permeate the history books.
In
fact, the only people I know who are really "Gung
ho" about their Aryan ancestry are either traditional
Hindus, or followers of Adolph Hitler and the Third Reich.
(Not exactly people you want to party with). They do share a
common heritage, which is why you'll sometimes see Hindu
gods sporting the Swastika around with them. (Also known as
the Gammadion, the Swastika is Persian in origin and was
brought to India by the invading hordes of Aryan
Patriarchs).
According
to recent articles in Time Magazine, there is just as much
evidence that most of us are descended from a much longer
tradition of magick practicing, sacrament swilling,
intoxicant conjuring, mystics, shamans, high priests,
druids, pagans, tantrists, visionaries and many other types
of authentic "life lovers".
In
other words, Buddha was not so much an aberration, as he was
a throw back. Jesus was not the sudden sole proprietor of a
Cosmic Universal Authority, but a simple teacher who woke up
and saw the untold misery caused by too much religion. Not
unlike a whole lot of other seers, social visionaries,
scientists, philosophers, poets and world teachers, such as
Giordano Bruno, Nietzsche, St. Francis, Spinoza, Einstein,
Freud, Jung, John Lennon, Carl Sagan or even the much
maligned Karl Marx.
It is
extremely ironic to witness all the patriarchal traditions
trying to reclaim Tantra for themselves, when their initial
impulse, way back when, was to wipe it off the face of the
earth as fast as they could.
I had
to laugh when I read recently that the Dalai Lama is
offering paid Tantra Initiations. $20 says the word sex
doesn't even come up once.
I
wonder if he'll tell them what the "Jewel in the
Lotus" really means?
©
Copyright
2001
Michael
The Red, CTE. All rights reserved. |
