Tantra Massage for Today

The Mukti (liberation) mantra. The universal sound. That which contains all mantras. The only mantra you will ever need. When chanting aloud, the final mmm is pronounced "ng". This channels the sound vibration into the spheniod sinus. Nestled here is the pituatary gland. The gland which produces somatotrophin, growth hormone, significant in wound healing, essential for the production of collagen.

The O is pronounced as a dipthong.

A = A-ha! representing the Eureka of self-discovery and realization.
Oooo = the sound of wonder and surprise, when one retouches on child-like innocence.
Mmmmm = the universal sound of pleasure and delight.

These three syllables represent the triology of Past, Present and Future.

When the final syllable is chanted. . ."ng". . .it is called Anuswara, or "little heaven". Knowing this, we hold the final sound 2/3 longer. Within it is the transcendental sound not heard by the ordinary ear; the unstruck sound heard in Anahata (Heart) Chakra.

Tonight when you get home, sit quietly and chant slowly and intently "aaauuummmmmmmmm". Feel its resonance fill your body. A few minutes of this practice and you will taste true Samadhi, heavenly bliss.

Patricia (Veenanand) Johnson
copyright 2000

Lineage and Initiation

In our view, lineage-based initiation is an integral part of any authentic form of Tantric practice. We came to feel this way several years ago, after working with non-lineage based teachers, so we chose to study with Dr. Jonn Mumford (Swami Anandakapila Saraswati), Sunyata Saraswati, and Bhagavan Das and to be initiated by them. Initiation almost always must come from an outer Guru, authorized to conduct initiations in the traditional way. There are some cases of initiation through dreams and visions; however, such cases are rare, and the potential for self-delusion is great. Even great masters from legendary times down to the modern era --from Rama to Babaji to Ramakrishna to Yogananda -- had outer Gurus.

Although mistrust of Gurus is commonplace in the West, this is the unfortunate by-product of cultural misunderstandings and several highly-publicized scandals. In many New Age schools, it has become standard to follow the voice of an inner Guru -- a sure prescription for spiritual disaster. "Inner Guru" should not be taken to mean intuition, common-sense or any general feelings about personal boundaries. These are all important for human survival and should not be abandoned or confused with any elevated, mystical guidance Instead, "Inner Guru" refers to a sense that one is able to know when one is being guided by "spirit", "divine grace" or any other form of higher power, whether external or internal. It is only through working with an outer Guru that the voice of the inner Guru can be separated from the voice of Ego.

We stress that, in this context, Guru does not necessarily mean "great spiritual master". Rather it means a person empowered to give traditional initiations, someone who was been trained as a teacher, who carries the Shakti or energy of the lineage and who carefully monitors the student's practice and growth. This close teacher-student relationship is a powerful form of love, and it is a mutual love that nurtures the student's development. At its best, this relationship is one of the deepest varieties of friendship.

"All holy actions are rooted in the Guru"

"All ritual in upasana, inner discipline, depends for its life dynamism on the spiritual energy transmitted by the Guru in the initiation. The power which flows into the disciple when he is taught the ritualistic action by a competent Guru energises the act and makes it alive. Without it ritual is mechanical and does not yield its intended fruit."

Kularnava Tantra in Gems from The Tantras, commentary by M.P. Pandit.

"Many people say the Guru is within, but are they able to communicate, understand and follow the intricate instructions? If so, it is possible to proceed with this inner guidance, but few such people have such a relationship with the inner guru. They need an external guru first who will connect them with the inner guru."

Satyananda Saraswati, Kundalini Tantra.

"The guru is an essential part of life. His role is the essence of all mystical systems. As soon as a mystical system discards or loses the the guru tradition, then it no longer remains mystical."

Satyananda Saraswati, A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya.

"The Tantric authorities stress the importance of acquiring a guru who is part of an established teaching lineage. The dieities, states the Kula-Arnava Tantra (14-5) provide protection only to those teachers who preserve a lineage (parampara). The Sanskrit word "Parampara" means literally "one after the other", referring to the unbroken succession of teachers, all linked by the empowered teachings passed down the line from teacher to student. . .A lineage is like an uninterrupted electric current that does not diminish in power, at least not unless there is a weak link."

Georg Feurstein, Tantra: the Path of Ecstasy.

This is not to negate the value of non-lineage based practices and the range of neo-Tantric techniques that are becoming so popular. Many of these techniques are quite powerful, and we have benefited from practicing them We do incorporate neo-Tantric techniques in our own teaching, and to the best of our ability, we identify the origins of everything we offer our students, whether lineage based or not. We believe that informed students are the best students. We also believe that anyone with an interest in studying Tantra should approach a prospective teacher carefully and inquire about his/her background and lineage.

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