Tantra And The Pursuit of Happiness

“That is happiness; to be dissolved into something completely great.”
-   Willa Cather (American novelist)

There is a certain something that everyone wants, consciously or unconsciously; there is a certain something that is the ultimate goal of every soul, whether they know it or not. But nobody seems to give it the kind of importance that it deserves. Few understand it, even fewer know how to go about getting it. That is what I am going to address now, in this article … in pursuit of happiness.

Whenever I ask people what happiness means to them, they hum and haw a while before telling me a number of things – more money, a bigger house, a sexy wife, an influential husband, the latest sports car, the latest Jimmy Choo, more parties, more drinking – all this and more defines happiness to the average person.

And in this pursuit of happiness, people race. They race against time to make it for that meeting, they race against the Jones to keep up a lavish lifestyle, they race against life itself, trying to make more out of it than necessary. To use a double cliché, one really must take time out from the rat race to smell the good ol’ roses. Does happiness really mean partying all night, every night and getting high and blowing up pots of money on designer clothing? No, I say.

I have and always will maintain that happiness is a state of mind – you can be happy no matter what your situation in life, if you choose to be happy. This is a secret most people do not realize: that happiness does not come to you, you can call upon it whenever you choose to. Happiness does not simply happen, you have to make it happen. Those who believe otherwise have allowed society, peer pressure or their own misgivings to delude them.

Happiness has nothing to do with what you own, which religion you follow, which community you are from, which country you are from, whether you believe in God or not, whether you believe in a higher force or not – at the end of the day you are responsible for your actions and you choose to be anything you want.

As Charles Schulz, the creator of the popular Peanuts comic strip, famously said, “My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?” What most people fail to realize is that being happy is a continuous process; it does not stay with you without your effort in maintaining it. And no, you do not need to run after more money or party or have sex like a maniac.

Based on my detailed studies of the Vedic scriptures, I have come to understand and believe that sexual pleasure is the highest form of pleasure that can be achieved in the tangible, material world that we know of today. Tantra, too, categorically states that sexual pleasure is the ultimate level of happiness that the physical form can attain. It is the last bastion of happiness for the earthly body.

However, having continuous sex with multiple partners to satisfy a strong drive without the right kind of awareness and expertise will severely damage one’s psyche… maybe even to the extent that one requires psychiatric help. This is because the mind is far more expansive than the body; while the mind hungers for more, the body cannot keep up.

 This is why the mind has to have the right level of consciousness. Unfortunately, today everyone has lost sight of that fact. The promise of happiness be damned, it doesn’t seem to be the bigger of the two, or rather, most have mistakenly identified frequent sex with happiness, whether it is meaningful or not.

All over the world societies have become more permissible and people are more and more blatant about sex, picking it up and using it like a commodity without value. There is no real significance left in it anymore. It is like chasing a rainbow to find the pot of gold at the end of it, when, in reality, the rainbow is nothing more than the mind’s perception. It is not really there, so what can one get out of chasing it?

That is what sex has been turned into today – an empty promise. You have the power to see through that promise. I’m sure that you are beginning to understand that this is a matter that deserves deep thought.

Tantra states that sexual pleasure is the highest form of pleasure man in his physical state can achieve. I must add that, attraction is an inescapable fact of life. A beautiful flower, a beautiful landscape, a beautiful sunset, a beautiful man or a beautiful woman – each evokes a certain sense of attraction within one’s heart. Whatever you do, you should follow it through right to its essence, its essential core, and this action, this effort alone, is the true pursuit of real happiness.

Just as you should be able to pick the flower you like or take a picture of the sunset that holds you spellbound, the person you feel passion tinged with romance for must also reciprocate those feelings, and if you already have that special someone, you would want your relationship to grow in a positive direction.

Anyone would want their feelings to be mutual. If you like a flower, you’d want to take it home. If you like a sunset, you want to capture it on film. If you love a person, you’d want to be with that person all the time. Tantra has always advocated balance and harmony. When two people get together too, there should be a balance.

There are so-called spiritual ‘gurus’ and wannabe ‘gurus’ who propound the theory based on their own half-baked knowledge that the more sex you have, the more sexual partners you have, the more your awareness grows. I knew of such a person who liked to project himself as a fountain of true knowledge, the king-pin of such rackets, when glib talk cleverly interspersed with logic was all he had to truly offer.

I choose this moment and this platform to give him a fitting reply. If this theory were true, prostitutes and gigolos would be far more aware and far happier than the rest of us put together, right? Sex without awareness is the lot of prostitutes and gigolos because for them, sex is work, and there can be no true pleasure in the act when it is carried out in the name of work. The proponents of this theory, I believe, are doing what every other marketing agency does – using sex to promote the self in this earthly life. Awareness cannot be brought about by having meaningless sex. Only two people whose levels of consciousness are compatible can dance their way to higher levels through sex.

Tantra advocates the concept of gender as far as it goes in the concept of consciousness. There is the masculine consciousness and then there is the feminine consciousness. In the case of a couple with alternative sexuality, one partner will always have a slightly more masculine consciousness while the other, a feminine one, regardless of their gender. One balances the other and when the two come together in harmony, there can be nothing more fulfilling.

You can never achieve anything without desire. That is what I have learnt, seen, experienced, understood and known. Without desire, nothing is possible at all.

To achieve happiness, one must know some of the divine, mystical secrets Tantra has given to us and I am about to share some of then with you now. I won’t be surprised if you have heard of it, and maybe even experienced it to a certain extent, but I am sure that you hardly understood it.

Chakras – those apparently inexplicable centres in your body that you have heard can heal and empower you. I am now going to introduce you to the Chakras and their original Sanskrit names. Very few know or acknowledge that the true origin of this knowledge of the Chakras comes to us from Tantras.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word that actually means ‘energy wheel’ and Tantra is the only philosophy that has deciphered these esoteric centres of the human body, leaving them crystal clear for us to understand. To activate these Chakras without acknowledging Tantra is almost blasphemous.

Every human being has been gifted with Seven Chakras:

• Muladhara or the Root Chakra
• Swadishtana or Hara Chakra
• Manipura or Solar Plexus
• Anahata or Heart Chakra
• Vishuddha or Throat Chakra
• Agnya or Third Eye Chakra and
• Sahasara or Crown Chakra.

Each of these ‘energy chakras’ has a specific part to play in your development. Unless each of these chakras is activated one by one using special techniques and processes of Tantra, one cannot ascend to the highest level of complete consciousness. From sex to superconsciousness – these Chakras are crucial to this journey; they are absolute, the ultimate pathway to your destination.

These Chakras, when activated, will enable you will become fearless, even in the face of adversity. Even when you’re the proverbial eye of the storm, your inner strength and stability will make you the picture of calm. A true follower of Tantra never denies anything; we accept everything into our lives, and that is what I do as well. We absorb the good; the bad slips away on its own, in good time. There is no need to fight it out.

I hope that I have awakened a fresh perspective in your mind. I know the happiness I speak of is probably not the happiness that you have thought of, rather thought of consciously. I know the path I have outlined is different, unique, something you have never thought of till now. But this happiness is real, this path is true, and that’s what you shall come to realize through your own experience when you are ready for it.

You have come upon something so valuable that you are itching to know more, to learn the path instead of just reading about it. Well, it has to be learnt from an authentic source. Reading about Tantra alone does not help; one must master the path. People think that there are many ways that they can be happy but in fact there is only one way – to be conscious.

We are in the midst of the Aquarian Age and a human revolution is destined. Let me tell you that this is only the beginning; there is so much more to come that it will boggle your mind. There is a world within you that you have not tapped yet; I am here to show it to you.

So come and learn about how you can be happy without even trying; learn how to invite it into your life and make it your life-long companion. If you take one small step, you will realize that the extent to which Tantra can help you is far greater than you could have ever imagined.

Copyright (C) Subhojit Dasgupta

Subhojit Dasgupta is a teacher of Tantra

Tantra, Sex And Super-Consciousness

Now we are going to open a secret world for you, a world so completely different from the one that you know, it will amaze you with its simplicity. Today, whenever you are offered anything, and you buy it, more often than not you are disappointed after the initial excitement. What you thought was great turned out to be not-so-great – a broken promise. Stop a while, take a moment and think that over. And let me tell you that the same holds true for your sex life.

The Age Of The Quick-Fix

There was a time when life was simpler; it revolved around your family and loved ones. Heck, maybe even just your TV. Today the world is a global village and our lives are constantly bombarded with brands, new products, quick-fix pills and images of success and happiness if we buy into the whole advertising machinery.

We live on manufactured expectations that are so cleverly crafted that we do not even realize how unrealistic, false and psychologically degrading they are. You don’t wear this brand? You’re a loser. You don’t have a hot girlfriend or a boyfriend? You’re such a loser! You don’t have an ipod? Man, how can you even have a smile on your face! You have no reason to be happy! You don’t party every night? You’re so dull that nobody would want to be your friend.

Directly or indirectly, these messages hit us every single day, every single moment, from the moment your day begins till you go to sleep. Consciously or unconsciously, your mind absorbs these messages … and you begin to think that everybody is having a better time than you are. Today, we are taken in by these images, by these insinuations that without this and without that, our lives are meaningless. And sex tops the list as one of the tools used to keep people hooked onto lifestyle products.

I’m indignant to see that Tantra is often used as a buzzword for selling sex and lifestyle to people. Let me tell all of you who may have encountered such people, that they are highly inauthentic. They know that sex can be used to gain attention, that people can be convinced to pay exorbitant sums of money, and the promise of sex can be used to hold one’s attention long enough to swindle him.

Actually, we need not even go that far. Viagra and similar drugs are being peddled as the be-all and end-all solution when it comes to enhancing one’s sex life. Then there are massage oils, clit creams, oysters … the list is endless – so let’s not even start on that.

Viagra has been known to cause the complete collapse of the male sexual equipment after a point of time. Each sexual supplement has been created keeping certain uniform criteria in mind, disregarding the fact that each person has different sexual capacities due to their genetic make-up and lifestyles. No two people can have the same drive and thus, no two people can have the same reactions to supplements when taken over a certain period of time.

These pills and creams are, in truth, meant for people with sexual disorders: for women who suffer from frigidity and for men who suffer from erectile dysfunction. However, this percentage is small. Not more than 10% of the world’s population suffers from these two disorders.

We are not doctors, we do not claim to have special knowledge in their treatments; we are not telling you to stop taking your medication (if you do), but we are saying that you can prevent this. A man suffers from erectile dysfunction because he feels insecure about getting it up, whereas a woman suffers from frigidity because she feels unloved. And to advertise their drugs as lifestyle necessities is near-criminal!

Do you know the damage that can be inflicted upon your organs if you use these pills for a sufficient amount of time? The sudden rush of blood that is caused by Viagra can lead to extending the penis beyond its accustomed level, and ultimately cause its collapse. Once that level is reached, no improvement can be gained. The muscles are damaged permanently and we do not want such a thing to happen to anyone.

Tantra has remedies for everything that ails your life. Start early and the benefits will make their presence felt quicker and prevent any disorders that might have been coming your way. I have experienced the philosophy of Tantra, and what this philosophy can do for you, in the physical, material and spiritual planes no pill, no thesis, no creams can.

Tantra And The Mind-Body Connection

There is one important thing that needs to be said here – that no external substance can ignite desire in you. This is what Tantra says. There is no such delicacy, pill, herb or medicine that can arouse you other than the organ between your two ears … not the one between your legs. Sex lies between the two ears, not between the two legs.

Tantra advocates something that we are quick to forget – a mind-body connection. That, my friends, is the only thing that can give us that awesome sex we crave. Our organs are connected to the brain, and we need to use that brain to enhance our sensations. Why don’t people use this connection given to us by nature to enhance their lives? This is because people don’t like to take responsibility for their failures. They don’t want to accept that they fail to work on themselves. They feel safer when they blame an external factor – and that’s where they go wrong. Why not carry the flame of self-belief within you? Viagra and its counterparts are so transient in their effects. With the right learning you can carry that divine ecstasy around with you all the time.

Ah, I know what you are thinking – why are we talking about sex here? Frankly speaking, I am talking about something that is going to add a new dimension to your life – the mind-body connection. My purpose is to make you understand the way sex is portrayed in the media. That understanding helps you break free from their spell and to help you realize that you do not need them.

Sex And Spirituality

I believe that Tantric Sex is the real sex; it is the highest level of pleasure and consciousness available to us in this physical world, and it is a shame not to enjoy it more often. Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating fast and loose sex, but a solid connection that should exist between your mind and body, and you and your partner. That connection turns the act of sex into a moment of sadhana, or spiritual ecstasy.

Tantric sex is an art, almost akin to splashing vivid happy colours of every hue imaginable onto a stark white canvas. Each hue represents a different nuance in the dance of love. The connection is so good that one can become like a Picasso painting masterpieces in a frenzy of creative expression!

Tantra may not be only about sex, but it definitely acknowledges sex as the highest form of creative expression through pleasure, by which one gets a glimpse of what it must feel like to attain nirvana or salvation. The philosophy of Tantra can help you harmonise your wealth and desire with your consciousness and salvation. This is the truth and this is what you need.

The Upanishads tell a tale about a frog who lived in a well. It knew nothing beyond the well and was quite happy with it. One day another frog jumped into his well and was shocked to see the tiny place the first frog called home. Even when he told the first frog that there is a world outside his well, the second frog refused to believe him.

The second frog even offered to show him how big the world can be, but the first frog held on to his argument stubbornly. Finally the second frog left. He left and saw the world and had a myriad of experiences. The first frog sat smugly in his well, smothering that niggling doubt the second frog had aroused, and saw nothing, knew nothing. Are you the first frog? I hope not.

Most people are startled by the philosophy that states that life’s every moment should be a moment of ecstasy. To the average mind, Sex and Spirituality are as far apart as chalk and cheese. To a tantra expert, not so. For each requires a higher level of conscious awareness …

Can a man perform sexually while he is asleep? Can he when he is unconscious? Tantra explains the human mind completely in a simple, direct fashion. All it asks is that you learn it and enjoy practicing it!

How To Learn Tantra

Just picking up self-help books from bookstores is not enough; you have to adapt the methods to your life. You’ll get advice from all corners, but if you do not exercise your consciousness in these matters, then none of it will work for you, rather, they will work against you.

Tantra is an artistic science as well as a scientific art. The philosophy outlines a path through which you can enhance each and every part of your life, not just your sex life. And, yes, Tantra believes that sex is associated with divinity. If you have mastered Tantric Sex, then you have reached the highest stage of consciousness of your earthly body, and are ready to move on to bigger and better things.

Ancient India knew this; the Kama Sutra is derived from Tantric practices. But thereafter society has only been in denial. Denial because the puritanical viewpoint was that human beings had to suffer in order to learn and progress. Spiritual enhancement was identified with sorrow, penitence, abstinence and the denial of every good feeling the body might experience. But Tantra knows otherwise; the true follower of Tantra knows otherwise. I know that without desire, without enjoyment, one can never learn, never move forward.

There are more than eight million Tantric mudras and their permutations and combinations that can lead to a highly fulfilling and satisfying life. As a teacher of tantra, I have learned how to incorporate these into my life. You can learn them too; for you deserve to be happy, truly happy, and we are here to teach you.

Why waste time and energy on pills, creams and oils that can only give the illusion of pleasure when you can have the real thing? Enlightenment is your birthright – and we will give it to you.

I have been a tantra teacher for a long time now, so I can help you in your quest for a better life. If India spells exotica to you, I invite you to revel in that exotica. Divine freedom and ecstasy will spill over into every aspect of your life with time.

These practices not only help you achieve divinity but also enhance your relationships, fuel your career, enrich your familial ties and make you fall in love with life. Stop living like an animal where you eat, work, have sex and fall asleep, not even conscious of your own breathing.

Being in the maze of life without awareness and consciousness will lead you nowhere. Come find your way out of that maze into the divine light.

Copyright (C) Subhojit Dasgupta

Subhojit Dasgupta is a teacher of Tantra