Following the spiritual life in today’s society of consumerism and materialism without creating discord and imbalance in our daily life is not an easy goal. The principles of Vedanta are too complex for us. We require some sadhana which is easy to understand and accept. Tantra is the middle way, and its master principle is:
‘Do not interfere with the pattern of your life.’
When we suppress our mind, we suppress spiritual advancement. We suppress our mind on account of our guilt. Each one of us has guilt and it is the greatest barrier in our spiritual life. Our mind is restricted by its conditioning, and these conditions have been created by us. If the light is covered by a veil, remove the veil and then one can understand what tantric system of yoga is. We must have uniformity in our lives. When our spiritual life is in harmony with our daily life, then we can balance our conflicts.
Tantra must be practiced on the level of family life. Sexuality is an important aspect of our life. It is expressed in our behavior and we should be without guilt. How do we manage our desires, we treat our conjugal life as spiritual life and living with your partner becomes a yogic life. We learn to sublimate our sexual energy so our sadhana proceeds on a calm path. We have to look at Shiva and Shakti, they are two eternal realities.
Shiva, Shakti and kundalini
Shiva is consciousness and Shakti is energy. When the union occurs between Shiva and Shakti, the kundalini is awakened. Similarly, we have to combine spiritual life with material life. Tantra involves the meditation on mantras and yantras. These are the stepping stones. For those of us who have a distracted and restless mind plagued by jealousy, anxiety, frustration, passion, and disappointment, the study of tantra is the way.
In Tantra the most important thing is to concentrate on is the midpoint of the eyebrow center. When we concentrate on this point, it enlarges and manifests itself in many forms. This is the process of expansion, and the process of liberation is accomplished by being free of fear and guilt. We are concentrating on our ajna chakra, which controls our intuition and judgement.
Practice trataka daily. It is gazing at a candle or a lamp (oil lamp), for as long as it is possible without blinking. When you have a desire to blink, close eyes and visualize the flame in the middle of the eyebrow center. When the flame disappears, open eyes and gaze at the flame. Practice for twenty minutes daily. You will be more composed and centered and the fringe benefits are improving of eyesight, absence of headaches, better sleep, and improved concentration. You can use the mantra SoHam or Aum. So inhalation and ham exhalation.
Aim Hrim Klim