Does the ancient art of Tantra have significance in the modern world? Many things define the times we live in today – speed, abundance, working hard and playing hard among them. In many ways we seem to have it all, but there is another side to the picture.
We also seem to be disintegrating as human beings. We seem to be turning into shadows of our former selves in our constant quest for money and self-centered pleasure. And selfishness, as any experienced tantra teacher can tell you, is a syndrome that is contrary to tantra.
Today, society is crumbling under selfishness and the hardest hit entity of this modern malaise is the institution of family. Divorce rates are higher than ever and promise to climb in the future. Studies indicate that late marriages are all the rage now, which means that there are practically no marriages taking place in the age group 20-28 years.
With the easy availability of information on sex, the highest act of love is being reduced to nothing more than a mere act … a performance, an experiment, a means to enhance one’s image and appease one’s ego. As the ancient art of love and intimacy, tantra can reverse this reduction of the sexual component of love to such a low order.
The problem lies in the manner in which people are exposed to sex, – in the way information on sex is disseminated in educational institutions, the way it is portrayed online and the discomfort parents experience while talking about sex. Today, most people have no clue on what it means to be connected intimately to another person. Thus, living with a person day in, day out in a committed relationship is hard to sustain.
Ancient tantra teaches us that the magic of sex does not lie in the mechanical, clinical, physical act but in the connection between two souls. A tantra teacher will tell you that it is this connection that keeps two people together for life, and can help you find that connection.
It is not easy, but then again, nothing worth gaining is very easy to find. To understand tantra, one must cross many levels and break many external and internal barriers that stand between oneself and one’s goal – supreme awareness. With that heightened awareness, one can expect to find the solution for many of the modern ills affecting our society today.
With a connection as strong as the one tantra helps you find, why would you ever want to leave the person you choose to be your life partner? Not only can this ancient art and science help you find that deep connection with another’s soul, it can also enhance the connections you have with your children, thus ensuring that they do not slip away into a downward spiral of degeneration.
Tantra is highly misunderstood because some people use it for highly unethical reasons. Only true followers under the guidance of an accomplished tantra master can fully understand the way it can uplift society and take it back to the days of glory, when this connection was alive and thriving.
