Introduction to Tantra: The Transformation of Desire Read Free Page B

think, as many people do, “Since tantra is the highest path, it is not necessary for me to bother about the preliminary practices” and then jump into the most advanced teachings is both foolish and arrogant; it is also very dangerous. Anyone who has such an impatient and unrealistic attitude is completely unqualified to receive instruction in tantra.
     
    Finally, it is very important to be able to differentiate clearly between the essence of tantra and the cultural forms in which it is currently wrapped.
    What I mean by this is that there is no benefit in a Westerner’s pretending to look or act like a Tibetan, or any other Asian for that matter. Learning to say prayers in a foreign language, for instance, is not in itself the way to fulfill our highest human potential; there is nothing of transcending value to be gained from substituting one set of cultural conventions for another. People whose practice remains on this superficial level end up with nothing but confusion, not knowing who they are or what they should do. Of course, during this time of transition when the tantric teachings are moving from the East to the West, there is a lot to be gained from the study of the Tibetan language and so forth. But my point is that we should always bear in mind that tantra is something far deeper than language or custom. What tantra has to teach us is a way of breaking free from all the conditioning that limits our understanding of who we are and what we can become. If we approach these powerful teachings with clear-sighted intelligence and a strong determination to extract their essence, we can definitely bring to our life the wholeness and inner satisfaction that we all seek.
     

    Four-Armed Chenrezig

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    Pl e a sure , Disa ppointme nt, a nd Ful f i l l me nt
    TANTRA AND ENJOYMENT
     
    THE FUNCTION OF TANTRA is to transform all pleasures into the transcendental experience of deep penetrative awareness. Instead of advocating separation from worldly pleasures the way many other traditions do, tantra emphasizes that it is much more effective for human beings to enjoy themselves and channel the energy of their enjoyments into a quick and powerful path to fulfillment and enlightenment. This is the most skillful way of using our precious human potential.
     
    Through its methods of profound transformation, tantra demonstrates that as human beings we have the capacity to enjoy limitless, blissful happiness while at the same time remaining free of the delusions that normally contaminate our pursuit of pleasure. Contrary to what some people might believe, there is nothing wrong with having pleasures and enjoyments. What is wrong is the confused way we grasp onto these pleasures, turning them from a source of happiness into a source of pain and dissatisfaction. It is such grasping and attachment that is the problem, not the pleasures themselves.
    Therefore, if we could free ourselves from this habitual grasping, we could enjoy ourselves as much as we want without any of the difficulties that usually accompany our ordinary compulsive search for pleasure.
     
    With the proper understanding of transformation, whatever we do, twenty-four hours a day, can bring us closer to our goal of totality and self-fulfillment. All our actions—walking, eating, and even urinating!—can be brought into our spiritual path. Even our sleep, which is usually spent in the darkness of unconsciousness or in the chaos of dreams, can be turned into the clear light experience of subtle, penetrating wisdom.
     
    Perhaps all this sounds impossible. Certainly other more gradual spiritual approaches, including those of the sutra path of Buddhism itself, stress that desire, jealousy, and the other delusions of our daily life are always impure and should be treated as poisons. We are constantly reminded of their dangerous effects and are instructed to avoid their influence as much as possible. But, as has been pointed out already, tantra takes a different approach.