The Tantric Concept Of Sannyasa
In Tantra,
Shiva and Shakti live together. Shiva represents chitta or consciousness and
Shakti represents prana or energy. In this physical body, you have ida and
pingala, chitta and prana. You cannot survive with only one aspect. There has
to be an integration and correlation of two forces in one body. It is exactly
the same in ordinary life, men and women represent these two poles of energy.
The quality of energy which men and women embody is different. They may look
alike. They may belong to one family and their physical structure may be more
or less the same, but the quality of energy is not the same. Whereas ida and
pingala function together in the body, in family life, husband and wife, Shiva
and Shakti, live together.
This is the
concept of tantric sannyasa. So there is no question about whether a man can
live with a woman and still be a sannyasin. I do not think that by renouncing a
man or a woman, you can become a true sannyasin. Deep in the mind the need is
there, and it cannot be rooted out. Therefore the tantric concept of sannyasa
has to be understood by each and every person. Those who are serious about
awakening their higher spirit should relate their station as a householder in
life with this. It is important not only for enlightenment of the individual,
but also for an enlightened world. How are you going to raise the standard of
your children unless you have a high standard yourself? You have lived the life
of careless householders throughout, and you want your children to be careful.
It is not possible.
Through
your philosophy, you can influence the genes. If you are a careless
householder, you have a certain quality of genes, and you can only produce that
type of child. Unless you are a deep thinker, the idea of sannyasa will not
dawn in your mind. The moment the idea of sannyasa dawns, the genes begin to
change, and these genes are responsible for the quality of the child. If there
was a race of tantric sannyasins, the level of consciousness of the entire
population would rise, and that is quite important in my opinion.
Being in
the world but not of the world
Now the
most important thing for a sannyasin who lives in the world is meditation. He
will have to raise his consciousness from a gross level to a higher level. In
most cases our consciousness is very gross. For example, when you enjoy
chocolate, the experience is gross. Whenever you get a pain in the body, the
experience is gross. In this way our pleasures and our pains are experienced
through gross centres. Our senses are so extroverted that the mind is not able
to experience things directly without an object.
If you want
to enjoy a flower, you must see it first. If you want to enjoy music, you must
hear it first. If you want to enjoy a beautiful fragrance, you must smell it
first. If you want to experience tenderness, you must touch the body. Can you
experience these things inside without the intervention of the senses? Can you
hear music with the ears closed? Can you see the glory of nature: flowers and
trees, oceans, rivers and lakes, mountains and plains, sun, moon and stars,
without eyes? Can you experience any pleasure, any pain, any sensation, without
the middle man? You know who the middle man is? The senses: karmendriyas and
gyanendriyas, the five senses of action and the five senses of knowledge.
Without them you cannot experience life. This is an ordinary limitation. But a
person who is able to raise his consciousness above the senses can experience
everything directly. Therefore, meditation is the life and breath of the modern
sannyasin.
Dhyana
Meditation
or dhyana yoga is a state in which you experience your mind directly and this
mind is so important for everybody. For most, mind is a mystery; it is a demon.
Many people have compared the mind with a monkey, but I don't think the mind is
a monkey. The mind is the reservoir of great power, and we know only a little
bit of this mind. When you are angry, when you are unhappy; when you are sorry,
then you become aware of your mind. You think, 'Oh, my mind is very unhappy
today,' or 'My mind is depressed.' But that is not the mind. You have to
realise the totality of mind in the practice of meditation. In order to realise
the mind, you will have to decrease the frequency, the speed of fluctuation,
and this is not easy, but it is possible. If you can completely remove thoughts
and ideas, you can see the mind. If you can completely control the element of
unconsciousness, then you can see the mind.
Therefore,
to realise the reservoir of the mind, you will have to eliminate three things,
and these must be eliminated step by step. The first thing which you will have
to eliminate is thought, or fluctuation, the second thing is inner visions, and
the third thing is sleep or hypnosis. Then inner awareness is made complete and
thorough. As you go on succeeding in meditation, awareness does not diminish,
and when you have completely succeeded in meditation, there is total awareness,
without thought, without vision, and without hypnosis. Therefore the system
which you have to employ for meditation has to be perfect.
The
spiritual metamorphosis of sex
Now,
regarding tantric sannyasa, there is one more question which must be clarified:
'How to adjust your sexual behaviour?' Many people have answered this question
according to their own idea and image. Is the sexual relationship with your
wife or husband spiritual or anti-spiritual? According to the tantric heritage,
it is spiritual. This means that you can progress spiritually while you improve
upon your sexual interaction with your partner. In tantra it is said that there
are three purposes for sexual interaction, and these have been clearly stated
.The first is progeny, the second is pleasure and the third is spiritual
transformation.
A
sensualist interacts for pleasure, and an ordinary man for progeny, but a
tantric sannyasin interacts for the purpose of samadhi. This is because the
sexual act is intrinsically connected with the awakening of the evolutionary
power in man and has very much to do with the awakening of the higher centres
responsible for the deeper and more profound experiences. This is an important
science and you have to know more about it so that you can apply it in your
daily life.
There are
certain yoga postures and hatha yoga kriyas through which you can redirect your
energy, and if you can handle that experience through the help of a proper
teacher, then your life as a householder, the interaction with your partner,
will become a spiritual ritual. I am not a promoter of sexual sciences, but I
do not want to close my eyes to the reality, and I do not want you to close
your eyes. There is a reality to which you are exposed. If that reality is
going to send you to hell, then that will be a great tragedy.
Sexual and
spiritual communication are not different. Sexual life is not anti-spiritual.
If properly conducted by the wise and disciplined, it can be a spiritual
springboard to higher realms. You can transcend sex by living into it, by
living through it.
Nature has
created a system in man's life, and you must respect it, you must accept it.
But that does not prohibit you from becoming a sannyasin with respect for
yourself, with faith in what you are doing for your spiritual progress, and
with hopes eternal. If both you and your partner sit together in meditation,
you can create an energy which will help each other to evolve. Imagine what
kind of children you will have. I am proud that my parents were able to live
like that. After completing your obligations, having profound spiritual
experiences, then you can enter into full sannyasa.
Excerpts of Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati by Sannyansin Sivadhyanam
