Stages of Tantric Practice

In previous blogs I have discussed the differences between Tantra and orthodox Hindu and Buddhist meditation systems. Suffice to say here, that in general Tantra is a more creative and flexible than doctrinaire practices, to the extent that the adept is guided by the connection to energies beyond the little self rather than formulaic repetitions of technique and theory.  Having said that, there are some basic principles that must be adhered to, at all stages of practice, if the connection with higher forces is to be established and maintained. 

The most important of these is proper alignments, so that energy can flow unimpeded through the central channel. This is easier said than done. The spine and head need to be in a straight line accommodated by a sitting position that is more or less comfortable for 40 minutes. Sitting pain is inevitable but it should not be a distraction. Here, Hatha yoga and or Tai Chi/qigong can really help to maintain physical flexibility, especially as we grow older. These practices, if done correctly, will link the physical body with the subtle body, helping to dissolve contractions in the chakras and the linkages between the chakras at all stages of practice. Kundalini progressively unpacks the physical subtle, mental, emotional and causal bodies so blockages will always emerge as meditation progresses. After many years of working with blockages, I have found that they are mostly dissolved by just breathing into them and releasing the tension or by practicing daily Tai Chi and qigong sets. 

You want to organize your life so that you can sit properly. It is not just the sitting position that is important but the commitment to sit in a 21^st century life filled with worldly obligations, distractions, and complications. The Tantrika has to organize his or her life to make meditation a priority— although several one-minute meditations on a given day can also be very effective.  If you don’t have time for meditation, what do you have time for? Prioritizing becomes easier as the practice becomes increasingly joyful and productive. At times, however, discipline is necessary and the cultivation of discipline over many years of practice is itself a practice. Rudi wanted hard-working, responsible adults as students. As a fully embodied Tantrika, Rudi’s internal life was on the wild side; he was an authentic “crazy wisdom” master, yet he would be at his Astor Place antiquities store from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. He knew this was essential to maintain his balance. 

There is always a point in which discipline is tested. Rudi was fond of saying that sometimes he would rather get run over by a truck than meditate. Kundalini work entails going upstream against the status quo of ingrained mental and emotional conditioning. Resistance to getting above the situation can be very fierce, especially when you are not feeling good. I have found that the discipline to sit, or at least to practice a one-minute meditation, has allowed me to feel better in nearly every situation and given me confidence to rise above the matter at hand. Even if you don’t succeed, the struggle makes you stronger!

In the early stages of practice, the focus is on opening the seven chakras and the connections between the chakras. This will occur sooner or later if the meditator maintains the proper alignments. I have accepted you as a student because I think you are capable of doing this, even though it may take considerable perseverance over an extended period of time. To open the seven chakras is a big accomplishment which the majority of meditators in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions don’t achieve in this lifetime. Yet, it is a prerequisite for advanced practice that cannot be ignored. There is a difference between bringing the mind and emotions into calm and clarity—however beneficial that may be—and establishing a relationship with energies that feed into primordial sources. The nourishment and guidance from these sources provide an important wherewithal for self-sufficiency, as I will elaborate later in this discussion.

As you know, the next stage continues the expansion of the chakras in a vertical dimension to the two chakras outside and below the spinal chakra and the two outside above the head. This ensures linkages with both earth and ethereal energies, which in turn connect to the primordial ground of the Void body. Not only does the central channel become a mechanism to tune into the cosmos on a deeper level, but it also serves as a sensitive antenna that picks up messages from above and below and from the Void. If you are aligned with reality, that universe responds. You can pose a question in this state and receive an answer on a level beyond the conceptual mind. This answer will take forms that are often surprising, so deep listening with a clear mind and tranquil emotions is required. Ancestors of the lineage, including my teacher Rudi and his teacher Nityananda, may even appear in their subtle bodies to give you special transmissions and advice, as has happened to me.

As I have said many times, the next stages expand the energies beyond the central channel to every cell of the body, and then beyond the boundaries of the body to the Void body itself. The vibratory frequency becomes increasingly fine and subtle as you move from the cells to the Void Body. Eventually there is a stage of “dynamic stillness,” as one of Rudi’s students put it. This stage is marked by the feeling that there is nothing missing. If there is bliss, it is the bliss of the surcease of the conceptual mind and all its travails. Here you have gone beyond meditation, for there is no longer a “you” that is meditating. You are not trying to better yourself, find a solution to a problem, rise above the situation, extirpate a part of your little self you don’t want, attain enlightenment, and so forth. As Zen master Dogen said, “When you practice zazen for something, it is not true practice.” The state of having nothing missing, of just being present and okay with what is, is an enlightenment stage and a marker of self-sufficiency. But stages of spiritual practice, and self-sufficiency in spiritual practice, are only relative and not ultimate; there is always a stage further, so any place you are in is really not such a big deal.  Essentially, “enlightenment” is just a conceptual construct that has been misleadingly puffed up by some teachers.

Although it is possible to get to the Void body if the central channel is not fully opened, having it open makes the process much easier. In Dzogchen practice, there is immediate recognition of the Void body, as the end becomes the beginning. This “cutting through” or Trekcho, quickly arrests mental rumination and promotes mindfulness. Yet, I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of being in three bodies simultaneously and connecting to energies above and below the physical body. Otherwise, it is not possible to attain full presence.

Stages of self-sufficiency are conjoined with stages of practice. Just as there is no ultimate stage of “enlightenment,” there is no ultimate stage of self- sufficiency, as higher sources continually direct you beyond the little self. I met Rudi at the tender age of twenty-three and was given his blessing to give my first kundalini transmissions class at twenty-six. Although kundalini transmission with him and a few of his students was very powerful, I realized that practicing the work outside class was of crucial importance. A teacher could not do the work for me. I had begun to recognize the need for some level of self-sufficiency. Also, given my training as a scholar—I was soon to become an assistant professor and earn my doctorate—I became increasingly interested in the Tantric texts, which did not interest Rudi. After many years of study, I have come to the conclusion that while these texts can help to provide some historical and philosophical context for Tantra, and occasionally be inspiring, they can also be unnecessarily hermetic and misleading. Essentially, once you are properly aligned with higher energies, you will be guided in the right direction— including, at times, being guided to a particular text inside or outside the Tantric tradition that may provide valuable information. Also, while texts can be important affirmations of where you may be, they are problematic if they become a road map to where you think you should be. The Tantrika wants to open to whatever arises and is not constricted by preconceived ideas of what should happen. This is what makes Tantra so exciting. Exchanging the reliance on Tantric texts for the direct linkage to higher energies is an important element of self-sufficiency.

Rudi left his physical body in 1975 at the age of forty-five. Although I was only twenty-eight at the time, I did not feel the need for another guru. Not only was I already transmitting with Rudi’s blessing, but there was no one around on Rudi’s level. Furthermore, Rudi had implanted a kind of “time-release capsule” of spiritual development in me. If I just did the work, I would be okay. This has turned out to be the case. I have not had to rely on other teachers, although at times I have received a golden nugget from another teacher (or from the universe in some other way) that has been extremely valuable and helpful for my practice. 

I am trying to put a “time-release capsule” of spiritual development in you by orienting you with the right alignments in the right direction so that the universe will give you what you need, from whatever source. I hope that a combination of kundalini, Dzogchen practice, physical to subtle body work (Hatha yoga/Tai Chi, qigong), and Chod (working with demons) will speed you on your way!