Hi Friend, I’ve spent the last few days rewriting and editing my professional bio for a project I’m working on. With my brain on fire and trying my best not to sound like fancy pants, or better yet as one of my good friends likes to say, a dickette,
Love you Paulette! Can't wait to read that fancy pants bio! Thank you for these clarifications and summaries of Tantra! We continually need them in the yoga/seeker realms and beyond. I am so grateful for all the introductions, glimpses, and lessons of Tantra you "wove" into your asana classes (back in the day), and during our life-changing coaching sessions. If it wasn't for you, I never would have been introduced more deeply into to Classical Tantra, especially via your recommendation of "Tantra Illuminated" by Christopher Wallis. (Fast forward years later, I journeyed to Kashmir, the heart of Tantra, with Christopher Wallis, for a truly transformative and deeper understanding of the path.)
Dave, so happy to hear from you! Thank you for your generous kind words. The seeds were planted in the fertile ground of your open heart. I'm honored to have been one of those seed planters along the way. Let's set up a call, there's a lot to catch up on my friend.
What a wonderful exposition on a much misunderstood concept, thank you!
I am by no means a scholar on Tibetan Buddhism, so I had my own very simple interpretation of tantra -- while I understood it wasn't about 'sex' per se, I have thought of it as about practicing with desires of all kinds, and going right up to the edge of indulgence and then pausing to see what happens. I used to put a piece of chocolate on my bedside table and stare at it for hours without actually eating it, seeing what that was like : ) But your explanation is so helpful for understanding more nuances. Thank you!
Thanks so much Maia for reading and taking the time to comment. There's so many distinctions between the different streams of Hindu Tantra, so your thoughts around desire, indulgence and bumping up to the edge is not really wrong. Your chocolate example is perfect. And thank you, you've ignited an idea for a post topic on desire from a Tantric perspective. I love learning from one another and look forward to reading more of your work.
Susan, that's so funny. While I am a Sting fan, apparently I totally blocked that whole period of "The Shape of My Heart" expose from my brain!
Sally Kempton was one of the many brilliant scholars I had the privilege of studying with over the years. No surprise we share that connection. Her passing was a great loss and left a void as a strong voice for the divine feminine.
Thanks so much for the lesson on Tantra! I must admit, I've never studied tantric yoga, and you are correct, I did associate it with sex. From your description, I have believed in tantric philosophies for most of my life, minus the title. I will look forward to learning more from you. 💕
I understand tantra through a Tibetan Buddhism lens, so definitely sex is not the main point! But the word is so misunderstood in the West. Thanks for clarifying its meaning.
Hi Sandra, thank you for restacking and for the comment. Tantra is so misunderstood. I remember years ago my teacher saying, let’s take the word and the meaning of Tantra back.
Love you Paulette! Can't wait to read that fancy pants bio! Thank you for these clarifications and summaries of Tantra! We continually need them in the yoga/seeker realms and beyond. I am so grateful for all the introductions, glimpses, and lessons of Tantra you "wove" into your asana classes (back in the day), and during our life-changing coaching sessions. If it wasn't for you, I never would have been introduced more deeply into to Classical Tantra, especially via your recommendation of "Tantra Illuminated" by Christopher Wallis. (Fast forward years later, I journeyed to Kashmir, the heart of Tantra, with Christopher Wallis, for a truly transformative and deeper understanding of the path.)
Dave, so happy to hear from you! Thank you for your generous kind words. The seeds were planted in the fertile ground of your open heart. I'm honored to have been one of those seed planters along the way. Let's set up a call, there's a lot to catch up on my friend.
What a wonderful exposition on a much misunderstood concept, thank you!
I am by no means a scholar on Tibetan Buddhism, so I had my own very simple interpretation of tantra -- while I understood it wasn't about 'sex' per se, I have thought of it as about practicing with desires of all kinds, and going right up to the edge of indulgence and then pausing to see what happens. I used to put a piece of chocolate on my bedside table and stare at it for hours without actually eating it, seeing what that was like : ) But your explanation is so helpful for understanding more nuances. Thank you!
Thanks so much Maia for reading and taking the time to comment. There's so many distinctions between the different streams of Hindu Tantra, so your thoughts around desire, indulgence and bumping up to the edge is not really wrong. Your chocolate example is perfect. And thank you, you've ignited an idea for a post topic on desire from a Tantric perspective. I love learning from one another and look forward to reading more of your work.
I'm sure I've misunderstood things in my own humble attempts at translation : ) I look forward to reading more from you on this.
No, not at all Maia. Your conversation is rich and juicy and has opened up a portal for me. I love it.
Previously Tantra , was sexual, something Sting practised for hours. Unattainable for us mere mortals 😂
Then I found Sally Kempton and got a totally different understanding.
I loved you line “ an embodied life of grace,grit and growth”. That is my new mantra 🙏🏻 thank you.
Note to self to revisit Sally’s book Awakening Shakti , one of my favourites and Doorways to the infinite.
Susan, that's so funny. While I am a Sting fan, apparently I totally blocked that whole period of "The Shape of My Heart" expose from my brain!
Sally Kempton was one of the many brilliant scholars I had the privilege of studying with over the years. No surprise we share that connection. Her passing was a great loss and left a void as a strong voice for the divine feminine.
Thanks so much for the lesson on Tantra! I must admit, I've never studied tantric yoga, and you are correct, I did associate it with sex. From your description, I have believed in tantric philosophies for most of my life, minus the title. I will look forward to learning more from you. 💕
I understand tantra through a Tibetan Buddhism lens, so definitely sex is not the main point! But the word is so misunderstood in the West. Thanks for clarifying its meaning.
Hi Sandra, thank you for restacking and for the comment. Tantra is so misunderstood. I remember years ago my teacher saying, let’s take the word and the meaning of Tantra back.