Chapter 1 - What is Tantra of Sound?

TANTRA. THE VERY WORD CONJURES up exciting images of incense-filled rooms, full of throbbing bodies pulsating and vibrating in various degrees of orgasmic ecstasy. Indeed, if you do an Internet search on the word “tantra,” you will find over a million and a half websites with reference to that word. Almost all of these sites focus on sex. Sex is huge. Sex sells. To many people, sex and tantra mean the same thing. This, however, is simply not true.

There is great confusion today about the word “tantra,” and understandably so. Depending on the culture, tradition, viewpoint, teacher, and level of awareness, tantra means different things to different people. In our research for this book, we investigated numerous sources and were astounded by the variety of meanings that were applied to the word and the teachings behind it.

Not surprisingly, here in the West, the meaning of tantra is almost always synonymous with sex and sexual yoga, taken from ¬specific paths and teachers in the Hindu tradition. Yet in the Buddhist tradition, particularly Tibetan Buddhism, tantra has nothing to do with sex—at least not with the physical aspect of sexual relationships.

As noted, an Internet search on the word “tantra” reveals over a million and a half websites addressing aspects of tantra, the vast majority of which center on sex. In our own search, an estimated 90 percent to 95 percent of the sites we visited involved some aspect of sexual relations—with everything from sexual aids to sexual surrogates being advertised. Many times these sites offered techniques for improving sexual capability in sexual relationships. Many times, however, these sites were not nearly that subtle.

Yet in our research we also discovered sources that were of seemingly pure tantric traditions, and they were almost all adamant that tantra has little or nothing to do with sex as it is currently perceived in the West. In fact, the word “neo-tantra” frequently emerged when authorities on traditional tantra dealt with the subject of this newer Western perception of tantra as sex, which they considered a corruption of true tantra. What, then, is tantra?

The Meaning of Tantra
Tantra is Sanskrit, the ancient language of the Hindu tradition. As in other sacred languages such as Hebrew or Tibetan, there is frequently no one single meaning that can be applied in translation. Thus tantra is often translated as “continuum” or “unbroken stream” and indicates a flow of consciousness from ignorance to enlightenment. The word also translates as “web” or “warp” and encompasses all that is. Tantra represents the interconnecting energies between all things in this and other planes of existence. Other words used to describe tantra are: leading principle, essential part, model, system, framework, doctrine, rule, theory, scientific work, order, chief part, rule, authority, science, mystic works, magical formulas, means, expedient, stratagem, and medicine.

The etymology of tantra points to the combination of two words, tattva and mantra. Tattva is the science of cosmic principles, while mantra refers to the science of mystic sound and vibrations. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, tantra is sometimes referred to as “Secret Mantra.” This may be to distinguish it from Western concepts of neo-tantra. A definition of “Secret Mantra” from the Tibetan Buddhist standpoint is as follows: “Secret” indicates that these methods should be practiced privately; “mantra” means “protection for the mind” and often utilizes sacred sound to provide this. Thus the function of Secret Mantra is to enable us through the use of sound to progress swiftly through the stages of the spiritual path by protecting our mind against ordinary conceptions.

Indeed, one of the highest levels of tantric practice involves resonating and harmonizing oneself with sound. This is done in order to enhance and energize our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual essences. Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist tantra both stress the power of sound. Sound, in fact, is the basis of much tantra—through working with advanced sound techniques, tantric practitioners are able to harmonize themselves in body, mind, and spirit.

It was through our work exploring various sonic practices from the Eastern traditions that we came upon the concept of Tantra of Sound. Through years of using sound, we have discovered easy methods for achieving the harmonizing effect that Eastern mystics have described. This desired harmony and balance of body, mind, and spirit can be both safely and efficiently achieved by the reader utilizing the techniques and exercises described in this book.

As we will discuss throughout the book, our primary goal is to assist the reader in reaching deeper states of consciousness and awareness; first with yourself, and then, if appropriate, with a partner. Humanity is currently at a crossroads in its evolutionary development. One road leads to an amazing new world of hopes and possibilities filled with love and compassion, caring and kindness. The other road does not. This first road offers the potential for us to become the true, extraordinary humans that so many of the mystics and spiritual teachers throughout time have suggested that we can be. In order to do so, we must achieve harmony and balance within ourselves and then with one another. We must be willing to gaze into the window of our soul, acknowledge who and what we are, and then agree to love and honor that being.

At this crossroads, a time when various spiritual traditions from the Mayan to the Christian have foretold great change, we find that different models or archetypes must emerge. The current paradigm that we have dealt with in our psyche, and have manifested in the physical for many thousands of years, has resulted in war and suffering. We suggest it is possible to choose a different model based on harmony, balance, cooperation, and compassion. This model exists in the various myths, legends, and spiritual texts of the planet and represents both strength and goodness. It is not necessary to be weak in order to be kind; currently, we often confuse and equate these two.

The model we present in Tantra of Sound is one that is balanced and aligned with the harmonious integration of the masculine and feminine energies within each person. When these energies are embodied, they create an egalitarian relationship with the self and others. This relationship is not controlling nor is it in competition with the participants involved. It is cooperative and compassionate. It is balanced and harmonious.

Balanced relationships have manifested through many of the divine beings in different cultures who generate loving-kindness, from Shiva and Shakti in the Hindu tradition to Avalokitesvara and Tara in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and to Jesus and Mary Magdalene in the Christian tradition. These energies may be understood as being divine entities and their consorts, or as a priest and high priestess who work together in the sacred loving unity of the Divine. These male and female energies are found within us individually and are created through partnership. We are not talking about gender separation but rather about the balanced energies of the internalized masculine and feminine.

The uniting of masculine and feminine energies is found in tantra, which utilizes the symbolic male/female union within as a meditative form to assist in achieving enlightenment. A tantric practitioner concentrates on expanding all levels of consciousness in order to unveil and experience the supreme reality of God. This is done through symbolically uniting the two opposite energies of the male and female (in Hinduism, the Shiva-Shakti energy). Through tantra, one can overcome the maya or illusion of separateness, which manifests in lower levels of consciousness that create the polarity of male and female. True reality equals the Absolute, and that is non¬dualistic. It encompasses the unification of the masculine and feminine aspects within us so that we may transcend into the oneness of the Divine.

We believe that this paradigm of harmonious and balanced male/female energy is necessary for our continued journey down the evolutionary road. We have reached the place in our development where the use of our technology must be tempered with the wisdom of loving-kindness. We offer you Tantra of Sound to assist in the integration of this important paradigm of relationship for the benefit of both personal and planetary acceleration.

The Web of Life
From our perspective, tantra is the web that interconnects and unites all of reality. Modern science is beginning to acknowledge this interconnectedness—that we are all part of one huge matrix of consciousness. Indeed, quantum physics tells us that the observer and the system observed form an inseparable whole. Everything is interrelated. One object or experience is not separate from another. Experiments have demonstrated nonlocality, showing that simultaneous events far removed geographically from each other can indeed influence and affect each other. Thus it is said that the beating of the wings of a butterfly over Kansas can affect the weather patterns over Europe.

Nearly one hundred years ago, noted psychologist Carl Jung coined the term “synchronicity” to describe how two apparently unrelated events could be related. He noted that there is more to life’s seemingly “accidental” events than just coincidence. Jung talked about a collective unconscious—a unified field of thought.

We are all interrelated and not so alone and isolated from each other as we may believe. The study of tantra incorporates this understanding of all things being interrelated. Tantra tells us not only that all things are connected, but also that all things are part of the One—the Divine, the supreme universal mind, or the God Force.

Many of us feel isolated and detached in our lives. We feel separate from each other, separate from ourselves, and separate from the Divine. This is a commonplace experience for many people. Our consciousness of duality—that things are disconnected from each other—creates this separateness that we experience. Understanding tantra provides for the realization of the One—transcending duality and providing a consciousness of unity that acknowledges the divinity in all.

Using Sound to Unite
As you will soon discover, sound is an extraordinary vehicle to unite and to assist us in the dissolution of our sense of separation, creating unification through vibratory resonance. Through sound, we can unify ourselves, experiencing a nondualistic reality that allows us to resonate with the oneness of the Divine.

We have found that focusing on sound provides a fast and effective means for Westerners to work with the higher levels of tantra, creating that deeper relationship with oneself and, if appropriate, with others. As we mentioned in the introduction, through utilizing sound in this manner we can achieve a powerful and deep understanding of ourselves, as well as others. Such powerful intimacy, created through the power of sound and acted on with the power of love, can only enhance our lives—assisting our health and wellness and leading to an eventual resonance of harmony and balance with the web of life. This is tantra of sound.

It is not necessary to have a partner in order to experience tantra. In Tibetan Buddhism, tantra is normally practiced alone, uniting the divine forces as one within you. Traditionally, a tantric practitioner’s meditations incorporate the visualizations of male and female deities. Tantra is understood as a path that allows the transmutation of imbalanced energies, enabling one to overcome suffering and ultimately enter nirvana, the heavenly realms. It is a path of enlightenment, which utilizes the energy of compassion through sound.

Much of this understanding is also true in the tantra of the Hindu tradition. The universe is considered the cosmic interplay of male/female energy. The whole process of creation, preservation, and destruction is the manifestation of this male/female energy—the dance of Shiva/Shakti. The existence of the world is thought of as a continuous birthing of the female principle created from an infinite infusion of the male principle in sexual union. The universe—the web—is viewed as the act of ongoing creation expressed by patterns of symbolic sexual activity, suffused with a sense of transcendent love.

It is from the Hindu tradition that sex as a physical activity has come into our awareness as being synonymous with tantra. Yet, in actuality, many true Hindu tantric practitioners are celibate, focusing, like their Tibetan Buddhist counterparts, on the symbolic union of male/female energy. This union of the male/female energy—the Shiva-Shakti current—is metaphoric, ritualistic, and meditational. It is only a specific variation of Hindu tantra that actually works with physical sex between partners. This is the left-hand path of tantra, known as Vamacara, which has become the focus of much Western awareness of tantra.

Despite their varying approaches, the tantra of Tibetan Buddhism and that of Hinduism are extremely advanced practices that demand much work, study, and technical experience before their true benefits of enlightenment may be achieved. Because of this, traditional tantric practices are not designed for dabblers in the esoteric arts. Most Westerners do not have the time or the inclination for the lifelong commitment required by traditional tantric practice. Many may also find these practices out of harmony with their current religious or spiritual belief systems. It is for these reasons and others that we created this book.

Our techniques and understanding of these processes, which enable this harmonization to be achieved, are based to some degree on the traditional teachings of both Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist tantra, including knowledge of mantras, visualization, and chakras. They are also based on other spiritual and mystical traditions that understand the principles of sound as a healing and transformational energy.

Our teachings and techniques also incorporate modern methodologies and modalities that allow an easy and effective sonic resonance to occur. These teachings synergize and synthesize for rapid and powerful results. In addition, these teachings do not require much adherence to the belief system inherent in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. They can easily be applied to our Western consciousness. While the teachings can certainly work within perspectives of consciousness of the Hindu or Buddhist belief system, they are equally applicable to anyone, regardless of religious beliefs or spiritual understanding. Tantra of sound is universal.

Sound is the essence of tantra. As we stated previously, tantra is partially derived from the word “mantra,” which refers to the science of mystic sound and vibration. Thus tantra of sound means using sound as a tool to experience the web of the universe. In particular, we will focus on using self-created sounds in order to do this.

For those unaccustomed to singing or using your voice as an instrument of sound, we assure you that it is not necessary to have any sort of musical skills or gifts in order to experience the benefits in this book. Everyone, including those without any previous musical talent or training, can do the exercises we offer. You will discover that we all have the extraordinary ability to use self-created sound as a transformational tool. One of our purposes in this book is to help empower you with the use of your own voice to create powerful shifts and changes within yourself and with others.

We are not promising instant enlightenment through use of the material in this book. We suggest, however, that this material provides information and knowledge, as well as exercises and techniques, which, when properly applied, can lead to a happier, healthier, more balanced life. Tantra of Sound will open you to a deeper connection with yourself, and through this connection a powerful inner knowing of the oneness of all will emerge. You will learn how to shift and change your own vibratory levels in order to adjust to the many personal and planetary shifts that are currently happening.

Stay with us now as we begin our next chapter on the energy of sound. As you do, you will begin to learn more about the power and wonder of sound. And you will begin to experience deep transformation and change.

To purchase this book, click here.

© Jonathan Goldman & Andi Goldman, 2005