Pranam wrt Mr G note: Some people are left handed for certain things and right handed for certain things. For eating, writing etc use right hand and use left hand for using tools, lifting things etc. In fact while working on computer key board and earlier typewriter, all use both hands. Note type writers required equal force on all fingers. Otherwise uniformity in brightness will not be on letters printed document. Gopalakrishnan
Savyasachi Arjuna was known as Savyasachi, because he could shoot arrows with his left hand just as well as he did with his right hand, and with the same accuracy. The name Savyasachi is used by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, chapter eleven, ''ambidextrous' <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambidexterity>' is the ability to use both the right and left hand equally well. When referring to objects, the term indicates that the object is equally suitable for right-handed and left-handed people. When referring to humans, it indicates that a person has no marked preference for the use of the right or left hand <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness>. तस्मात् त्वम् उत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व जित्वा शत्रून् भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम् । मयैवैते निहताः पूर्वम् एव निमित्त-मात्रं भव सव्य-साचिन् ॥ ३३ ॥ chap 11 *tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṃ samṛddham |* *mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva nimitta-mātraṃ bhava savya-sācin* || 33 || Rise up, therefore, to enter the battle and achieve glory by conquering your enemies, thereby enjoying an unrivalled kingdom. All these warriors are already slain by Me alone. O Savyasācī <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/savyasaci#purana> (expert bowman) just become My instrument. Only about one percent of people are naturally ambidextrous, which equates to about 70,000,000 people out of the world's population of 7 billion. In modern times, it is common to find some people considered ambidextrous who were originally left-handed and who learned to be ambidextrous, either deliberately or as a result of training in schools or in jobs where right-handed habits are often emphasized or required Since many everyday devices (such as can openers <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_opener> and scissors <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scissors>) are asymmetrical and designed for right-handed people, many left-handers learn to use them right-handedly due to the rarity or lack of left-handed models. Thus, left-handed people are more likely to develop motor skills <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_skill> in their non-dominant hand than right-handed people.A *motor skill* is a function that involves specific movements of the body's muscles to perform a certain task. These tasks could include walking, running, or riding a bike. In order to perform this skill, the body's nervous system, muscles, and brain have to all work together.[1] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_skill#cite_note-1> The goal of motor skill is to optimize the ability to perform the skill at the rate of success, precision, and to reduce the energy consumption required for performance. Performance is an act of executing a motor skill or task. Continuous practice of a specific motor skill will result in a greatly improved performance, which leads to Motor Learning. Motor learning is a relatively permanent change in the ability to perform a skill <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skill> as a result of continuous practice or experience. The regions of the frontal lobe responsible for motor skill include the primary motor cortex <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_cortex>, the supplemental motor area, and the premotor cortex <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premotor_cortex>. The primary motor cortex is located in the precentral gyrus and is often visualized as the motor homunculus <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_homunculus>. By stimulating certain areas of the motor strip and observing where it had an effect, Penfield and Rassmussen were able to map out the motor homunculus. Areas on the body that have complex movements, such as the hands, have a bigger representation on the motor homunculus. The supplemental motor area, which is just anterior to the primary motor cortex, is involved with postural stability and adjustment as well as coordinating sequences of movement. The premotor cortex, which is just below the supplemental motor area, integrates sensory information from the posterior parietal cortex <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_parietal_cortex> and is involved with the sensory-guided planning of movement and begins the programming of movement. The basal ganglia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_ganglia> are an area of the brain where gender differences in brain physiology is evident. The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleus_(neuroanatomy)> in the brain that is responsible for a variety of functions, some of which include movement. The globus pallidus <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globus_pallidus> and putamen <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putamen> are two nuclei of the basal ganglia which are both involved in motor skills. The globes pallid-us is involved with the voluntary motor movement, while the putamen is involved with motor learning. Even after controlling for the naturally larger volume of the male brain, it was found that males have a larger volume of both the globus pallidus and putamen The cerebellum <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebellum> is an additional area of the brain important for motor skills. The cerebellum controls fine motor skills as well as balance and coordination. Although women tend to have better fine motor skills, the cerebellum has a larger volume in males than in females, even after correcting for the fact that males naturally have a larger brain volume Hormones are an additional factor that contributes to gender differences in motor skill. For instance, women perform better on manual dexterity tasks during times of high estradiol and progesterone levels, as opposed to when these hormones are low such as during menstruation An evolutionary perspective is sometimes drawn upon to explain how gender differences in motor skills may have developed, although this approach is controversial. For instance, it has been suggested that men were the hunters and provided food for the family, while women stayed at home taking care of the children and doing domestic work. Some theories of human development suggest that men's tasks involved gross motor skill such as chasing after prey, throwing spears and fighting. Women, on the other hand, used their fine motor skills the most in order to handle domestic tools and accomplish other tasks that required fine motor-control. KR IRS 26722 On Mon, 25 Jul 2022 at 12:22, gopala krishnan <[email protected]> wrote: > Sir, > > Some people are left handed for certain things and right handed for > certain things. For eating, writing etc use right hand and use left hand > for using tools, lifting things etc. In fact while working on computer key > board and earlier typewriter, all use both hands. Note type writers > required equal force on all fingers. Otherwise uniformity in brightness > will not be on letters printed document. > Gopalakrishnan > > On Monday, 25 July, 2022 at 09:59:10 am IST, Rajaram Krishnamurthy < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > Pranam > Vamachara and why questions answered by the west KR IRS 25722 > > left-handed, and why are fewer people left-handed than right-handed? > > Researchers who study human hand preference agree that the side of the > preferred hand (right versus left) is produced by biological and, most > likely, genetic causes. The two most widely published genetic theories of > human hand preference argue that evolutionary natural selection produced a > majority of individuals with speech and language control in the left > hemisphere of the brain. Because the left hemisphere also controls the > movements of the right hand--and notably the movements needed to produce > written language--millennia of evolutionary development resulted in a > population of humans that is biased genetically toward individuals with > left hemisphere speech/language and right-hand preference. Approximately 85 > percent of people are right-handed. These theories also try to explain the > persistent and continuing presence of a left-handed minority (about 15 > percent of humans). > > The genetic proposal to explain hand preference states that there are two > alleles, or two manifestations of a gene at the same genetic location, that > are associated with handedness. One of these alleles is a D gene (for > dextral, meaning ¿right¿) and the other allele is a C gene (for ¿chance¿). > The D gene is more frequent in the population and is more likely to occur > as part of the genetic heritage of an individual. It is the D gene that > promotes right-hand preference in the majority of humans. The C gene is > less likely to occur within the gene pool, but when it is present, the hand > preference of the individual with the C gene is determined randomly. > Individuals with the C gene will have a 50 percent chance of being > right-handed and a 50 percent chance of being left-handed. > > These theories of hand preference causation are intriguing because they > can account for the fact that the side of hand preference of individuals > with the C gene (most left-handers and some right-handers) can be > influenced by external cultural and societal pressures, a phenomenon that > researchers have documented. These theories can also explain the presence > of right-handed children in families with left-handed parents and the > presence of left-handed children in families with right-handed parents. If > the familial genetic pool contains C genes, then hand preference becomes > amenable to chance influences, including the pressures of familial training > and other environmental interventions that favor the use of one hand over > the other. The proposed genetic locus that determines hand preference > contains an allele from each parent, and the various possible genetic > combinations are DD individuals who are strongly right-handed, DC > individuals who are also mostly right-handed, and CC individuals who are > either right-handed or left-handed. These genetic combinations leave us > with an overwhelming majority of human right-handers and a small, but > persistently occurring, minority of left-handers. > > Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > What we say? > > Vāmahasta (वामहस्त) refers to the “left hand”, according to the > Ambāmatasaṃhitā verse 18-119-12.—Accordingly, “Washing first (his) food > with water, he should eat it with the left hand [i.e., *vāmahasta*]. > Maintaining the vow of purity and silence, (he should remains) concentrated > and content. All the food he has earned is the sacrificial pap (*caruka*) > he eats. The pervasion (*vyāpti*) (of the deity) and success in the > repetition of mantra (*japasiddhi*) arise due to that. This should be > done in one's own home or in a secluded place where there are no other > people. Otherwise, the householder should not do it”. > > N. N. Bhattacharyya explains the Sanskrit technical term *Ācāra > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%80c%C4%81ra>* as follows: > > "[t]he means of spiritual attainment which varies from person to person > according to competence.... *Ācāras* are generally of seven kinds -- > Veda, Vaiṣṇava, Śaiva, Dakṣiṇa, Vāma, Siddhāṇta, and Kaula > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaula_(Hinduism)>, falling into two broad > categories -- Dakṣiṇa and Vāma. Interpretations vary regarding the nature > and grouping of the *ācāras*. It is generally held that those who > participate in the rituals of Five Ms belong to the category of Vāmācāra." > > *Vāma* means "pleasant, lovable, agreeable" and *Dakṣiṇa > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakshina>* means "south". Facing the > rising sun towards east, *Dakṣiṇa* would be the right side. For this > reason, the term Vāmācāra is often translated "Left-hand practice", while > Dakṣiṇamārga is translated as "Right-hand practice". An alternate etymology > is that it is possible that the first word of the expression Vāmācāra is > not *vāma* or "left", but *vāmā* or "woman". N. N. Bhattacharyya notes > that a main feature of the Tantras is respect for the status of women as a > representation of Shakti <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakti>, and that > if this was the original conception underlying Vāmācāra the opposing term > Dakṣiṇācara may have been a later development > > An alternate term *Vāmamārga* ("Left Path") is also used. In this > compound the ambiguity between *vāma* and *vāmā* is not present because > the final "*-a*" in Vāmamārga is clearly short. > > Barrett (2008: p. 161) discusses the "charnel ground > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charnel_ground> sadhana" of the Aghori > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aghori> practitioners in both its left and > right-handed proclivities and identifies it as principally cutting through > attachments and aversion in order to foreground inner primordiality, a > perspective influenced by a view by culture or domestication: > > The gurus and disciples of Aghor believe their state to be primordial and > universal. They believe that all human beings are natural-born Aghori. Hari > Baba has said on several occasions that human babies of all societies are > without discrimination, that they will play as much in their own filth as > with the toys around them. Children become progressively discriminating as > they grow older and learn the culturally specific attachments and aversions > of their parents. Children become increasingly aware of their mortality as > they bump their heads and fall to the ground. They come to fear their > mortality and then palliate this fear by finding ways to deny it > altogether. In this sense, Aghor *sādhanā* is a process of unlearning > deeply internalized cultural models. When this *sādhanā* takes the form > of *shmashān sādhanā*, the Aghori faces death as a very young child, > simultaneously meditating on the totality of life at its two extremes. This > ideal example serves as a prototype for other Aghor practices, both left > and right, in ritual and in daily life. > > Beer (2003: p. 102) relates how the symbolism of the khaṭvāńga > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kha%E1%B9%ADv%C4%81%C5%84ga> that entered > Vajrayana <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana>, particularly from > Padmasambhava <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmasambhava>, was a direct > borrowing from the Kapalikas <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapalika> of > Shaivism <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaivism> who frequented places > of austerity such as charnel grounds as a form of vamacharin spiritual > practice. > > The form of the Buddhist *khatvanga* derived from the emblematic staff of > the early Indian Shaivite *yogins*, known as *kapalikas* or > 'skull-bearers'. The *kapalikas* were originally miscreants who had been > sentenced to a twelve-year term of penance for the crime of inadvertently > killing a Brahmin. The penitent was prescribed to dwell in a forest hut, at > a desolate crossroads, in a charnel ground, or under a tree; to live by > begging; to practice austerities; and to wear a loin-cloth of hemp, dog, or > donkey-skin. They also had to carry the emblems of a human skull as an > alms-bowl, and the skull of the Brahmin they had slain mounted upon a > wooden staff as a banner.These Hindu *kapalika* ascetics soon evolved into > an extreme outcaste sect of the 'left-hand' tantric path (Skt. vamamarg) of > *shakti* or goddess worship. The early Buddhist tantric *yogins* and > *yoginis* adopted the same goddess or *dakini* attributes of the > *kapalikas*. These attributes consisted of; bone ornaments, an animal > skin loincloth, marks of human ash, a skull-cup, *damaru*, flaying knife, > thighbone trumpet, and the skull-topped tantric staff or *khatvanga*. > > IN DEFENCE OF VAMA CHARA OR VAMA MARGA ONLY TO KNOW THE PROS AND CONS: > > The Left Handed Path: > > > > Otherwise known as the Kaula sadhana, this is the most significant and yet > most misunderstood of all the Tantric traditions. This is partly because > the practices were always kept in secret, handed down from guru to > disciple, to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. As I have come > to understand, these are simultaneously regarded among the highest and most > potent of practices, and if misused could be detrimental to one’s own life. > Unfortunately, there were some who, out of ignorance, chose to use these > practices for personal pleasure. While pretending to be Tantrics, they > focused on the indulgence of sex and substances, rather than on the sacred > mindfulness which the practices were meant to impart. These pseudo-Tantrics > brought a bad name to this otherwise powerful spiritual practice. Later, > the critics of this time declared that Kaulism was nothing but perverted > hedonism. My intention in writing this is to demystify some of the > confusion about the true spirit of this practice. > > *Seeing All As Divine:* > > According to Tantric thought, the world is an extension of Siva (ultimate > reality). Kula is Siva's power (Sakti), which manifests the entire world. > Kula literally means family or extension. The power of Siva that pervades > the whole universe is also called kundalini, which literally means the > female coiled serpent. Kundalini is also the vitality / life force (prana) > of the individual body. Since the entire world is an extension of, and > directly connected to, Siva, the world (and our worldly experiences) can be > used as a means to awaken to our own Siva essence. *This is called > Siva-bhavana, which means to see Siva everywhere and in everything.* So > we learn not to see just an object, but to see it as Siva. Very similar to > the understanding of bhakti (the path of devotion), this would be like > seeing the beloved in every form. Any form can become a medium through > which one can look at the Divine, for the forms are nothing but the Beloved > appearing in different poses. Therefore the Tantric sees the things of the > world as mediums for contact with Siva (or Sakti). > > *The Sexual Connection:* > > The scholar Abhinavagupta writes that there are six ways to establish this > contact: the external world (bahih), the woman (Sakti), the female/male > couple (yamala), the body (deha), the process of breathing (prana-patha), > and the workings of the mind (mati). Through these six methods we can > realize Siva more effectively. I found it interesting that the man was not > the seventh principle. Perhaps it is because this is coming from a male > perspective and it is assumed that the male would be the one having the > experience. An example of how this would look in a Kaula ritual is one > where the woman is not seen as a human being but rather as the Goddess > incarnate. Like the Divine alchemy that turns everything into gold, Kaulism > transforms the world into the Divine. As it is written in the scriptures of > Kashmir Shaivism; "*When someone worships an object or a person as if it > is God, that object or person becomes God for the worshiper. The sex act is > given special attention in Kaulism as a medium for which God can be > recognized. It is said that the power of the entire universe (kundalini > Sakti) is alive in the body in the form of sexual energy*". Therefore in > Kaulism, sex is the most important channel for reaching the Divine, for > connecting with Siva. > > *And Beyond:* > > Through my experience with this practice I have opened channels of > awareness and gained insights into the nature of my true essence. These > have been among the highest realizations I have had - as if a whole world > of unity and creation was exposed to me in the presence of breath and > sensation. Naturally if we were using everything in the world as a means > toward realization, this would include sex. *When we speak of sexual > energy it is not limited to the actual sex act, it is the energy of > pleasure (kama) that expresses itself in every form of joyful activity.* > > *Misunderstood:* > > Vedic followers who looked down on the Kaulas assigned the term “Vama > Marga” - “left-handed path”, to suggest that they were going down the wrong > track. This was because of its ritual use of five substances that the > Vedics considered impure: wine, meat, fish, parched grain, and sexual > intercourse. However, the Kaulas gave it a different interpretation. They > took vama to mean the left side of the body, as in the female side of Siva, > which in essence is the worship of Sakti (power, energy). It is important > to understand that not all Tantrics participate in the use of these > substances, and not all Tantrics incorporate sexual acts in their spiritual > practice. *Also significant is that these so called left-hand practices > grew out of the Tantric insight that the act of finding God in the most > profane objects and activities was a powerful tool for discovering the > Divine in everything.* Another, far more extreme, example of this would > be the Aghori sect which goes as far as smearing excrement and urine on > their bodies simply to move past anything as being unholy or not Siva. It > is understood that anything that we see as separate or unholy is simply > egoism and is ignorantly seeing the world as something other than Siva > (ultimate and supreme consciousness). > > *Humility:* > > I feel there is some truth here; the vama-sadhana (spiritual > practice of seeing all as Divine) is an effective technique for curing > one's egoism and ignorance. For me it is a concept that sits in the back of > my mind and I am able to examine my limitations through this lens. Of > course what I am really trying to do is to eradicate the feelings that > something or someone who is filthy is anything other than God. > > > > *Desire, Energy, Transformation:* > > The goal of the Kaulas is to transcend our desires. The idea is that as > long as we have an overly intense attitude toward our desires, particularly > our sexual urges, we cannot overcome them. Instead we may end up > unconsciously repressing them, resulting in denial and self-deception. > Desires are a form of energy. This energy cannot be destroyed; it can only > be refined or transformed into a higher and subtler level of expression, > such as love or creativity - art, music, writing, etc. > > *Going Deeper:* > > So why wouldn't we want to just continue using sex for physical pleasure? *I > believe, as the Kaulas did, that sexual energy is identical to the energy > of the universe.* It is the very life force that brought us to be here. > And because of this, it is in a sense responsible for all of the joy and > creativity in our lives. True joy and creativity is very connected to the > awakening of the sexual energy (kundalini). After all, this is our primal > life force. To deny it would be to deny a crucial part of our being. *If > we look at this from the perspective that our sex energy is the same as our > creative life force, we can begin to recognize what the Tantrics have been > saying for centuries:* > > A. The same energy is at work in every form of enjoyment, be it gross or > refined. > > B. This same energy is also at work in every form of creativity or > creative process. > > C. The more this core, raw energy is caused to express itself through > higher channels, the more joy and creativity it brings. > > D. The more the sex energy is elevated to higher levels, the more one's > sexual problems automatically dissolve. > > So, rectifying the sexual energy brings desirable results on all levels. . > . > > *The Serpent:* > > In the Tantric tradition, sexual energy is symbolized as a coiled serpent > (kundalini). In most people, the serpent is asleep - it is said that her > face points downward. The small bit of awakening that is there is at the > lowest level and is seen in the animal enjoyment of sex. Tantric practices > aim to awaken this kundalini, causing her face to point upward and the > energy to ascend through the cakras (energy centers) and up the susumna > nadi (central channel located on the inside wall of the spine), finally > reaching Siva (her consort) at the crown of the head. *The rising up of > kundalini is a metaphor for the process of the transmutation of the sex > energy from the level of gross enjoyment to the level of being in union > with the Divine.* > > *Observing Our Energy and Attitudes:* > > When we restrict sex just to the physical level, this causes a drain in > one's energy. This is most visible in a man, post ejaculation. Men often > become very tired and are visibly exhausted after having lost their seed. > The energy that could be used to bring tremendous power is, in a sense, > wasted. The Kaula-sadhana of sex was devised to address this problem and > learn how to infuse and elevate the sex energy so that it could be utilized > in the best possible way. > > There are two important attitudes the participants must cultivate: the > feeling of reverence toward the sex act and a feeling of love toward the > sex partner. In fact, the Kaula ritual sets up a whole environment to help > cultivate these feelings. *Tantrism advocates the practice of seeing sex > as something that is holy and divine. The same attitude is to be cultivated > toward the sexual partner.* A man should look upon a woman as an > incarnation of the divine Sakti and the woman should regard the man as > Siva. This attitude is an antidote to the thought that sex is somehow > sinful. The practice of integrating the spiritual with the sexual can help > release old ideas of Puritanism and ingrained negative thoughts about this > most natural, and beautiful, human act. > > *What Tantra Is Not:* > > On the other hand, it is important to be very clear that Tantra does not > advocate hedonism. Self-indulgence and self-gratification are neither the > goal nor the means of reaching the goal. As it is written in the scriptures > of Kashmir Shaivism, "*The aim of the Tantric sadhana is the sublimation > of sex, and changing ones’ attitude toward sex from shame to holiness is > the first step. The two evils, so to speak, are either hating sex and > seeing it as sinful or using it for complete self-gratification*". On > that note I would like to add that even when a partner says they enjoy > bringing intense pleasure to their lover, this is still a self-gratifying > act, because ultimately it adds to the ego's fixation. > > In the Kaula-sadhana the actual sex act is done not for enjoyment, but as > an offering to the deity - not for sexual gratification, but as an actual > spiritual act. It is the physical enactment of joining as one the > polarities we perceive as masculine and feminine. One could not exist > without the other; an ultimate state of union with all that is can be > immediately attained. The Kularnava Tantra, which speaks in-depth of the > Kaula-sadhana, clarifies, If by merely having sexual intercourse with a > woman one could become liberated, then all the creatures of the world would > be liberated through the sex act. > > *History:* > > Now we can begin to understand the meaning of the phallic worship handed > down to us from the Tantrics. Even today, all over India, we see the ritual > honoring of the Siva linga, which is for most regarded as the regenerative > aspect of the material universe. It is in essence formless, although we > often see a rounded, phallic sculpture made out of stone and at its base is > Sakti. The woman participant in the ritualized sexual intercourse > (maithuna) in the Kaula-sadhana is worshiped as the Goddess (devi). > > The attitude that sex is holy and divine, as opposed to profane, is a very > real characteristic of Tantra, or in this case, the left-hand tradition. > But we can also find this attitude in the right-hand scriptures of the > Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, where specific lines are given to > describe God or Brahman as the libido that reproduces. > > *The Importance of Love:* > > Cultivating love for a sex partner, as seen from the Kaula perspective, is > something that in our western minds may be of conflict. As it is written, > we should see our partner as our own, meaning that we should cultivate a > sense of identity with each other that is without duality. We tend to be > afraid of unifying with an-other for fear of co-dependence or surrendering > too much of ourselves. I feel that the point here is that each partner > should intensely love the other, leaving behind the mind trips and romantic > ideas of who we think we want this person to be, and coming into a whole > and spacious experience of love that is beyond the individual. > > *Love causes sex to automatically be purified*. The surest means for > refining the hard raw sexual impulses is to engage in the sex act as an > expression of love. And because our beloved is the Divine incarnate, we can > overcome our personal needs and expand our expression of desire to a higher > state of consciousness. In my experience, the feeling of love relaxes the > crude animal impulses on the one hand, and on the other hand, cures the > sometimes mechanical and lifeless sex act of its dullness and boredom. It > is helpful for married couples to keep the spiritual and loving aspect of > sex alive, as over the course of time the warmth of love can cool down and > the sex often becomes mechanical. The dilemma is that if sex is ignored or > repressed it causes issues on other psychological levels, however if it is > used purely for enjoyment (bhoga), it becomes, after some time, draining > and lacking in relish and flavor. > > Kaulism, for the spiritually minded, is the way out of this dilemma. Sex > becomes meaningless and lifeless when it is devoid of love, that is to say > when the sex partner is no longer an object of love but becomes an object > of enjoyment. So love has a dual function in relation to sex: (A) it brings > joy and satisfaction, and (B*) in that very process it also sublimates > sex by absorbing the experience with the sanctity of union with the other* > . > > The state of sex being sublimated is a happy synthesis of two things - > what is called preya (the pleasant) and sreys (the good & the beneficial). > The ideal lover finds his or her desire for sex automatically gratified, > even more intensely. When the sexual feeling is transformed to a higher and > subtler level, it integrates the individual, leaving them feeling more > whole than from where they started, thus adding richness and beautification > to the social surroundings of each partner. > > *Universal Love:* > > Love naturally reconciles one's own inherent good with the good of the > person who is the object of sexual desire. The Tantric insight is to take > the raw material of sex and transform it. Human beings already engage in > sex, so why not do it in such a way? It's not as if one needed to begin a > meditation practice on a subject they had no familiarity with. Sex is as > natural to us as being born. The question now moves toward how the > Kaula-sadhana can be a means to bring realization (moksa*). All texts of > the Indian tradition, whether left-hand or not, affirm that it is the > feeling of oneness with all universal love that brings Self-realization.* One > cannot be realized unless one loves the entire universe. > > One might object that while the Kaula practice may help in developing the > feeling of love towards our sex partner, it does not necessarily serve to > cultivate universal love, which is the means toward realization. However, > the Kaula would say that love for the opposite sex is the beginning of > universal love. > *Tantrism exploits the inborn impulse toward love and sex to prompt a > melting into universal love. * > In loving one's sex partner, one has the first glimpse of spiritual love. > Sexual love, if mastered, naturally paves the way for universal love. > Moreover, it doesn't really matter if the beloved object is a single person > or the entire world; it's the quality of love that matters. If we have in > our hearts a flow of true and pure love for even one person, we can acquire > the capacity to love all beings. *It is said that "If the flow of love > exists within the sadhaka (spiritual practitioner) it will saturate > whatever object comes before him or her, be it an individual or the whole > world".* > > *Self Realization:* > > Another reason the sadhana of sexual sublimation may be considered a means > to Self-realization is that we can reach the Self (Siva) by catching a > thread of spontaneity (spanda) in our experience and developing it more and > more. *I feel that sex is perhaps the greatest spontaneous act in our > physical experience. If we catch a hold of that sense and cultivate it in > the right ways, we can reach the ultimate state of freedom, which is in > essence joyful activity, free and spontaneous.* > > Tantrism, or Kaulism, is not merely a particular ritualistic sex worship, > it is a general attitude towards life. It is a positive philosophy that > integrates life and makes it sublime. While engaging in pleasurable > activities, the Kaula places his or her attention on the Self (Siva) or on > love, which is natural to the Self. The moment the attention is turned from > the Self to the object of enjoyment, it is a fall. Of course it is very > difficult to keep the attention fixed on the Self or love and not allow it > to drift to the enjoyment; for this reason *it is said that the Kaula > sadhana is as difficult as moving on the edge of a sword*. But in my > opinion it is definitely worth trying. > > The pleasure of our sex life is not independent. It depends on the Self, > or love that is spiritual. If we are not seated in the Self, we are not > able to experience full enjoyment of the world. What I have learned is that > the pleasure we take from, and share with, the world is proportionate to > the degree of Self-realization we have achieved. We receive from life, or > the world, the joy that we are already projecting onto it. > > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZooApzAPrk6%2BCdpsTFkm2_AW-yJ7%2BFkshM24TGVoOBfM-g%40mail.gmail.com.
