What Is White Tantra?

Tantra is generally divided into two main streams: Red Tantra and White Tantra. Red Tantra or Tantra of the Left Hand (Vama Marga) involves the use of practices that were considered taboo, such as the ritual of sexual union (maithuna), as a means of attaining liberation. Red Tantra uses sexual union as means for going beyond into transcendent states of consciousness.

White Tantra or Tantra of the Right Hand (Dakshina Marga) involves the meditative techniques of Tantra and is essentially a celibate, ascetic path.

White Tantra is a timeless synthesis of two ideals: union with the Divine and perfect health of mind and body. The genius of the ancient Indian mystics has left us a rich legacy of knowledge, based upon the power of sound, which puts man’s quest for enlightenment and for health, happiness and prosperity in perfect balance. This secret knowledge, passed down in an ancient oral tradition for thousands of years, is an authentic spiritual art perfectly preserved for today�s world.

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There are no authentic books or scriptures on White Tantra available anywhere. In ancient times Tantric seers kept this science highly secret. Their secrecy was not simply to prevent people from learning Tantric techniques so that they could maintain a monopoly on the knowledge, but also to protect innocent people from the volatile potential of powers that could be unleashed through incorrect practice. Read more

The Practice of Left Hand Tantra: Vama Marga

The term Tantra sometimes creates confusion because Tantra has become associated with sex in the West, but a minimal amount of research reveals that not all Tantric traditions include sex in their practices. The branch of Tantra that does use sexual practices for spiritual development is called vama marga or left hand Tantra, due to the fact that women, who are of lunar influence, negative polarity or the left, play an essential role in this science.

The science of tantra has two main branches, which are known as vama marga and dakshina marga. Vama marga is the left path which combines sexual life with yoga practices in order to explode the dormant energy centres. Dakshina marga is the right path of yoga practices without sexual enactment. Previously, due to the barriers in sexual life, the path most widely followed was dakshina marga. Today, however, these barriers are rapidly being broken, and the path most sought after by the people everywhere is vama marga, which utilizes sexual life for spiritual development.

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The contention of vama marga is that the awakening of kundalini is possible through the interaction between man and woman. The concept behind this follows the same lines as the process of fission and fusion described in modern physics.

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The elements that are brought together in this process of union are known as Shiva and Shakti. Shiva represents purusha and Shakti represents prakriti or energy. Shakti, in different forms, is present in all creation. Both material and spiritual energy are known as Shakti. When the energy moves outwardly, it is material energy, and when it is directed upwards it is spiritual energy. Therefore, when the union between man and woman is practised in the correct way, it has a very positive influence on the development of spiritual awareness. Read more