The three pillars of tantra
When the word ‘Tantra’ arises, sex inevitably comes to the minds of most. This is unfortunately far from the truth of what Tantra really is.
With many different lineages, practices, texts, and philosophies, it is impossible to encapsulate all of Tantra in a short blog post. It is a life path that should take a life time of devotion and exploration.
The misconception of tantra being about sex has arisen from the truth that the path of a Tantrika is the path of a householder as opposed to the path of Yoga which has traditionally been the path of an ascetic (someone who renounces ordinary life, including marriage or sex, to devote their life to spiritual practice). Tantra says that you can live an ordinary existence, have partnerships, have children, work a regular job, experience all the pleasures of life, and incorporate all of this into one’s spiritual practice. In fact, life and spirituality are not separate at all.
The three pillars of tantra are:
Apavarga: desire to connect with source
Bhoga: joy in life
Bhuti: we are here on a grand dharmic mission & are here to achieve greatness & serve life.
Tantra is neither a religion nor a dogma.
What tantra offers is an opportunity to intentionally centre ones life around these pillars. And to realign every day.
For me, the beauty is in the simplicity.