________________
Tantra : Ecstasy Through Rituals / 285
concrete procedures the final goal of atmajnyana may be achieved. And the means prescribed by Tantra are for everybody.
The common man, unlike a learned man can not think in a detached manner. His thinking is attached largely to the experiencial field. So he needs some concrete form of sadhana, a gradual course of action for training both the body and mind. The common man can visualise the nature of absolute reality only through a saguna and sakara form of deity. Therefore, tantric sadhana provides a practical way of taking the mind slowly towards a realisation of the formless nature of the atman through what the mind can actually handle and experience. It takes the mind from the gross to the subtle, from the external to the internal, from the superficial to the hidden nature of the world, and from the world to its original source, from the indriyagamya or apparent to the buddhigamya or essence. This can be achieved only through 'practice' or abhyasa, and not merely through contemplating, visualising, or imagining, Tantric sadhana is thus the way of starting near in order to go far.
Tantric sadhana does not call for blind faith or hollow ritual. Its preceptors seem to have devised the various parts of the discipline on the basis of a good deal of philosophical thinking. They believed certain basic principles which appear quite reasonable and sound even on a scientific scrutiny from the point of view of modern knowledge. This is perhaps the reason why young men and women from the most affluent societies all over the world are getting attracted toward tantric sadhana in actual practice in ever increasing numbers.
The first principle underlying tantric sadhana is that the body influences the mind and vice versa. In modern terminology this is called the principle of psychosomatic interaction. Of course, it is true that this principle has nowhere been stated explicitly in Tantra works. But it does unmistakably underline the tantric rituals. It is now recognised in modern medicine that there are certain disorders of the body whose cause is located in the anxious states of the mind. Such disorders can not be cured simply by treating the affected body parts. They need the mind to be treated, so that the tension and anxiety is removed from the mind. When the cause of the trouble is thus removed the trouble vanishes along with the symptoms. This principle of psycho-somatic interaction is used in tantric sadhana. The bodily and simple looking acts of the worshipper like image worship, bhootashuddhi, nyasa, homa, tapa, and so on actually influence the mind. They belp to purify the mind and remove afflictions like fear, envy, greed, ignorance (avidya) etc., and thereby promote true knowledge of the self. This same principle of training the mind through training the body is also used in Hathayoga in the practice of asana, pranayama, and mudras.
आसनस्थ तम KTCHPA Rat तब हो सके आश्वस्त जम
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.janemborary.org
