Материал: Snote

A Tantric love-posture specifically for mutual absorption and nurturing nature.

Movement should be gentle and rhythmic. From Rajasthani miniature painting of the eighteenth century.

When he has embraced his female partner, inserted his Scepter into her Lotus, he should drink heavily from her lips; they seem as if sprinkled with milk. As the full richness of delight is enjoyed, her thighs begin to quiver and her first fulfillment is reached. This is the way of becoming One with the Imperishable, by absorbing each other selflessly. These practices should not be abused, or else they'll push one into the hells of sickness and confusion. Adepts should take care to act correctly in these potent practices.

KALACHAKRA TANTRA

A wrathful Tantric visualization of Mahakala and consort in ecstatic union. Visualizations of such angry forms are helpful in transmuting personality limitations. From a Tibetan painting of the late eighteenth century.

the battle of love

Taoist teachings frequently refer to love-

Initiatress of the Yellow Emperor, is credited with authoring several books on military strategy as well as works on the Art of Love. The idea of considering the sexual partner as an "enemy w h o m one must defeat" may at first seem strange and contrary, but is actually based on a profound insight. This psychological technique should be undertaken in the spirit of gamesmanship and not allowed to degenerate into egotism. Victory belongs to the one who succeeds in

obtaining the partner's vital essence first. In an early Taoist text, the Plain Girl de-

clares, "When engaging the 'enemy,' the man

should consider her as worthless as a stone and himself as precious as gold. As soon as the man senses that he is about to ejaculate, he should stop all movement. Making love to a woman is like riding a galloping horse with a frayed rein, or like staggering on the brink of a dangerous precipice." This technique, in essence, is a psychological trick to help assist retention.

A later Ming dynasty treatise states:

A superior "general" should concentrate on drawing out the opponent. He should cultivate a detached attitude of indifference [the term "superior general" refers to the Taoist adept]. When he is about to make love, he should fondle the Jade Gateway of the woman with his hand, and suck her tongue. He should squeeze her breasts and suck in her pure breath; in this way, she will become very excited. All this time the man should keep himself under control, detaching his mind as if it were floating in a clear blue sky. He

is advised to imagine that his body is sinking into nothingness. Closing his eyes, the man should not look at the woman, so that his own passion does not become stirred up; an inner feeling nonchalance is necessary.

This kind of sexual attitude is hardly compatible with a lasting relationship, unless both partners are aware of what is happening and play it as a game. The same text gives an account of how to "defeat the enemy" by preventing ejaculation and "making the semen return." It takes the form of an allegory; "The turtle withdraws internally, the dragon inhales, the serpent swallows, and the tiger waits." The commentary gives an interpretation of this cryptic instruction:

Closing the eyes and mouth, withdrawing the feet and hands, and pressing the point between the scrotum and testicles with the fingers, while at the same time concentrating the mind, is the "way the turtle withdraws into itself." By drawing in the True Fluid [the Yoni-emissions], by making it flow steadily upward [by absorbing it through the Lingam] until it arrives at the secret place in the brain, in this way "the dragon inhales." The serpent "swallows its victim" by first nibbling at it until it is powerless, then swallowing it completely. The tiger "waits and catches its prey stealthily."

The allegory of a battle is commonly used

in Taoist texts to describe love-making. The theory is that the "enemy" uses up his or her reserve of strength, thereby having to "surrender." The above text continues:

The enemy surrenders and I gather the spoils of victory. This is known as "already completed," which guarantees peace for a full generation. Withdrawing from the battlefield, I regain strength and place the booty in the storeroom, so increasing my reserves. "Gathering the spoils of victory" means that when the woman has reached her climax of pleasure, I continue to move my Weapon in and out, varying deep strokes with shallow ones, withdrawing it completely from time to time. By sucking her tongue and squeezing her breasts, I induce her to shed her True Fluid, which then can be absorbed by me. The term "full generation" means twelve years; the "storeroom" is the bone-marrow.

This description is an account of alchemical love-making, designed to strengthen male potency. It suggests that every time a man receives the True Fluid or Inner Yang of woman, he has the possibility of increasing his life expectancy by twelve years. It is interesting that gerontological research into methods of preventing aging have established that the bone marrow is a determining factor in aging. Experiments on animals, which have involved the direct transplantation of

Aggression can be used to channel sexual energy. In Taoism love-making is compared to a battle. A Shunga print, circa late eighteenth century.

The longer the battle raged, the more imposing became the stature of his Warrior, and with it his courage; no longer was her Pleasure Grotto a bottomless pit. Both on the sides and in the depths the desired contact was made. Her body began to quiver and writhe voluptuously, and moans of pleasure issued from her lips. The grass and bushes around her Gateway grew moist with the dew of ecstasy. He reached for the cloth, to wipe away some of the juices, but she restrained him.

A Battle of the Sexes, she felt, should be a wild frenzy, an ecstatic temple dance with a rousing accompaniment of gongs and drums.

JOU PU TUAN

Every man who has obtained a beautiful Crucible [woman] will naturally love her with all his heart. But when he makes love with her he should force himself to visualize her as ugly and hateful.

With a calm mind he should insert his fade Stalk into her Crucible, moving it slowly backward and forward. When he has done this a few times, he should stop, so as to calm his lust. A little bit later he should begin again and so continue until the woman reaches the point where she can scarcely contain herself. The man should be careful to move slowly, so that the woman is the first to arrive at the climax. As soon as he senses that his semen is about to be ejaculated, he should withdraw his fade Stalk and employ the art of retaining his semen.

HSUI-CHEN-YEN-I

Those who want to nurture nature and prolong their lives should meditate deeply on their ultimate aim and consider the source of their origin.

TS'AN-T'UNG-CH'I

with another woman, for this will cause her Yin-essence to become overexcited. Then the woman will be afflicted by physical pains while sitting or standing, and her female secretions will flow out on their own, so causing her to wither and age before her time."

In order to call forth her natural responsiveness and awesome sexual potency, woman must cultivate harmony with her environment and her partner. The nature of woman can be nurtured by making contact with Yin elements—by walking in flower gardens, or with bare feet on dew-laden grass. Contact with beautiful women is said to be one of the most effective ways of nurturing the Yin, and for this reason, Sapphic love was considered quite natural in cultures that recognized this power in femininity.

A woman's nature is nurtured when she gains ascendancy over her emotionality, allowing this primal energy to transform her personality. If a woman can learn to control and channel her emotional energy, she can become an inexhaustible source of psychic nourishment to her partner. Both Taoism and Tantra teach that emotional maturity is the key to understanding the alchemy of ecstasy.

Nature is nurtured by uninhibited lovemaking. This is the rationale behind ancient pagan sexual rituals. Lovers can nurture nature spontaneously, provided they maintain the balance between giving and taking.

Normally, in a healthy relationship, any loss of female Yin-essence is compensated by absorption of the male Yang-essence. H o w - ever, if a man repeatedly forces himself on a woman, he may extract her vital energy. If she is not living a natural lifestyle, she will have no way of compensating for what has been "taken" from her.

Alchemical texts, such as the

Chandamaharosana Tantra, describe the Yoni of woman as "a crucible, a vessel of transformation." It is in this vessel that the Yin and Yang essences combine, transform, and nurture the couple. This process takes place in both a physical and subtle dimension.

One of the foremost physical techniques for absorbing and transforming sexual vitality is the Tantric Vajroli Mudra, the "Diamond Seal," a method that aims at reversing the flow of sexual energy. Both men and women can practice this technique for consciously absorbing their partner's love-secretions and drawing sexual energy upward, to empower spiritual evolution.

Woman practices the Vajroli Mudra by creating suction through the rhythmic constriction of the walls of her Yoni. At the same time, she visualizes the energy drawing up -

ward and swallows her saliva.

The physical technique involves two distinct movements. The first is a conscious constriction of the urethral sphincter muscles, just below the clitoris. These muscles are very closely related to the anal sphincter, which governs excretion. The urethral sphincter controls and regulates urination. If a woman locates and contracts this muscle while urinating, then the flow will be interrupted, and continue when released. Once the location is known, practice can develop this muscle and prepare it for the Art of Love. While

practicing this contraction, the w o m a n

should pull up the lower part of the abdomen, alternating contractions with relaxation.

A woman can check the effectiveness of her sphincter movements by gently inserting one or two fingers into her Yoni while performing the exercise. W h e n correctly done, the contractions will clasp and unclasp her fingers. The Ananga Ranga states:

The woman should ever strive to close and constrict the Yoni until it holds the Lingam as with a finger, opening and shutting at her pleasure, and finally, acting as the hand of the Gopi girl, who milks the cow. This can only be learned by practice, and especially by throwing the power of the will into the part to be affected. While so doing, she should mentally repeat the name of the Love god, Kamadeva (whose seed Mantra is the sound "KLING"), in order that a

The mystery teachings on sexuality emphasize that a woman should never allow herself to become jealous or overly possessive. In the polygamous society of ancient China co-wives learned to accept one another as sisters rather than as rivals. From a Chinese painting of the Ming dynasty.

Entering the median nerve at the

Navel Center, from the sexual region, the vital force moves

through the middle of the other nerve centers. Becoming the Fire force of Wisdom-energy, it rises

upward and pervades all the nerve

turn, one's own body will be enhaloed.

SIX DOCTRINES OF NAROPA

The Uddiyana Bandha, or Flying-up Restraint, was named after an ancient kingdom in eastern India where Tantric Yoga first developed. The exercise is performed with the hands resting above the knees and the breath exhaled. First the right and left abdominal muscles should be isolated, followed by the stomach, which is then churned, a process known as Nauli. The Gheranda Samhita declares that "whoever practices the Uddiyana Bandha conquers death. The Great Bird of Vitality is drawn up through the Central Axis, raising the consciousness." This exercise can be used to help absorb sexual secretions and energies.