Материал: Snote

The three cousins lay down head to head and the Master was encouraged to roll and sport over and between them to his heart's content, taking pleasure with this one and that one. When he had satisfied the middle one, he honored her right-hand neighbor, and then he visited the neighbor on the left. Everyone found the experience so exciting that all four of them were appeased.

JOU PU TUAN

A nobleman in playful sexual dalliance with seven women. In ancient cultures polygamy was common. Multiple sexual encounters were believed to endow the ruling classes with magical power, longevity, and wisdom. From a Japanese color print attributed to Kitao Shigemasa, circa 1780.

the secret dalliance

In the East, sexual practices evolved that extended beyond the unit of the couple. The ancient cultures of Egypt, Arabia, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, and Japan were largely polygamous. Unlike the Judaeo-Christian view of sexuality, with its insistence on m o - nogamy, the Oriental teachings about sex are not limited to the couple. Sexual practices were developed to enable a man to fully satisfy the needs of his wives or concubines, while at the same time acquiring an increase in magical power. This power was accessible to all participants and could be used for either worldly or transcendental purposes.

Chinese texts refer to the love-making of a single man with more than one woman as the Secret Dalliance. A Taoist saying declares, "The pleasures enjoyed in the company of a number of women are secret; very few come to know of the potential of these pleasures."

The Secret Dalliance was generally prac-

ticed by emperors, kings, noblemen or adepts. The sexual techniques associated with the Secret Dalliance were carefully guarded to enable the ruling classes to maintain their position of authority. That there is a potent magical power to be gained from Secret Dalliance is a tenet fundamental to Taoist and Tantric teachings. It is believed to be an effective way of stimulating the vital force in both men and women, and of gaining access to magical powers over and above those normally available within a monogamous relationship.

The teachings of Secret Dalliance, outlined in Taoist and Tantric texts, deal almost exclusively with a single man enjoying the pleasures of more than one woman. Rarely does one find mention of a single woman in love-dalliance with more than one man. The reasons for this are cultural, physiological, and metaphysical.

Culturally, the East was largely polygamous rather than polyandrous or monogamous. A man could have as many wives or concubines as he was able to support. A girl was brought up to expect that she would share her husband with other women.

Consequently, sexual possessiveness, so

prevalent in the West, was minimized. Polyandry was uncommon, and when it did take place, it was usually restricted to men within a single family—for instance, two brothers might share a wife.

The physiological reasons are extremely interesting. According to Taoism, woman is believed to have an inexhaustible supply of Yin-force. The secret teachings state that when two or more women are in close contact, they nurture and stimulate the supply of Yin, creating a magnetically charged field of psychic energy. The effect of this on a man practicing the Secret Dalliance is a "doubling of potency" and a resultant strengthening and elevation of his Yang-force. On the other hand, where there is a predominance of Yang—that is, two men with a single woman—the Yang elements are inclined to cancel each other out. This is demonstrated most dramatically by the fact that if sperm from unrelated males are brought together, they naturally fight. If the sperm of two men "meet" within a single Yoni, they will be antagonistic to each other and will battle until one gains ascendancy. The Yoni will become a battleground rather than a creative retort.

The metaphysical view of Taoism and Tantra stresses that woman is the embodiment of Nature, which is conceived of as multifarious. She has a natural narcissism, which inclines her to look for her reflection in other women and in the beauteous things of the world. She strives to express her multifarious roles through the power of Shakti, which is narcissistic and ultimately compassionate. A woman's body is soft, yielding, receptive; it evokes sensuality. When two or more women are in harmony, they have the power to transform the sensual into the supersensual.

The nature of man is aggressive rather than receptive. Narcissism is not an inherent characteristic of man, who is, however, very territorial. The transcendental power of Shiva lies in the resolution of all dualities. In the realm of the Secret Dalliance it is the single, unitary, focusing faculty of the male principle that is of paramount importance.

Indian texts declare that two sentiments can be exalted by the presence of a third sentiment (Bharata). The Kama Sutra states, "When a man makes love with two women at the same time, both of whom love him equally, then it is known as the United Position." In the Chandamaharosana Tantra there

is the following explicit account of Secret Dalliance:

One woman, coming from the disc of the moon, is enjoyed by another similar one. The third person is different from these two and should balance their forces. By enjoying together, they all become free from decay and death. The right and the left blend together in the Central Pathway. He stimulates both; they arouse each other and combine with him. The two moons are always filled with nectar; the sun is ever burning.

T h r o u g h o u t pagan cultures there are instances of sexual rites

centered around troilism. For example, among the Walindi, an African tribe living in the

Lake C h a d r e g i o n , the

w o m e n form partnerships with each other soon after reaching puberty. They live together as "husband and wife," and when they are ready, together they select the single man who will become their real husband.

Mystic Taoist love-dalliance known as the Feast of Peonies. A painting on silk, China, circa the late eighteenth century.

According to Hindu Tantras great power is inherent in carefully controlled multiple love-dalliance. From a Rajasthani miniature painting of the eighteenth century.

The Secret Dalliance of a single man with three women. From a Japanese woodblock print by Sugimura Jihei, circa 1680.

Taoist threesome. From a Japanese woodblock print by Sugimura Jihei, circa 1680.

An intimate love-dalliance. From a Japanese print by Sugimura Jihei, circa 1680.

Secret Dalliance was believed to strengthen vitality in both male and female participants. From a Chinese painting of the late eighteenth century.

During an elaborate ceremony in which the female moon-spirit is evoked, each woman has oral-genital intercourse with the chosen man. As soon as he ejaculates into the mouth of one woman, she immediately transfers the semen from her mouth into the sexual organ of the woman who is her partner. Having done so, she says three times, "All your children are also mine." From that time on, both women are free to make love with the man.

A Taoist text states, "A woman should never be jealous or sad when she sees her lover making love with another woman, for then her Yin-essence will become agitated and she will be liable to sickness, even withering and aging before her time." This is an important truth to be remembered by those who wish to explore Secret Dalliance

together.

Westerners often think that Taoist and Tantric sexual practices focus on unconventional sexual encounters, promiscuity, and wild orgies. This view is inaccurate and misleading. Free sex or group sex as we understand it in the West is far removed from the highly evolved, self-disciplined practices out-

lined in Tantric and Taoist teachings.

Tantra stresses the importance of the couple, which is idealized as a cosmically complete entity—the male and female in balanced union. Tantric rites evolve from the view of the couple within (which recognizes the inherent bisexuality of everyone, whether externally male or female), to the ideal of the couple made up of separate but complementary sexual beings. The couple, allegorical or

actual, is the firm foundation of Tantra.

The sexual teachings of Tantra are always to be understood on three levels: the

allegoric/symbolic, the literal/physical and the secret/transcendental. According to

Tantra, the Union of Three is a rite that can be internalized and practiced symbolically through the power of fantasy and visualization. In the Kaula Tantra there is a meditation that teaches the couple to identify with the Kundalini Shakti—the raw sexual energy, visualized as a serpent-like fire rising up from within a red triangle. The Kundalini-energy of the man and the woman is to be imagined as conjoined in ecstasy, rising up through the subtle centers (Chakras) to the head center, where it is ecstatically transformed into a single form, a beautiful girl, a sensual Red

Dakini with many magical attributes. In their mind's eye the couple should merge and identify with her as a wish-granting transcendental Wisdom-being. This merging is one of the goals of high magic.

If Tantric practices are extended to encompass troilism or forms of group sex, the participants should be aware that they are entering a new and highly volatile dimension. The Tantric Union of Three is a giant step away from the predictable or the conventional. It involves considerable responsibility, for such a rite can release energies more powerful and potentially more dangerous than those normally experienced by a couple. These energies can be manifested creatively or destructively, and must be carefully channeled and transformed. Positive energies can be nurtured by breath control, by visualization, and by controlling and prolonging orgasm. Creative energies released during the Union of Three should be recirculated among the participants by maintaining as much contact as possible between the sex terminals of the bodies: the sexual organs, breasts, mouths, hands, and feet. The flow of energy within the Union of Three should be focused in the minds of all the participants. Energy loss from the region of the navel or the top of the head is to be avoided. Selflessness must pervade the experience, and pure ecstatic consciousness, as Bliss-waves, should be maintained and circulated throughout the Yantra of Union.

In the Union of Three the man should meditate on himself as Shiva, the Lord of Transcendence. His main role is to keep alive the fire of concentration by correct use of Mantra and Yantra. He should always keep the circulation and transformation of energy in his mind's eye. As Shiva the Transcendental, the man should endeavor to maintain the balance of forces, using his control of breath, thought, and semen.

The third person should only be invited into the Union of Three if there is a bond of mutual trust. She should be given every consideration and honored equally. Both women must visualize themselves as pure expressions of the Primordial Shakti, the potent power of eros. Each woman should stimulate and evoke the innermost Shakti of the other, endeavoring to experience the power of her own, without any feeling of separateness. By nurturing each other's nature spontaneously,

Taoism teaches that when correctly performed, the love-dalliance of a single man with two women can double sexual potency and increase the power of the psyche. From a Chinese painting of the early nineteenth century.

Oriental traditions credit love-dalliance with the power of rejuvenation. From a Japanese painting, Kangyo, nineteenth century.

In Eastern cultures it was common for a wealthy man to marry a woman and her sister. This was believed to enhance longevity and increase the male Yang-essence, so enabling the birth of many sons. From a Chinese scroll painting of the nineteenth century.

Chinese Union of Three, of the type known as the Feast of Peonies. From a color print of the Ming dynasty.

the women experience a doubling of potency at each peak of ecstasy.

A rite such as the Union of Three should not be embarked upon without due consideration. Sharing one's partner with another is a supreme act of generosity. Unless jealousy and egotism are completely put aside, the couple may suddenly find themselves opened up to forces of nega-

tivity. The Union of Three has

the potential for Tantric liberation, but it can be extremely

dangerous if carelessly used. If

any of the participants is emotionally unstable, selfish, or unfamiliar w i t h the esoteric

principles of spiritualization through sexual transcendence, there is the danger of personality conflicts. Clarity of heart, presence of mind and spiritual consideration must always be present if the Secret Dalliance is to produce sweet rather than bitter fruits.

Shakti on the man, worshipping him as Lord Shiva, the Yogi whose Lingam is always erect. They should give to him, and to each other, offering up the ecstasy of their union to the Divine Principles within. The earnest desire for liberation and spiritual transcendence should be held within the hearts of all participants.