Tantra Unveiled: Seducing the Forces of Matter and Spirit

by Rajmani Tigunait

Cultivating love and respect for the mantra is more important than concentration on the mantra—but establishing a relationship with something which is solely auditory, and therefore merely conceptual, is difficult for most people. It is not difficult, however, to feel the presence of the Divine when the sense of sight is involved. We are accustomed to experiencing shape, color, and texture, and the personified forms of the deities described by adepts are accompanied by all these familiar elements of cognition. We can relate to them. Thus in tantric practice mantra becomes a tool not only for focusing the mind but also for filling the mind with the grace of the deity. We can now cultivate a personal relationship with the deity corresponding to the mantra we are practicing, convincing ourselves intellectually that the mantra and the deity are one and the same and that we are communicating with Her with each repetition. This is where an understanding of tantric metaphysics becomes important. Every religion perceives God in a distinct form, and if we have been raised in a particular religion we have a natural preference for that form over any other. Practicing a mantra in a tantric manner, however, involves meditating on the form of a deity, and this can conflict with our religious upbringing. So it is best therefore not to undertake such a practice until we understand tantric metaphysics, which describe the interrelationship of sound and light. Modern science and technology h...