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Ivan Petkov

No human feeling other than love has ever been so coveted, praised and glorified. However, it brings so much pain and suffering at the same time. The meaning of love is so broad since selfless, unconditional and pure love stands on one side and burning and destructive passion on the other. It gives rise to the purest and brightest human impulses and actions, but also separates families, causes deaths and wars. Why is that?

In ancient European culture we can find traces of training in the art of love, both spiritual and material. All aspects of love are embodied in the ancient myths and legends. And regarding the everyday life of the people, a small group of aristocrats had the privilege of enjoying learning the art of love. The appearance of Christianity democratized the ancient philosophy (the meaning of which was love of wisdom) and made Christian views comprehensible for the masses but the dogma of original sin rejected the sensual and sexual side of love, thus making sex a taboo. Arts connected with love in its entirety and presenting it as a path to divinity became secret and again available to few. Today, in a society in which sexual stimuli are everywhere, as they are an integral part of cinema, photography, television, print media, the internet and ... advertising, the art of love has gained some popularity but it is available to few again. The mass idea is quite inaccurate and shallow. As for introducing it in education, for the moment, we cannot even talk about such a trend. It is a good fortune if parents dared to introduce sexual culture in the overall education of their children, not to speak of its correct interpretation.

I wrote on GRReporter’s pages about different advanced technology, which has made information publicly available. I think it is time to take advantage of this availability and to benefit from this “ocean” of information that is surrounding us, for the sake of ourselves, our health, our relationships with our loved ones and with all others.

Things in the East have evolved differently to some extent. There they have preserved the knowledge which is similar to what was known in our lands in ancient times. However, it would be too bold and unrealistic to talk about popularity. For example, I will mention that in India, the country that gave birth to Tantra and the Kama Sutra, a man and a woman are banned from kissing each other in public, even if they are married. The reason for this is the influence brought by the Islamic invasion in the Middle Ages.

Over the centuries, knowledge was making its way through, and was travelling with, merchants, knights or people who were simply looking for a better life and had thus reached our lands. The tantric texts, which were disseminated in the West before that, were presented to the public attention only at the end of the 19^th century, timidly at first and with an official translation and research later, and through people who had studied in the East. Naturally, after so many centuries of oppression, Europeans see, in the first place, the sexual rites and practices in the ancient Tantric teachings. Moreover, this “reputation” is still the mainstream. Type "tantra" in Google and you will find out what I mean.

Sensual sutra

The Kama Sutra was not written by one author but was compiled over centuries. According to historical sources, the collection was developed in the period between 400 BC and 200 CE, and one of its last compilers, Vatsyayana, is known even today. The collection contained various tips aimed at men and women and, according to some researchers, only one third of its content was related to the sexual act and the positions with which we associate the Kama Sutra today. Kama Sutra means "sensual sutra". "Sutra" means "thread" or connecting knowledge into a common texture composed ​​of different threads. So, the Kama Sutra was a manual guiding young men and women to their joint marital life and included every aspect of it, from matchmaking, through different gifts, rites, the wedding ceremony to the start of living together. Some of the tips are valid today whereas others may sound archaic or even incomprehensible.

For example, the wife owed ​​absolute obedience to her husband and her duty was not to give rise to a row even if she were offended in the worst possible way. She had to look down so as not to incite her husband's anger and wait until it subsided. However, if the husband went too far and violated some of the strict rules of behaviour, which meant that he did not respect his wife (beating is not among them) and there was strife, his wife could pull his hair, hit him, shout at him, bite him and claw at him, but never outside their home! After such a quarrel, the passion could naturally be transformed into lovemaking.

However, we would perceive some tips as romantic. After a passionate night, the wife would give her husband a rose in order for the scent and freshness of the flower to remind him of his beloved.

I will not go into details about the Kama Sutra. As I mentioned, some of the texts reflect the perceptions and moral values ​​of the society of the time. Another part is universal and coincides with the perceptions, morality and conduct of our time. Many people in the West believe that the Kama Sutra is a guide to tantric lovemaking and put a sign of equality between them. Sensual Sutra is not part of tantric tradition; it is rather a guide for more mundane matters.

Tantra

Tantric tradition also does not rest on a uniform text written by a single author. To the contrary, it is quite old and based on many texts from different eras and even on different esoteric traditions in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism it is a religious philosophy according to which Shakti is usually the goddess worshiped as a cult and the universe is considered as the product of the divine play between Shakti and Shiva, the female and the male principle presented in the images of the two deities. In particular, Tantra deals with spiritual and ritual practices aimed at the liberation from ignorance and at the cycle of rebirth. Tantric movement has its impact on Bon religion in Tibet, on Hindu Buddhist and Jain religious traditions, and on yoga.

Tantric schools that deal with sexual rites and joint development are few in number and the sexual practices do not exceed even 5% of their teachings. According to Tantra, man and his inner world is a reflection of the entire cosmic energy. The two universal forces, male and female, are in each of us, not in the form of gender specific qualities but as universal principles.

Tantric sexual rites were intended to raise the energy levels of the participants and to connect the internal microcosm with the universe, man with God. Tantrists attach importance to the body rather than ignoring it or considering it a hindrance to spiritual development.

I want to introduce a short set of exercises (rites), aimed at maintaining the physical health and energy balance in man. It is called the Five Tibetan Rites.

FIRST TIBETAN RITE

Stand upright and extend your arms at shoulder level, palms facing down, and start turning around in a clockwise direction. Dervishes do this exercise hundreds of times, lamas a dozen, just to stimulate the chakras.

According to Christopher Kilam the optimum number is 21.

SECOND TIBETAN RITE

1. Lie on your back with your arms at your side.

2. Press your chin to your chest.

3. Lift your legs, keeping them straight, without folding your knees.

4. Start as you can and repeat as many times as you can. The ultimate goal is again 21 repetitions.

THIRD TIBETAN RITE

1. Kneel on the floor and straighten your body. Place your hands on your hips.

2. Press your chin to your chest.

3. Lean back, gently craning your head backwards.

4. Start again as you can and repeat as many times as you can, trying to reach the goal of 21 repetitions again.

FOURTH TIBETAN RITE

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight and feet apart, and with your arms on the floor.

2. Press your chin to your chest.

3. Let your head go back as far as you can.

4. Without bending your arms and without moving your arms or legs, bend your knees and lift your trunk to a horizontal position. Tense your muscles, then relax.

5. It is not necessary to perform all rites from the outset. Start with those which you can do. Remember, however, that the Tibetan rites work in conjunction with each other. Start doing them as you can and repeat them as many times as you can. The rest will come with time and persistence.

FIFTH TIBETAN RITE

1. Get down on the floor on your hands and knees, your body bent, arms stretched and palms on the floor, toes are bent and step on the ground. Gently lean your head far back as you can.
 
2. Without lifting your palms and feet from the floor, bend your body at the hips and lift it into a position resembling an inverted "V". Press the chin to the chest.

What do exercises have to do with love? Firstly, all the "exercises" in the eastern traditions work on many levels, and their purpose is not only to balance the physique and bring physical health but also to have an affect at the emotional, mental and energetic level. You have heard the thought that we are attracted to people who resemble us. If we are filled with negative emotions and doubts, it is unlikely that we will meet and attract a smiling, balanced and bright person.

Tantric sexual practices are distinguished for their rites and attitude towards your loved one, considering him or her a "carrier" of divine power. These rites use plenty of ointments, fragrances, flowers, candles, a special environment that predispose the two lovers. This exterior attracts western people but, unfortunately, we rarely gain an insight of the core of the rite, which is actually important. Without this core, the rite is nothing more than a sex game that brings excitement to the drowsy marital bed. By no means is this bad, but it does not solve the problems between the two partners. Let us have an insight. Unfortunately, there are no sources, describing the esoteric side of these rites in a comprehensible and applicable manner. Many contemporary authors who write about Tantra and love rites are using the descriptions and methods of Taoist Master Mantak Chia. That is why we will now turn to China and to the art of sleeping chambers to see what is hidden from the eyes of the curious Westerner who is also thirsty for knowledge.

The art of sleeping chambers

Here we are in the most esoteric depths of love, the "secrets" of long life and eternal love. Like Tantra, Taoist practices perceive man and woman as a manifestation of the universal forces which are called Yin and Yang in this case; negative and positive, but in terms of the negative and positive pole on the magnet. That is right, as there is a strong bio- magnetic field in the people in love that they feel like attraction. As you know, we often say that we are strongly attracted to a person. Why, then, only a few months or years after two people meet, the love between them is lost? The power of this field, which was originally heavily charged, weakens. Why does this happen and how can we preserve this power?

The reasons for the weakening of the field are very simple and, in my opinion, are not a secret. Especially at the daily level, cares, concerns, problems, tensions exhaust the two partners. Of course, we, the people in the West, do not use terms like "vital energy" but, at a daily level, we feel that something is gone, we have lost something. The common love field, which is the sum of the strength of the vital energy of the two partners, is weakening along with the reduction of their vital energy. The common field weakens even if only one of them loses his or her "charge". The good news is that you can restore your personal charge and revive the feelings between yourself and your partner.

I have already mentioned that we are attracted to people who resemble us. To put it in terms of bio-energy, your own field, which is the sum of all your qualities, is being "received" and felt by people with a similar bio-energy field. At the conscious level, that shows your upbringing, social and moral norms, you may not be contented with the people you attract but, at the energy level, it is precisely they who are suitable for you at the moment.

How can you change that? You can change it by changing yourself. The practice of the Five Tibetan Rites described above and many others like them are designed to balance us and transform the negative emotions into positive ones. All primary practices, whether in Tantra, Yoga and Tao, are designed to cleanse and renew us at every level - physical, mental, emotional, energy. I have seen many times how, within a few months of regular practice, very ordinary people, identifying themselves as "rational people with feet on the ground" discover with surprise that something in them has changed. Others start telling them that they are brighter, more energetic, smiling and cheerful. They realize that they are starting to attract people whom they have not attracted previously. Of course, this is not a magic wand by which we can bring a specific person to us; it means a gradual personal change. There are many other factors which affect us.

The personal change is just the beginning and it is unrealistic to think that it will solve all problems in communicating with your loved one.

Heart energy is pretty wild, as we know, it creates a lot of excitement. When we have inner frustration, hatred and jealousy are the other face of love. The desire for a strong and passionate love, which is not wrong in itself, without realizing our own internal processes and imperfections, is a direct way to reinforce hatred and jealousy rather than to awaken love, to put it mildly.

Heart energy (love and joy) is directly dependent on our primary energy, much of which is sexual energy. When we exhaust our sexual energy and weaken the body and will, then the energy of the heart centre is not in balance/harmony, the result of which is what I wrote above, namely that, instead of joy and love, we get hatred and jealousy. Paradoxically, but in the pursuit of love and being unaware of the existence of the natural laws of the universe, we exhaust ourselves sexually, which leads only to hatred and jealousy rather than to love. Instead of love, to which we aspire, we find exactly what we do not want but what has filled us inside and we have not even noticed it: bad habits and exhaustion have disturbed our balance and negative emotions have taken possession of us.

Esoteric practices in Tantra and Tao aim at interrupting the exhaustion of our creative sexual energy and at strengthening the energy of heart and love. In the beginning, every practitioner practises alone the Tantric and Taoist exercises which teach men not to lose their sexual energy through ejaculation and women during menstruation. All this is combined with other practices similar to the Five Tibetan Rites which are aimed at strengthening our internal energy.

In the joint Tantric rites, the persons in love are using the natural sexual arousal to enhance their energy even more. This exaltation of energy, without its further exhaustion, charges the individual fields of the partners and, along with this, the common field between them, which nourishes the strength of their feelings. Thus, they merge their experiences, but also go beyond their persona boundaries, touching the divine, creating a bridge between their inner world and the big outer universe, which is the essence of the love (tantric) rite.