Lesson 17 - Q&A – Reclaiming the body-soul connection

From: Yogani
Date: Fri Mar 12, 2004 7:55am

New Members: It is recommended you read from the beginning of this
tantra yoga archive, as previous lessons are prerequisite to this
one. The first lesson is, "What is tantra yoga?"

Q: Hello, I have a question, I have been baffled by it for a while.
Why is it that the idea of the reduction of the self to a material
object in sex is appealing? Sometimes I feel that sexual energies
would be better transmitted if my mind did not have a part in them,
just my body and soul. Perhaps I think my mind would just be a
deterent and that pure and intention will comes from the soul. I know
this is somewhat of an odd question and maybe I'm the only one who
feels this way. Any clarification on this thought would be helpful.

A: It is a good question. You have pinpointed a feeling that many
have, I think. The question itself is an opening. That is how bhakti
(desire for truth) works.

It is a question of self-awareness, and where that is manifesting.
The mind will go where self seems to be. It is determined by the
amount of obstruction lodged in our nervous system. If our main
identity is with the body, the mind will tend to indulge in that
experience. With sex it can be very strong because it is the peak of
externalized sensory experience. The mind being identified like this
is the essence of sense attachment and lust.

The senses are not "bad" because of this relationship of mind with
body. Making that judgment is like shooting the messenger. If we
undertake meditation and other practices that purify and open the
nervous system, the sense of self gradually expands inside to silent
pure bliss consciousness. The senses also expand gradually inward to
more enjoyable levels of ecstatic experience. Then the mind finds
something more than the physical body to be fascinated with -- pure
bliss consciousness which is the mind's essential nature, and also
refinement of sensory experience to levels of divine ecstasy. So, the
mind is naturally drawn to an expanding reality within, and a more
stable and satisfying sense of self.

It is not a matter of shutting off or excluding the mind. It is about
expanding the experience of self and senses inward, and mind will go
there. Indeed, the mind is a primary vehicle for cultivating that.
The mind has the inherent ability to go to stillness, and this is
what we capitalize on when we go systematically inward in daily
meditation.

So, we don't want to shut off the mind. We want to expand it to
embrace more and more peace and enjoyment inside. Then we expand
beyond narrow attachments to external sensory experiences of the
body, and all that. The mind becomes a bridge between the body and
the soul. The heart is opened by this process, so divine love
emerges, which expands our sense of self beyond our body. Then we see
our lover, and everyone, as an expression of our self. We come to
live and love for the other.

All of this has a profound effect on sexual relations, producing the
effect you describe -- body and soul merged as one. Everyone longs
for this in sex, and in all of life. It is our natural state. We
instinctively want to reclaim it. And we can.

The guru is in you.

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