Matha Blog & Library
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Yoga: The Vedic Science of Self Mastery
Yoga is the mystical science of uniting the soul with it latent inner nature, which is Divine. Yoga is practiced by gaining control over the instinctive patterns of the mind. It is the innate instinct of the mind to judge, attach, and attempt to control the thoughts, feelings, and impression which flow through awareness.
Soma Maṭha Yantram
A yantra is a mystical diagram which utilizes awareness of the mystical effects of colors and shapes to altar consciousness. The Soma Maṭha Yantra is the mystical symbol of the Maṭha, revealed to Swamiji in his meditation. As a symbol for the Maṭha, the yantram has great mystical significance. Meditating on its form or worship of the yantra bestows unique spiritual benefits of healing, nourishment, peace, and spiritual realization.
Objectives of Tantra
The objective of the Tantric is to go deep within. The practices are a means to this end. The Dakṣiṇācāri does this for the benefit of the world due to wisdom and spiritual maturity. Even the vāmācāri does this in order to hurt other and to seek their own selfish desires out of ignorance and immaturity. Both paths require great dedication, discipline, austerity, and sacrifice.
Dakṣiṇācāra Tantra and Vāmācāra Tantra
When many people hear of Tantra, they automatically think of Vamachara (black magic / the "left-handed" path). The vast majority of Tantric practice is of the Dakshinachara marga (the right-handed path). We follow the dakshinachara path. The dakshinachari works to humble themselves by doing service to others. This path grants spiritual insight and freedom from suffering.
The Tantric Tradition has Replaced the Vedic Tradition
The whole of the orthodox tradition of the Sanatana Dharma (Hindu Dharma) is no longer Vedic in nature. It is tantric. The puja and yajnam rituals we observe at home and in the temples are not the Vedic form of worship. These ceremonies are all laid out in the tantric texts; the Tantras, the Agamas, and the Puranas. The deities we worship are all tantric in form.
Danam (Donation) and Dashamamsa Vrata (Tithing)
The practice of danam (Donation) helps people develop shradhaa (faith), bhakti (Love and devotion), and steadiness in their practice.
Greed and selfishness hinder all success and prosperity. The practice of giving removes the karmas of greed and poverty, and this helps people to receive wealth and prosperity.
Pancha Maha Yajnam
There is a concept of Pancha Maha Yajna, five great sacrifices. These are a constant duty for all living people. These are based upon certain Rina (debts) we have to various beings in life. Our lives are not independent. We are reliant on various beings in order to live prosperous lives. Based upon what we take from others, we assume certain debts, which are paid off through the practice of the Pancha Maha Yajnas. The five debts are 1) Pitri Rinam (debt to the ancestors), 2) Deva Rinam (debt to the Gods), 3) Rishi Rinam (debt to the Sages, Gurus and Preceptors), 4) Manushya Rinam (debt to society), and Bhuta Rinam (debt to living beings spiritual beings, nature, the elements and the environment).
Hinduism and Shamanism
Many indigenous shamanic traditions throughout the world used to maintain a sacred connection to Nature. They had sacred sites in natural places which they revered and pilgrimaged to. They had spiritual healers and guides who served the community. They had knowledge of spiritual forces around them and certain customs and traditions and rituals centered around these forces. For them, "spiritual" and "natural" were synonymous; and they had access to certain spiritual realms and states of consciousness and lived in cooperation with certain natural forces which have been largely forgotten in modern society.
Bells in Hindu Rituals and the Traditional Hindu Practice of Sound Healing
There is great popularity now in the Western New Age movement for "sound healing" and the use of what are marketed as "Tibetan singing bowls" in particular. Miraculous healing powers are attributed to these bowls, but they are not Tibetan in origin and have no traditional ritual or healing use in the East. It is thought by many that when offering bowls were sent to the West, the Westerners who could see little use in making offerings decided to try to strike or ring the bowls to make sound instead. There are certain Buddhists sects which do strike similar bowls as a part of meditation and chanting practice, but the use of these bowls for healing is a modern, Western phenomenon, as are bowls made for singing, which were first imported to the West in the 1970's from India and Nepal. But many people wrongly believe that the use of singing bowls in healing is connected to an ancient healing tradition.
What is Tantra?
Tantra is one word for ritual action in Hinduism. It denotes the different acts of worship: pujas, upacharas, kriyas, yajnams, and prayogams performed for realization. If Yantra relates to the body and Mantra to the mind; Tantra relates to the soul. The Sanskrit root "tan" means "to weave," "to spread," "to compose," or "to put forth." Tantra is a word used for the techniques, the system, the philosophy, and the actions of the tantric aspirant.