The Tantric tradition, often referred to as Tantra, originated in India but refers to practices used throughout South-East Asia. I found that it is quite difficult to pin down what Tantra actually is, since the term is used in many different ways.  In this book I use the term ‘Tantra’ to refer to Indian sexual practices used for spiritual self-development.

In other words, Tantra is not just about better sex and bigger orgasms. Rather, it refers to a complete worldview in which the conscious use of sexual energy has an important role as a tool for spiritual development. What’s interesting is that, when you start to explore the world of Tantra in the West, you soon discover that the vast majority of teachers and authors have some sort of connection to the teachings of an Indian self-styled guru called Osho, a.k.a. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931-1990). Osho was the founder and leader of a controversial new religious movement, who lived in India and the United States and published many books as well as founding a large commune in India.

One of the difficulties, then, with the term Tantra is that it is so often synonymous, in the West, with Osho’s ideas about Tantra. This is not to say that Osho’s ideas are all wrong; it’s just that some of his teachings have little or no connection to classical Tantra. So the problem is that it is not that easy to get a clear picture of what the actual ancient teachings on Tantra contain just by reading an Osho-inspired book or going on a course given by Osho-followers. What confuses the picture even more is there are many different interpretations of Tantra even amongst traditionalists in India and Tibet. In this book, therefore, I will make a distinction between Tantric and Neo-Tantric. The first term refers to traditional Tantric wisdom as it was and is practised in India and Tibet, the second term to the flourishing community, often Osho-inspired, of Western teachers, workshop leaders and authors.

Taoism

Taoism (Daoism) is an ancient Chinese philosophy that has informed and guided Chinese culture for over five thousand years. Tao (pronounced ‘dow’ and also spelled ‘Dao’) means ‘the way’ or ‘nature’s way’. Taoism places emphasis upon spontaneity and teaches that everything in nature follows ways appropriate to itself. One of the fundamental tasks in life, according to this philosophy, is to discover our own way in harmony with nature or to ‘become one with the Tao’.

 Taoist philosophy is not the same thing as the Taoist religion, which developed later. In this book, the terms ‘Taoist’ and ‘Taoism’ refer to the philosophy, not the religion. Please note that this division between ‘philosophical’ and ‘religious’ Taoism is a fairly recent, Western concept. On a practical basis, all it means is that you should not expect to go to a Taoist Church and expect the priest there to be fully conversant with the subjects covered in this book, much as you would not expect a Catholic priest to know a great deal about the practices of the Cathars or Gnostics.

The early Taoists were keen observers of nature and humanity’s place in it. They had a great interest in promoting health and vitality and put much emphasis on nurturing Qi (life-force). They developed many disciplines based on their findings. These disciplines are traditionally grouped into branches although not all traditions group in the same way. The following is a simplified list based on an amalgamation from various sources:

• Nei Dan (internal alchemy, meditation)

• Qi Gong and Tai Chi (moving meditation)

• Shuang Xiu (dual cultivation of sexual energy)

• I Ching (cosmology, astrology, divination)

• Yi Yua (acupuncture, Tui Na massage)

• Feng Shui (the use of environmental Qi)

• Fu Shi (Herbal medicine and Five Element Nutrition)

• The Arts (includes calligraphy, music and painting)

The first two branches are considered to be the oldest and most powerful and an aspiring Taoist would normally learn these first before moving on to any of the other practices. It would have been quite common for someone to study all eight branches in order to get a well-rounded education, as the narrow specialism we know in the West would not have been seen as desirable.

Taoism has had a far greater impact on Western civilization than many people realize. The I Ching (The Book of Changes) is one of the great classic texts of ancient China and is reputed to be 5,000 years old although no one is quite sure of its exact age. In 1697, Joachim Bouvet, a French Jesuit missionary who had been in China, introduced the I Ching to the German mathematician and philosopher, Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz. Leibnitz was amazed by the Book of Changes. Its use of binary arithmetic (also known as Yin/Yang theory) was, at the time, unknown in Europe. This is how Western civilization was first introduced to binary arithmetic, which is not only the foundation of the Book of Changes but also the language of all modern computers. So the computer used to write and produce the book you are reading has been developed as a direct result of Taoist Yin/Yang theory. I find this fascinating.

Dual Cultivation (Shuang Xiu)

Dual Cultivation (Shuang Xiu) has been, until recently, a little known branch of Taoist knowledge. Dual Cultivation was traditionally considered part of the Inner Alchemy (Nei Dan) practices of self-cultivation. Taoist Inner Alchemy practices are used to promote spiritual development as well as physical health. This dual process of spiritual and physical development is also known as cultivating original nature and life. Dual Cultivation focuses on the conscious use, by a loving couple, of something known as Sexual Qi (sexual life-force) for health and spiritual development. Dual Cultivation appears to have reached its peak during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), long before Buddhism had become widespread in China. In fact, some Taoist scholars are of the view that the practice of Dual Cultivation predates Taoism itself and was discovered during the very earliest days of Chinese civilization. However, the introduction of Buddhism (c. 67 AD), with its monastic and ascetic spiritual tradition, and the subsequent ascendancy (950-1050 AD) of Confucianism, with its rigid and moralistic ethos, put an end to the widespread practice of Taoist Dual Cultivation in China. It is only recently, in great part thanks to the works of Mantak Chia, Michael Winn and others, that these practices have again been brought to light.

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