"Anna Marti: Sacred Tantrika"

I found this interesting article called "Anna Marti: Sacred Tantrika - interview by Dedric". Practically every sentence makes me want to comment on it. I'll select those that speak the most to me (and the least).

As far as I can understand, all spiritual systems have their inception with an individual having an altered state experience: the ego boundaries dissolve and there's a connection, there's an acknowledgement, there's a deep knowing of relationship with all things...

At the very least, it would seem like this is the case, yes. Interestingly, most christians would probably not want to have christianity seen in that light, even though Jesus had a very obvious initiation experience involving prolonged fasting and hallucinations right at the beginning of his career.

As I understand Tantra, philosophically it's not unlike quantum physics.

Rule #1 of discussing spirituality: Don't bring quantum physics in it. You don't understand quantum physics; I don't understand quantum physics; let's leave it at that.

There have been individuals who have found that if you hang out in high states of arousal for long periods of time, as well as doing all these other practices to purify the mind and the body and the emotions, that you can enter a room of expanded consciousness 

I am sure, and I think that I know this from experience, that high states of arousal can lead to a feeling of expanded bliss. I'm not quite certain whether I'd dare talk about expanded consciousness here, though. How would one go about discerning that from merely feeling extremely well. How do we distinguish the (great, excellent, wonderful) feeling of ecstatic union with the universe from actually being one with all?

In this country we think we've got the copyright on dysfunctional sexuality, but in almost every spiritual system there's a huge schism between body and spirit.

I'm pretty certain I second that. Now, if we eliminate the pure power aspect of a priestly caste trying to dominate the rest of society, the question is - why? Why does this go for almost every spiritual system? I mean, it is obvious why those in power would want such a system - but why do the adherents want it? Millions of them, no less! Is this a phenomenon that can be explained as evolution of some kind? Do systems that are grounded in a dualism like that just survive longer, for some reason? 

What has happened in this country is that because we're a capitalistic society we've taken that dysfunction and turned it into business.

Sure, as with every other thing out there.

I don't think there's a quick fix for us as human beings in connecting with each other; I think it takes a tremendous amount of intention and integrity and commitment and work. But, our culture is not built on things taking time, it's built on "I want something right now, I want to fix this right now." So it's a perfect market for books and videos and workshops.

Yep. And so, we came up with the concept of self-help.

Osho, from my limited understanding, was probably one of the foremost Tantra teachers of our generation.

Osho, from my understanding, was a lying, stealing, mischievous fraud. Granted, that doesn't mean he was not a good tantra teacher, but I'd rather trust the heuristic that people of integrity and high moral standards might make for better teachers in subjects like that.

Yeah, I can help you have better orgasms, but trust me: it's not going to make you happy.

On its own, probably not. But tantric practice did help me relax and be in the moment a lot more; and that helps me be better, not only in bed, but in general. More patient, less driven by fear and anxiety and the need to achieve whatever goal. So, yes, better orgasms play an important part in being happier, even though they're not the sole ingredient; they're a tool, more than a goal in and of themselves.

People are not going to be very excited about this, but I think the commitment to your own personal growing up is what is going to give you a better relationship and sex life. That requires a spiritual life; I don't care how you do it, but you need a belief in something that's bigger than your individual ego. Clearing up your emotional garbage, whether that's through individual therapy or group therapy, is also helpful; we've all got it, and I don't know too many people who don't need a little bit of work getting through it so that when I come into relationship I'm not bringing my mom and my dad and every lover I've ever had to you. It's just a commitment to be honest with myself and in integrity with myself.

I contest the metaphor of size in this context. What exactly does it mean for something to be "bigger than me"? I have no answer to that. And also, if "belief" entails asserting the existence of entities without any proof or evidence, then I don't think that this can be a path that leads to more honesty. So belief in something bigger than myself is really an impediment to "spiritual growth" in whatever sense. I'd rather commit to becoming better at giving empathy, and loving my girlfriend. I have a hunch that this might be what really helps, way more so than belief, regardless in what.

There are a bazillion books and videos about sexual techniques, and if they worked people would be having a lot more fun than they seem to be having.

Agreed; this is a tell-tale sign that something is not quite right in the state of denmark.

Ultimately, what is really healing is sex with meaning

Yes. But, going back to the context of spirituality and belief above, meaning is not something that is there, and I have to accept it (or not). Meaning is more like a process, an action, that takes my own active participation. I'm not sure that I can produce meaning on my own (after all, I myself am largely a product of society, earth, my environment), but I am certain that I am part, participant, and ingredient, of that process.

A Few Highly Useful Tools For Productivity

These are just a few tools that I discovered only recently, and that have proved highly useful to me, in that they help me streamline my online reading and discovering process. They are specifically useful if you're an information junkie like me, and do a lot of reading:

• Diigo (http://www.diigo.com/)
  An online highlighting, bookmarking and sharing tool. You download a browser plugin and highlight parts of a webpage, or add sticky notes to it. The highlights are public, which is okay for me, but definitely something to be aware of. Here's the link to my diigo library, if you're interested: http://www.diigo.com/user/betlamed. Be aware that highlights are limited in the free version.
• Readability Redux
  A chrome browser plugin that strips off all design elements from a page, and formats the main text in a narrow column with a large font. Makes it much more readable. Sadly, it has some issues in combination with Diigo on some pages (most notably, Wikipedia).
• Postpone Page
  Yet another chrome browser plugin. This one simply adds the current page to a list of postponed pages for later reading. I prefer this to the diigo "read-later" list because it's fully integrated in the browser and doesn't upen up a seperate page for the list of postponed pages. Well and also... I just like it better, for whatever reason.

My Tantra Pearltree

is to be found at

http://www.pearltrees.com/#/N-fa=4629836&N-u=1_571517&N-p=40319928&N-reveal=5&N-s=1_4813436&N-f=1_4813436.

For those who don't know, Peartrees is a social bookmarking site much like del.icio.us, only the GUI is based on the tree metaphor, and it's a flash thingie. Personally, I like the idea of social bookmarking because it helps me find releveant content easier. The downside of Pearltrees is that all "pearls", i.e. links, are public, so you have to be careful about what to share if there is any crossover between your online persona and your real life identity.

If you're not signed up, you have to click on "Start Now" to see it.

Pearltrees / Related Links

This is my tantra pearltree:

http://www.pearltrees.com/betlamed/tantra/id4813436

And this is my root pearltree:

http://www.pearltrees.com/betlamed

After yesterdays exhaustions, what with me surprisingly attending a funeral and all that, I guess that's it for today...

http://tantrictouch.blogspot.com/2012/07/commitment-art-of-tantric-communication.html

Hehehehehe... tantra as the art of sucking a guy in, so to speak!

A Detailed Technical Guide To Dry Orgasms

http://www.pegym.com/forums/premature-ejaculation-forum/43320-minutemans-dry-orgasm-guide.html

Jeeeeeeeez. I have never seen a more detailed, focused, technical guide to "dry orgasms" than this. Much too detailed and technical for my taste - I think that when you get that technical, it tempts you to put pressure on yourself, and that's kind of like the opposite of what tantra means to me. But to each their own, and there is definitely lots of knowledge in that guide!

A very good thought

"You cannot stop thinking, but you can choose which thoughts to focus on." (http://tantrictouch.blogspot.com/2012/07/choose-your-thoughts-and-change-your.html)

Tim Minchin

I'm shamelessly advertising Tim Minchin here. Not only is he a fellow skeptic and highly intelligent, but also hilariously funny and highly talented. His musical comedy is just classy.

Just two examples of his awesomeness:

By the way, I discovered Minchin by way of the Axis of Awesome video "4 chords", which is itself an act of grand-greatness:

Minchin appeared in the google suggestions to this video, I think.

Another excellent resource for skeptics

http://www.skepticblog.org/

Weekly blogs from Michael Shermer and the likes of him. Very interesting reads there!

For one example, I find the idea that you can not make an improbability argument after the fact, made at http://www.skepticblog.org/2012/05/09/the-tornado-in-a-junkyard-argument/#more-16895, very interesting. Probabilities and statistics are a general human blind spot, in my opinion; the argument he makes is totally obvious, but still one probably wouldn't have come up with it on the spot...

Ten Rules for Being Human

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1.	You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2.	You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3.	There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4.	Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5.	Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6.	"There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7.	Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8.	What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9.	Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10.	You will forget all this.

Source: www.bluinc.com/free/human10.htm

Thunderf00t vs Kent Hovind at Reason Rally

At the recent "Reason Rally" event, well-known youtube atheist activist Thunderf00t was - umm, well - "interviewed" by creationist Eric Hovind, son of Kent Hovind.

I won't go into the details of how the conversation went down, as all of it has been covered extensively by others. (The following video is one example out of many.)

Suffice it to say that it was a textbook example of presuppositional apologetics, pre-planned and well-designed to make a scientist look bad, simply because the scientist tried to honestly answer questions that were by no means honest.

I think that episodes like this raise a more general question: Do I, as an atheist, want to engage in debates like that? Do I want to train strategies for "winning" those debates?

1. The issue of "winning"

To me, the issue of "winning" a debate is a rather weird concept.

Part of that weirdness seems to stem from cultural heritage. I have the impression that, in the anglo-american countries, debates are more or less seen as sportive events. There is a rich tradition of formalized debates there, that we continentals simply lack.

If you watch a "discussion" in an Austrian or German tv show, you will see 4-8 people talking past and above each other, while a rather desperate moderator tries to maintain some modicum of order.

An American "debate", on the other hand - say between Kent Hovind and Sam Harris - is a strictly formalized exchange of blows between two opponents in several rounds. The two participants are not, actually, engaging in communication with each other - they are performing a stage-play for the audience, much like the ongoing drama of professional Wrestling. And, of course, everybody goes home with the firm confidence that "their side" has won.

Call me naive, but I tend to think that discussions should be entered with an open mind and an open heart. I tend to think that discussions are an exchange of ideas that may or may not change my thinking. Ritualized exchanges of rhetorics and clever semantics designed to make the other party look like a fool simply have no part in a discussion like that.

Of course, I do not stand above the crowd. I do enjoy those shows just as much as any other dude.

On the other hand, it would be nice to see an actual honest discussion between a theist and an atheist, for once.

2. The resulting questions

The question resulting from all this is whether you, as an atheist, want to engage in public debates, recognize them as sportive events, and learn the strategies necessary for "winning". Thunderf00t clearly failed to do so. I cannot tell whether this was his conscious personal choice, or whether he conforms to the stereotype of "naive scientist" mentioned above.

And, of course, I cannot speak for all atheists.

I want to urge everyone to see that many apologists out there do engage in debate tactics. (I think there are  courses out there on "how to win any debate with any atheist, every time" or so.)

On the one hand, you can see debates as a sport, and train yourself to firmly keep the ball in your opponent's field, using deception, always attacking, repeating yourself until the other party gives up, and so on. It does make you seem like a winner. And it sure is a lot of fun.

On the other hand, you might choose to always try and be as honest as you can, in any debate.

In the latter case, I also urge you to ask yourself what to do when a debate like that comes up. It is perfectly valid to simply refuse to engage in it and walk away. You can choose to have the debate, but not in front of a camera (Thunderf00t clearly didn't have those possibilities - he had something to lose!). You may choose to have the debate, at a later point, in private.

If, however, you choose to engage in (public) debates with a schooled apologist, without having been schooled in counter-apologetics yourself, you will most likely be blown to pieces in mid-air. It's not a question of intelligence or quick wit. It's simply a question of having learned the techniques and being prepared to apply them without any regard for the other person's feelings, or for logic, rationality or really anything that could step in the way of "winning". It's a battle of egos, nothing more and nothing less.

Another possibility might be that we atheists have our own schools of counter-apologetics. These would then have to be actual practical courses, instead of mere lectures on logic. You do not learn rhetorics just from a lecture - you have to train that stuff, much like boxing, until it becomes automatic.

Personally, I would like to engage in a course like that. If not anything else, it should be a whole lot of fun!  I'm fairly certain that I would still like to avoid the actual debates, though, for reasons mentioned above. But it definitely can't hurt to be able to counter stupid rhetorics.

Just say Yes

Say Yes to that annoying neighbour. Say Yes to smelly subway cars. Say Yes to babies piercing your ears at frequencies hitherto unencountered by humankind. Say Yes to stupid tv ads. Say Yes to your bad moods. Say Yes to anxiety attacks and depression.

Say Yes to what you're proud of. Say Yes to what you're thankful for. Say Yes to your beauty, inner and outer. Say Yes to your partner, to your loneliness, to your desire for touch, to your independence. Say Yes to friends and family.

This is an EXERCISE. I don't say that you HAVE to say Yes, from now on, every time. I'm only suggesting that you give it a try, once.

I find it tremendously rewarding, empowering, and satisfying.

Other blogs / links related to tantra

This is really just a starting point for a list... I'm hoping to amend this and be able to comment on it later on...


English language:

• http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/tantra.htm - intense reading; very insightful, from a "believer's" perspective
• http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/i-did-it-for-science/i-did-it-for-science - fun article about a first encounter with tantra
• http://www.ecstaticliving.com/blog/ - blog
• http://quantumtantra.blogspot.com/ - blog
• http://www.umaatantra.com/tantra_tips.html - blog
• http://www.thetantricpath.com/videos/ - one of the many therapeutic approaches to tantra.
• Because about.com is always a good place to start... the approach they describe is slightly different than the one I'm promoting here. But it's all about experimentation, and ultimately about feeling good!
• http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Tantric+Sex
• http://www.sexualshaman.com/
• http://www.tantracafe.com/

German language:

• http://www.no-guru.net/blog/ - blog
• http://www.tantra-blog.de/ - blog
• http://www.liesenfeld.de/blog/ - blog
• http://www.advaita-tantra.de/wordpress/ - blog
• http://lakshmi-tantra.blogspot.com/ - blog
• http://www.tantra-wien.at/massage/ - blog of a tantric massage studio
• http://www.tantrawien.com/forum/ - used to be a (not very lively) forum; now dead

Hey, another "skeptic":

• http://occultskpetic.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/the-five-resolutions-of-tantrika/

Another link...

http://www.thetantricpath.com/videos/
- one of the many therapeutic approaches to tantra.

You might note that in the video on the "Exit Massage" technique, the narrator shows a lot of humour - aaaalways a good sign!

A link

Because about.com is always a good place to start... the approach they describe is slightly different than the one I'm promoting here. But it's all about experimentation, and ultimately about feeling good!

Tantra - Skeptic's Dictionary Entry

I'm really disappointed to see that the Skeptic's Dictionary doesn't deem tantra worth a real rant, calling out all the bullshit that well-meaning tantrikas such as myself have spewed out over the centuries!