About the Advait Tantra School
This group of friends that share this
work with me call us, collectively, a "School" because
there's something of the quality of the old Mystery Schools
going on here. We have a closeness, a camaraderie, because
much of what we know is ... let's say ... somewhat unfamiliar
... to most people. It is nice to hang out, chat about our
day, and not have to get into self-censorship to avoid people
needing therapy afterwards. A "School" too, because
the teachers I work with share an understanding of and a dedication
to our work. Also
"School" because we help seekers with their quest.
We're not in the business of entertaining (although
huge offers have been made for webcam access to our workshops)
and we're especially not in the business of "healing" or "therapy" or "empowerment".
Not that there's anything wrong with any of that (and sure,
people find working with us empowering, therapeutic, healing
and, once in a while, entertaining) just it's not our focus
of intent. We are more interested to support you to the fullness
of awareness available to you. No other objective.
How our teaching looks is, we do talks, workshops,
groups and individual sessions work.
Talks don't need much
explanation, and to keep brains up to speed I usually make
chai.
Dakini
Shakti in the Cape, and Dakinis Shima and Wendy in
Johannesburg present workshops, generally
one day, focusing on a particular aspect or practice of Tantra.
Groups, the intensive
residential weekend kind, and the once a week for a few hours
kind are for those who are interested
to work deeply with the lessons of tantra and have a willingness
to support their fellow participants.
Individual sessions work
is an opportunity to explore your awareness, privately, guided
and supported by a widely experienced and deeply aware teacher.
There's no guidelines to "what
to expect in sessions" because it really is an absolutely
individual thing. There's no "shopping list". You
pay for the Dakini's willingness to support you as best she
can, in accordance with her assessment, in whatever way her
experience or intuition indicates to her. Sensual things happen
from time to time in sessions, sometimes surpassing anything
one could make a deal for and buy. Sessions can also consist
of critically appraising your body, and suggesting ways of
getting you into good enough physical shape to handle the work
without suffering an otherwise unavoidable heart attack.
This shouldn't have to be statred, but it does:
The Dakini is 100% in charge of the process.
Even
if you don't understand the archetype of being a Dakini's petitioner,
you at least extend the respect and regard that (in the old
days) people had for doctors. In this way you avoid unnecessary
suffering.
We are in South Africa. Visiting us isn't hard,
or particularly expensive. We notice more and more
international traffic at our websites, and some friends have
urged that we relocate to somewhere more "first world",
or more of a spiritual centre (I suspect they mean California)
but we like it here at the Southern end of Africa. It is civilised
enough: running water, cellphones, electricity (most of the
time) and that kind of thing, but it's not entirely tame, and
on paper at least, it's got the most freedom-supportive
constitution on the planet.
At the core of this school are the Dakinis.
Each of them is the finest Tantrika I've ever had the privilege
to meet. Also the most adept, total and loving in their practice
that I've ever even heard of. This is not hype. I'm not American
.. this is just fact. … Ok, it's not understatement
either. I'm not English.
Our major work is exploring
ways to teach the ancient lessons in this dawning age's new
way of "mastery" and "discipleship". This
requires a very informal, apparently laissez-faire approach,
much more friendly, but no less personally tough and confronting
than the old "Stern
Guru gives orders" way of things.
We tend to see the path of a student more as
a paving, a jigsaw-puzzle than as a mountain climb. For example,
the traditional Yogas of mind, then body, then higher philosophy
training – all key stages of the path, unarguably – don't
have to be addressed singly, each to completion before embarking
upon the study of the next. Also, they don't need to be all
studied from the same school, nor do they have to even look
much like their traditional forms. For example, a competition-trained
gymnast who's explored trance parties and Neo-Buddhism
may have made significant progress in all three Yogas. So may
a computer programmer with a long term interest in current
physics and ballroom dancing, or a martial artist with a little
scientology and a few months' Jungian therapy. All experiences
in life, even retroactively, teach the Dharma. We
pay attention to missing pieces of the jigsaw-puzzle, and the "fit" of
what you already have.
In this school, internally in this school, we've
been through a process of refinement, of distilling what we've
found important on our paths to becoming teachers and what
we've learned from the above areas of understanding.
For example,
there is unfortunate confusion in spiritual and tantric circles
over apparently conflicting teachings. Most of this misunderstanding
arises from the fact that different teachings apply at different
levels of understanding. There's good reason why some teachings
are called "occult" or "hidden"
… they need to be hidden from you until you're
ready for them! Getting into them prematurely could be a major "snake",
instead of the "ladder" they can be, given
appropriate timing.
We're now busy with various projects, including
this website, making what we've learned and know from our own
experience available. Much of that will consist of articles
on our blog.
There is an invisible sign
over every Tantra Temple, every Mystery School: Abandon
hope, all ye who enter here. It's for your ego to read. On this path
and very much in this school, every polarised view that the
mind/ego tries to hold is destroyed, or lovingly integrated,
depending which of those polarities your ego-mind currently
prefers.
Our invitation to you is to taste. Just sample
what you find here. If some notion appeals, test it on the
touchstone of your own experience. See if it's a "fit" with
how you experience your world. If you'd like more, come to
one of our talks, or get into
the members
area if getting to Africa is too
geographically challenging.
Ultimately, you
determine your level of involvement, or, to be more accurate,
your level of involvement is determined by the Ultimate.
Rahasya
2008
