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What We Do The Temple Introduction Philosophy Ceremonial Magick and Tantra Sex in America Sex in religion The speed of life 28 minutes? To clear or not Don't teach your lovers or love your teachers Tradition of the Panchtattva Attaining Highest Vibrations |
The traditional ritual called the Panchtattva, or the 5 sacred principles, has long been ignored by many of the Neo Tantric schools of thought. Most think it is outdated, many others don't understand it. As I have typically done, I have dug into the nature of the Panchtattva and discovered what the sages were attempting to instill in their students with this ritual. I present my findings here. In Sanskrit, "panch" means 5 and "tattva" means sacred principles. This ritual is also known as the Panchmakhara, or "Five Challenges". The original "five sacred things" were milk, meat, grain, wine, and sex. In Sanskrit the words for these items all begin with "M", and therefore this ritual is also called the 5 M's. But what was it all about? Why are these things sacred? What was the challenge? The whole ritual was about letting go of the ego. The ego is the thing that has wants and needs, the spirit wants nothing. The ego has likes and dislikes; the spirit sees everything as equal. The ego has expectations; the spirit lives in the moment. Tantra began in India, where beef and all of it's trappings are sacred and NOT what's for dinner. To ingest this sacred animal was to go against all taboos of the students. It would be like asking an American to perform cannibalism. You can imagine the impact that this had upon them. The student would be forced to give up the taboos after this experience, or be forced to stop seeking the inner soul. Then there's the the grain. It was usually of an uncooked variety, to force the student to ingest something not quite palateable, but totally harmless. This would hit upon his tastes and preferences, and force him to give those up to set the spirit free. Wine and all mind-altering substances were usually abstained from during Tantric training, so drinking it at this juncture would also go against the words of the guru. That also pointed out exactly where the ego ended. And then, of course, there was sex. Sex was not to be had in the usual sense for a Tantric trainee. He (and shes too!) would be forced to abstain from orgasm for the majority of his training. No serious student wasted his energy with ordinary base 'fucking. When presented with this option at the end of the Panchtattva was also a shock for the student. All of this shock and disgust was to accomplish one end; to force the student to look at his own ego and separate it from the sacred inner force of the spirit. To break his own taboos, customs, and habits, to face his own likes and dislikes is to point out exactly where the ego ends and the spirit begins. Because the spirit doesn't care what touches the toungue, only what it does to keep the body alive. Eating beef may be sacrelidge, but it won't kill you. But the realization of this fact is a giant step in learning about yourself. When the student had been studying for several years, and has worked on the heaviest chakras, the teacher may arrange a Panchtattva ritual for him. This would be steeped in secrecy, not even the student to be aware it was coming until he stepped into the rite. In a future essay I will explain how the 5M's ritual can be modernized for the same effect. © 1999 -2005 Sienna Newcastle |