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Tantric view of Brahmacharya

If we read standard books on yoga, we will see that usually the term Brahmacharya is translated as celibacy or non-sensuality. The tantric understanding of Brahmacharya, however, does not presume celibacy.

In my tradition, we are trained to look for the original meanings, as opposed to acquired meanings, of words. This is particularly important because most tantric terms have mantric or vibratory meanings. These meanings stay the same no matter what we humans attribute to the terms. Word meanings change with time but the acoustic roots, which carry the embodied mantric meanings, do not. Words of many ancient languages carry embodied acoustic meaning, which makes it possible to use them as mantras. Most modern languages, however, do not carry such energy of transformation.

The typical Hindu view of Brahmacharya as celibacy or non-sensuality (a more politically correct translation) is simply incorrect. Without a doubt, this is what the term means in modern Indian languages but not in the mantric Sanskrit -- where the meanings are, by definition, derived from the vibrations of acoustic roots.

What is the acoustic meaning of Brahmacharya? Brahma denotes the Universal Supreme Entity. It is a specific gender-neutral term -- not feminine Shakti or masculine Shiva. Carya is best thought of as "grazing" -- in the same way that a cow does her walking and eating at the same time. Thus, Brahmacharya means living your life, doing what you have to do or want to do, and at the same time keeping your mind fixed on God.

Brahmacharya is the key to spiritual success because it converts all actions into acts of sa'dhana' (spiritual practice or worship). It keeps sa'dhaka on the path literally twenty-four hours a day. When mind thinks of everything as Divine, it is no longer the doer of the actions (God is the doer) and no karma accumulates. There is a particular lesson in our system of spiritual practices for developing Brahmacharya in sa'dhaka's life. Another name for this lesson and Brahmacharya is Madhuvidya (sweet knowledge of God).

Moreover, equating Brahmacharya with celibacy is incorrect because such a definition implies that God-realization is somehow connected or even inseparable from celibacy. But that is simply not true! Many great spiritualists were married or (in rare cases) even licentious. Tantra specifically teaches that a person should adopt a lifestyle that is conducive to his or her spiritual realization: Although a majority of tantric practitioners are celibate because such a lifestyle choice allows for better focus on things important to the path, it is not at all the rule -- many people do not want to be celibate. In fact, for some people strictly observing celibacy could lead to serious emotional problems, as many sincere sa'dhakas in the West have learned the hard way.

However, taking celibacy out of Brahmacharya is not tantamount to permission for sexual licentiousness. Even the most sexually radical tantric teachings preach restraint and control because it is the only way to understand the difference between (ego-based) pleasure and (soul-based) bliss. Learning this difference is crucial to spiritual development. This point is entirely missed by all those "tantra" workshops abundantly advertised in New Age publications. Most people today can benefit tremendously from learning restraint -- sexual or otherwise. Yet, in our adolescent culture we view any restraint with suspicion and possibly contempt. However, Brahmacharya (Divine Conduct) or Madhuvidya (Sweet Knowledge) simply cannot be achieved without gathering up our scattered minds and reining in our pleasure-seeking senses inside.