No Metaphysics in Tantra, Taoism and ZEN

Column Article

NO METAPHYSICS IN TANTRA, TAOISM AND ZEN

By Marjo Ramstadius

The famous books KAMA SUTRA and Ananga Ranga are the writings descending from old Indian Tantric times! In both of them there is no single mention of any metaphysical aspects of contemporary Tantric sayings which claim that there is a metaphysical energy passing through the channel system called chakras. Also there is no mention of the colors of chakras. Also in Taoism, the nature is as itself, Tao is the nature and the reason of whole being. In Taoist scriptures, there is also no mention of spirits, demons, and metaphysical beings flying here and there! Taoist way of love only concentrates on what is real and the fact; no fantasies or delusions of human mind is recited in Taoism. ZEN is more concrete and materialist than Tantra and Taoism; in Zen we perceive the world and nature as it is, now and here, we are not interested in other lives, reincarnations, parapsychology etc. Under the influence of political cast system in Hinduism, there is always an aspect of reincarnation belief in Tantra, also some Kundalini energy and chakra system notions.

Tantra’s roots go back to 2nd century, while there was no notion of modern medical concepts, so the Tantrists tried to explain the genital, organ, mind connection by means of certain kind of energies like Kundalini. Chakra’s today coincide with the main nervous plexuses and hormonal glands. The Tantric mind in 2nd century had no information of nerves, bioelectric potentials, hormones, receptors, blood biochemistry and they explained everything in terms of certain postulates that they created after doing some dissections on the human body especially in Tibet Tantrism, where Vajrayana Buddhism originated in 2.- 3. Centuries B.C. In those times the Tantrists were those times’ scientists to explain the body physiology and sexual behavior in terms of certain moving energies.

In fact, the only metaphysical notions in Tantra are Kundalini and chakras. If the Tantrists had known that the orgasm reflex is originating  from sacral nerves and the cortex, they would not have thought much about metaphysics. Today it is a big mistake to take everything as it had been looked upon at the 2nd century, because science explains most of the sexual physiology today. Take Yin and Yang, for instance, testosterone is Yang and female hormones estrogens and progesterone are Yin, which are found in both male and female body in different proportions.

The Eastern philosophies like Taoism and ZEN, give less credit to metaphysics in their axiomatic system. Zen is mostly interested the real happenings and what is around! And be aware of it. Taoism takes chi (or prana) as an axiom, but does NOT  give much emphasize on a chakra system or a flowing metaphysical energy other than CHI. the Chinese had no notion of oxygen (O2) in the air. Chi today has some scientific counterpart explanations.

When we look at the old Tantric writings, again there is NOT much mention about Kundalini and Chakra system, like Kama Sutra or Ananda Ranga. It is our mentally problematic society in the 20th century who created all these ego-loving-power-worshipping ideas of metaphysics. Actually in the original Tantra, living today and experiencing this nature is more ultimate than any metaphysical event or realities. For Zen, metaphysics is a kind of delusion.

As a result, the attempts of some people to put Tantra and sexual energy into certain borders of metaphysics are a vain effort! Because it will only distract knowledgeable, educated and literate people from Tantra!