At a former Communist Party retreat 50 miles outside Moscow, American guru Swami Nostradamus Virato is showing Russia's generations X, Y and Z how sex can lead them to God. At the gathering, recorded on video, about a hundred young Russians wearing sweats and T-shirts sit cross-legged on blankets and sleeping bags spread over a spacious meeting room floor. Virato is sitting among them, warming up for a lecture that will be translated by a Russian host, when a voluptuous young woman with flowing dark hair sits down and wordlessly embraces him. Ecstasy pours from her face, the swami's karma seeming to have unlocked a secret pathway to bliss. "This woman had a full body orgasm in my presence, and I felt it through my body," Virato said later, swearing that he had just met the woman, and that it was not sexual. "When you reach someone's heart, anything is possible, that is Tantra" During his two week sojourn in Russia teaching the secrets of "sacred sexuality," he met dozens of women just as beautiful, some just as eager for his initiation. "I have thousands of girlfriends, thousands" said Virato. Virato said his secret is Tantra, a spiritual tradition in which tenets involve using sexual energy in a ritual practice in a search for cosmic bliss. Sometimes called a "left-handed path" to enlightenment, Tantra dates back 4000 years to ancient India. In modified form the techniques have become a part of Tibetan Buddhism, as practiced by the Dali Lama. Virato, who made his first trip to Russia in 1992, said he has found a n acceptance for his mix of sensuality and spirituality in what was once the land of "godless" communism. "I bring a new form...a new lifestyle to these people. Sensuality is only the doorway, but it is one of the most powerful ways to connect to love and God. The Russian people are truly beautiful and passionate" said Virato. "After all those years as a closed society, they are ready for something like this, and they come to it with an free-mindedness that few Americans have." First popularized in the U.S. during the Seventies, Tantra is also in the midst of a comeback in this country, one that has taken it beyond its counter- culture roots into the mainstream. In its Americanized form, the practice has been embraced not only by New Age spiritual seekers but also Hollywood celebrities such as Woody Harrelson and Sting, as well as suburban couples looking to put some zing back into their personal lives. Devotees say it is a serious spiritual practice that also promotes a healthy body, mind and spirit-- like yoga. In fact the practice is called Tantra Yoga by many. Virato claims his teachings are of the "essence" of Tantra and go well beyond sex. Some students appear to agree. "Most Americans deny the joy of the body. They look at the bodies, they feel excited, yet they don't know what to do with this energy...the real subtleties. Most do not know how to connect this energy to love." said Virato, who grew up in Brooklyn and once was an electronics salesman named Joe Banks. "Tantra is organically letting go and bypassing traditional scripts. Tantra is a lifestyle. It's not a religion or a philosophy, as such. It's the energy, the juice we have with a partner and existence itself -- if you leave the fear, you become one with God." Tantra events such as Virato's usually involve New Age rituals such as, sense games, breath work and meditation, all meant to pave the way for Tantric initiation. Virato said Tantra involves more than mere physicality, calling on a man to worship his partner as a goddess, and discovering unconditional love are examples." "Tantra uses the senses to activate enlightenment, ...pleasure and ecstasy to reach spirituality," he said. "It's sensual but not pornographic or vulgar, love-based rather than fear-based. It reaches love through the body as well as the head. Tantra is not a belief system -- it is about acceptance and love, and how it feels in your body." In the United States Tantra attracts mostly mono-gamous couples and singles. There is also a nude, one hour blind-folded touch dance, where participants slowly move around the room blindfolded, and cannot use their hands. Virato uses a special musical medley. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to," said Virato. "It's to help partners get past jealously, and sensual fear which is a poison in Tantra. Virato went on to say that there are many other processes, and most of them are not sexual. "In fact, I make it a point in all my events," said Virato, "to tell everyone that I never ask people to engage in any process they cannot handle in my events. It is not a part of any of my programs. However, when it is appropriate, even in a group setting, I do not object.." |
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