If you have come this far, it is very possible that you are curious about Neotantra and are looking for information about it. It is also very likely that you have been left wondering if it is the same as traditional Tantra or if it is a different discipline.
So don’t go and keep reading!
Below we will explain what this new practice is all about, born at the end of the 20th century, which has managed to impose itself on the original philosophy of Tantra whose origins are attributed to Tibet and China.
Neotantra and Tantra, are they the same?
The short answer is: definitely not, but they are very close relatives. Neotantra is a pseudophilosophy that has come to life in the West towards the end of the 20th century and is oriented towards tantric massage and sexual yoga.
This practice, focused on the genitals of the human being, is directed towards a new free and open spirituality, completely removed from any type of repression.
Guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, later known as Osho, created a personal version of Tantra by combining it with yoga, massage and breathing techniques.
Osho made clear the differences between traditional Tantra and this new practice by first calling it Neotantra. It is worth saying that he is also the author of several books on Buddhism, Taoism, mysticism, meditation and Tantra.
In the West it is very common to confuse Tantra with Neotantra. The truth is that, unlike Eastern Tantra, Neotantra cannot be defined as a movement or as a philosophy, much less as a religion.
There is no guide who dictates commandments or other types of concepts that we do find in traditional Tantra. Neotantra is in itself a set of free erotic practices related above all to metaphysics and the Divine.
Famous phrases of Osho
Some of Osho’s most famous phrases perfectly define Tantra and therefore also its successor, Neotantra.
“Tantra says that there is no one above you to follow, through whom you have to get a pattern.”
“Tantra is the science of transforming ordinary lovers into soul mates.”
“Tantra is a great sayer of the yes; says yes to all things.”
“Tantra accepts everything, lives everything. That is why Tantra can never become a widely spread ideology. It will always be a limited ideology.”
Sacred sexuality and Neotantra
The reality is that Neotantra, which we can also call new or modern Tantra, implies the use of some knowledge of the original Tantra combined with techniques derived from modern knowledge.
It was in the last century that various authors began to talk about the management of sexual energy in the tantric sense, combining it with rituals and their therapeutic aspects. These aspects cause profound transformations in all those who practice Neotantra. These transformations occur in very short periods of time, even a few days. Of course this varies from person to person.
The main objective of Neotantra is to collaborate with the personal growth of each of its practitioners in search of their sexual, mental, spiritual and physical improvement. In this way, people obtain greater inner freedom and therefore greater harmony and happiness that also shines through in their outward appearance and in the totality of their lives.
There are, as in all spiritual movements, more or less well-founded criticism of Neotantra and its liberal relationship with sex, but there is no doubt that the so-called sacred sexuality provides many benefits at all levels, since although Whether it is an ancient tradition, it is nourished by deep-rooted philosophies, such as Tantra and Taoism.
In short, Neotantra is sexual and spiritual education. It is a system of inner transformation based on personal self-knowledge and the management of sexual energy. Thanks to this system we can become aware of our essence and reach sexual ecstasy free of prejudices, taboos, pre-established dogmas and social conditioning.
Neotantra invites us to live our own sexuality here and now, in a healthy, natural way and with a clear goal of personal growth.