Tantra can be defined in a manner free of the Hindu, religious, and language issues that have contributed to the confusion over an accurate definition in the Western world. We do not desire to present a different or new definition, simply a definition that makes sense to a wider segment of the population. We call our definition integrated Tantra.

According to the integrated definition, Tantra is the spiritual practice and study of the life force energy as it is perceived and expressed through the human body. The concepts of Tantra are actually very easy to understand, the fact that many find it very difficult to define it is an artifact of our social programming and conditioning, and the way Tantra has been traditionally presented.

In the practice and study of Tantra the life energies are acknowledged to a great extent. While our Western culture has externalized these energies and called them "God", Tantra teaches that the source of these energies are within us and we express them in our behavior, language, creativity, thought, appearance, even our experiences.

In Tantric practice the life energies are acknowledged as they are expressed from their source within the individual and through the energy channels (often called Chakras). These channels are the paths through which the life energy expresses spirituality and intelligence, creative intelligence, intuition and insight, communication and language, love and compassion, will and gratitude, sensuality and sexuality, and humility and self esteem. These channels are universally experiential to human expression, many poetic verses have been written about heartfelt gratitude, grief, and love, the "gut feelings" of will and frustration, and most of us have experienced the localization of sexual sensations.

These are just a few examples of these channels and their relationship to sensation and expression. There are three possible reasons or "errors" that discourage the understanding of what Tantra really is. These errors are:

1. Defining Tantra through Hindu terminology.

2. "Americanizing" Tantra.

3. "Sexualizing" Tantra.

The reason the first is confusing is that no one growing up in our culture can understand the deepest meaning of the Hindu. We inevitably interpret the Hindu concepts from a Western Christian perspective. Further confounding the issue is that this Western Christian perspective, whether "Protestant" or not, is highly influenced by the hypocrisy, suppression, and exploitation of the Catholic Church over the span of the last 500 years. Even though the Catholic Church often recognizes and "atones" for their mistakes, such as the execution and later canonization of a number of saints, they continue to promulgate the errors in the present.

Some of us think we can define Shiva, Shakti, and Kundalini, concepts that are at the root of the Hindu philosophy. However, if 100 of the people that claim to understand these deities and energies were interviewed, each would provide a different definition. Often these definitions, again, would be expressed through filters of conditioning under the influence of the Western "god in heaven blessing and cursing us for our good and bad behavior" paradigm.

Even the simple Buddhist concepts such as karma, emptiness, attachment, and mindfulness are often interpreted through this paradigm. The simple fact is that we are programmed, conditioned, and brainwashed by the cultural paradigm that God is outside of us, with everything that we think will make us happy.

Once one starts on the Hindu path the profusion of more subtle concepts such as Nadanta, Samhara, and Udana create even further confusion and challenges. There are no good reasons to use these terms as they all have reference to aspects of Tantra that can be explaioned using common language.

Why the second reason is confusing is that Americans, for example, do not even consider the basic energies of Tantra to be elements of our universe. If asked, Americans might be able to remember four elements of their universe (earth, air, fire, and water), unless they watched the movie, "The Fifth Element" four or five times and understood the role Mila Jovovich played in the film. Even so, the importance of this element is hardly understood. Again, most of us have been prgorammed to believe the source of the life energy is something outside of us.

The elemental energies of the life force are very mystical and magical, and the dissociation of them from our cultural understandings is perhaps the worst tragedy to befall us in history. The religion of Tantra restores the importance of this fifth element and the study and practices of Tantra encourage the free expression of the life energies through the individual, and more importantly between individuals in intimate communication.

The third reason creates a misunderstanding around Tantra that makes it less universally understood. Discussing Tantra in relationship to orgasm, controlling bodily responses, stimulation of erotic zones, sexual "healing", even our perceptions of sexuality, does little to help the naive individual comprehend the wealth of insight in the world of Tantra. Most of us in the West have been reared with the idea that sex is private, if not a bit sleazy and shameful. Trying to "heal" this shame and guilt surrounding sex, though a noble cause, is not in the realm of the study and practice of Tantra. Tantra is about enahncing awareness, not healing from illness.

Tantra is about the life force energies and all expressions. The topic and issues that many face in the sexual realm are an important part of Tantra just as they are an important part of the full life span of an individual or couple. The approach that makes the most sense is defining Tantra free of the Hindu religion and philosophy, free of the Hindu terminology, free of the obsessive sexual focus, free of the new age "healing" ideologies, and free of the attempts to "Americanize" it.

Tantra is a religion and a philosophy, but one that increases your understanding, encourages your faith, and enhances your belief system.

To reiterate, Tantra is the practice and study of the life force energy as it is perceived and expressed through the human body, both individually and as experienced with others. The concept of a life force energy is nearly universal, Chi in the Chinese, Ka in Egypt, Ki in Japan (the root of Reiki), Prana in India, Eros in Greek, and Animus in the Latin.

This life force energy, according to Tantra, and the expression of it through open, developed, and integrated channels can be a source of awakening to the human species. This awakening can initiate changes that will make our world a more loving and less hostile place for us and our children.