PREPARING FOR THE TRUE KAMA SUTRA

The Kama Sutra was written in India between the third and fifth cen- turies, and its authorship is attributed to the scholar Vatsyayana. It com- bines Taoist sexual techniques gathered from Chinese bedroom books with the seduction methods described by the Roman poet Ovid, al- though the Kama Sutra places more emphasis on love (distinguishing it from desire and passion) than did Ovid and the Chinese. Vatsyayana re- peatedly interrupts his descriptions of sexual techniques or seduction to insist that the rules do not apply to people in love, who only have to let themselves go and be led by instinct. Most people associate the Kama Sutra simply with multiple posi- tions in which to perform the sexual act, a mixture of pornography and acrobatics. In the Orient, the true meaning of the Kama Sutra lies very far from this purely gymnastic idea. From both the perspective of the Tao of Love and that of Tantra, every sexual union is sacred and reproduces the ultimate act of creation: the union of the male and female cosmic principles, a union that is the cause of the created and manifest universe. Sexual contact, no matter how trivial it may seem, is sacred and cosmic, even when those who experience such sexual contact are unaware of this. The Kama Sutra teaches a series of asanas, which are yoga positions that have ritualistic meaning. Its purpose is to "divinize" the couple and their sexuality. Without this spiritual component, the Kama Sutra loses its ritualistic meaning. The aim of the positions is not only to experience sensual volup- tuousness but also to facilitate meditation as a couple. Some positions enable them to prolong the sexual union for up to two hours without the need to move much, so as not to disturb the internalization of the divine sexual act. Often the comfort level is such that it allows a com- plete physical and mental relaxation that will lead them to various states of awareness. Asanas also promote exchanges of magnetic and vital energies, and facilitate the control of ejaculation. In this regard, Tantra disregards, at least at the beginning, the position most often used in the West, com- monly known as the "missionary position" (uttana bandka in Sanskrit), in which the man lies on top of the woman. This position, according to the scholars, does not facilitate seminal control. The Kama Sutra warns that although it does describe ways to achieve and provoke greater pleasure, it is harmony that keeps a couple to- gether. This harmony ensues when a man and a woman live as one single body and one single soul. This way their good deeds will be an example to all who know them, and therefore they will be happy both in this world and the hereafter. The main reason for marital separation, and the chief cause of infi- delity, is a lack of varied pleasures, which results in boredom and mo- notony in the sexual life of a couple. Sixty-Four (Chatushshashti) is the name of the part of the Sacred Scrip- tures dealing with the sexual union. Many say that its name is due to the fact that it has sixty-four parts, but others say that it has only eight parts subdivided into another eight. These parts are as follows: l. The Caress 2. The Kiss 3. The Scratch 4. The Bite 5. The Sexual Union 6. The Erotic Screams 7. The Woman Who Assumes the Masculine Role 8. The Oral Union Vatsyayana believed that this name was the result of coincidence and cus- tom, since the Sixty-Four contains more than eight sections, such as the man's behavior during the love act and the various methods of sexual union. Here is an example. The first subject addressed is the embrace. This bodily contact reflects the happiness of a man and a woman joined by love. According to the ancient scriptures, there are four types of embraces. The most elementary type is the Embrace Through Touch. It takes place when a man feels the impulse of desire, and then seeks to touch a woman's body with his own. When a woman bends over to pick up an object from the floor and her breasts lightly touch the body of her lover and he in turn caresses them with his hand, this is called the Embrace Through Penetration. These two types of embraces are used only by lovers who are not sure of their feelings or intentions toward each other. The Rules of Life that were set by the Lord of Beings when he created man and woman are Dharma, Artha, and Kama. The Dharma refers to the acquisition of religious merit. All laws having to do with religious life are part of the Dharma. The Artha is related to material acquisitions, such as properties, real estate, jewels, and money. Whether someone amasses great riches or ends up living in poverty depends on how this discipline is observed. Lastly is the Kama, which refers to everything having to do with love, desire, pleasure, and sexuality. The Kama Sutra is a collection of love proverbs. In India, every man must read the Kama Sutra before getting married. The study of these three Rules of Life leads human beings to attain fulfillment and harmony and thereby to achieve happiness. They must be followed in order for one to learn to be whole. If one of the three rules is missing, the process is incomplete. For this reason, the Kama Sutra is not only sex, as the West tends to see it, but it also includes forms and laws for appropriate behavior that both men and women ought to know, not only for the purpose of being experts on the Kama, but because knowledge of these arts will allow them to overcome any situation, anywhere and under any circumstances.