The Razor’s Edge Observance is an early tantric technique that would nowadays simply be called “edging”; in other words, engaging in sexual activity without ejaculation. The practice actually pre-dates Tantra, and emerges from the ascetic traditions that, on the whole, Tantra challenged by advocating the use of sensory techniques to transcend the gross or corporeal level of existence and enjoy the subtle and the supreme levels of existence. Nonetheless, semen retention remained a popular practice across a number of tantric traditions, in particular throughout Tibet and within Chinese Daoism.
However, semen retention was never seen as a means of transcending the corporeal constructs of mainstream (i.e., non-tantric) sex. Instead, the practice evolved from the idea that sexual fluids are the manifestation of creative and dynamic energies and, as such, are a source of power. This idea can be found in several pre-Tantric rituals, where semen was offered to spiritual demons (yoginis) to entice and subdue them. Having been lured to the physical realm by the offer of semen they would possess female consorts and the male practitioners would engage in intercourse with them to obtain their favour. Tantra adopted these themes, with the offering and consumption of mixed sexual fluids representing the ideal (i.e., non-dualist) sacrificial ritual. So, how did this transform into a practice of semen retention?
It is all down to how you understand the resource of “energy”. If you believe that we are each allotted a finite pool of energy that can and will be depleted, then you would naturally want to preserve this energy as long as possible. And if sexual fluids are the physical manifestation of that energy, then it stands to reason that you would seek to retain sexual fluids. Tantra however, with its model of corporeal, subtle and supreme levels of existence, developed a deeper understanding of this notion.
At its core, Tantra is about transformation, but this transformation is not necessarily limited to a spiritual transformation; many Tantras also highlight the possibility of an alchemical transformation – that is, the transformation of one substance into another. And sexual fluids were considered the most powerful substance of all. By retaining your sexual fluids, and by practicing various yogic techniques, it is possible to transform the gross / corporeal form of dynamic, creative energy (i.e., semen) into a subtle and even supreme form. This involves manipulating the retained energy (shakti) and moving it upwards through the chakras to the crown of your head, where it unites with consciousness (shiva) and explodes into absolute bliss – the supreme level of existence.
The idea of sexual fluids as a source of spiritual energy also inspired Daoist sexual rituals, which state that not only can you retain your own energy, but you can actually gain energy from others. Within this tradition semen retention and the alchemical transformation of semen into subtle and supreme energy was believed to leave a vacuum inside your body. This allowed practitioners to extract their partners energy, sucking it into their own body through their genitalia during intercourse, and thereby stealing their partner’s energy resource. In modern parlance this might be referred to as “energy vampirism”. Whether you believe such things are possible or not, it perhaps highlights that tantric sex should only be practiced with equally skilled tantrikas.
However, if like the majority of tantric texts, you believe that we are surrounded by an infinite ocean of energy that can never be depleted, that energy only ever changes from one form to another, and that we can access this endless reservoir of energy through the practice of yoga (including sexual yoga), then there is nothing to fear from ejaculation. Nevertheless, sexual fluids are still recognised as the manifestation of creative energy, consequently, to make ejaculation truly tantric, any fluids produced during intercourse ought to be re-consumed, either from a cup when mixed with a drink or, as some texts advocate, directly from the “cup” of the vagina.
There may be one final reason that semen retention remains popular though, especially among practitioners who do not have the opportunity to practice tantric sex. Alongside the three levels of existence – corporeal, subtle and supreme – there are three bodies, our physical body, our subtle or energy body, and our supreme non-dualistic body (which isn’t really a body at all!). In my own experience, I find that a subtle body (or energy) orgasm is far more satisfying than a physical or corporeal orgasm. Consequently, I often prefer to meditate than masturbate. For me, tantra yoga and tantric meditation are distinct from other forms of yoga or meditation because they direct your awareness to the energy resource that fills and surrounds you. And by arousing my subtle body, I often find my physical body equally aroused. But the transformation of this arousal into a subtle body experience – an energy orgasm – often leaves me feeling cleansed and connected to my surroundings rather than shallow, narcissistic and depleted. Consequently, I now rarely feel the need to ejaculate, preferring to focus my efforts on my subtle body rather than my physical one.
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