“I’ve always been in favour of porn – I find it a fascinating art form. And perhaps now is a time to be extra thankful for it. People do amazingly imaginative things in the porn arena – whether they are creating fantasies or documenting realities that are usually kept hidden.” (GTM, Berlin, as published on Twitter)
Every time I hear or read someone using Tantra and pornography in the same breath, I know at once that I’m dealing with a very confused and ignorant individual; there is nothing in Tantra that is or supports pornography. Nothing.
It’s very important to understand that sex is probably one of the most natural and essential activities of any higher organism. Why? Because sex is a biological activity whose sole purpose is reproduction, survival of the species. Sex is not recreation. Nor is sex something that happens in the case of homoerotic sensuality. Why? Because men do not reproduce offspring when they unite in Divine Union, maithuna (मैथुन). So let’s just put “sex” aside where it belongs.
Species that engage in genital stimulation simply for pleasure or for profit or for de-stressing are extremely rare. Off the top of my head I can think of only two: bonobo chimpanzees and human beings. 
Pornography as a form of self-expression or for profit is a recent phenomenon. In fact, The modern history of Western pornography begins with the Enlightenment (18th century), when printing technology had advanced enough to permit the production of written and visual materials to appeal to audiences of all socioeconomic levels and sexual tastes. Before that, there was no pornography as we know it today.
The term pornography originally meant “writing about prostitutes.” It was only in the 19th century that it came to mean, by some bizarre extension, the depiction of even non-erotosensuous subject matter such that its purpose is to elicit feelings of erotic pleasure; any such depiction.The graphic, detailed, often gratuitous depiction of something explicitly erotosensuous or sexual, any explicit or gratuitous display of material of an erotic or sexual nature for the purpose of arousal or stimulation. That is not to say that sexually graphic images or texts were not available in the ancient world, in both the East and the West, but that the depictions were not intended for the sole purpose of exhibitionism, voyeurism, narcissism, or titillation.
Pornography became interesting only when it became dangerous, and that may have started with the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism-Christianity-Islam), which in their popular forms taught that the body was sinful, and sex was laden with guilt and shame. Most ancient traditions worshiped the body and made eros a gateway to higher spirituality. It was the Protestant Reformation and Puritan sects that outlawed the body, its functions, even in the arts. 
Furthermore, the gratuitous and explicit depiction of human erotic or sexual activity for “entertainment” purposes got its shot-in-the-arm only as late as the early 1950s when Kinsey published his book, and later by Masters and Johnson, the first actual open discussions of male and female sexual functions, or should I say dysfunction.
Given the fact that what we call pornography today includes not only the depiction but also the reception (the consumers), the purpose, the medium (distribution path), and the outcomes (the effects) differs radically from any explicit depictions in the western world, particularly in the period before the Age of Enlightenment or in the Classical or pre-Classical periods. It is the common error or historical ignorance and anachronism to attempt to rationalize acceptance of modern pornography and justify it by referring to ancient examples.
When I argue against pornography in the context of traditional Tantra (तन्त्र) or Homoerotic Tantra℠:Mascul-IN-Touch℠, one of the most common responses is: Well, how do you explain the Kāmasūtra (कामसूत्र) or the sexual rituals described in the Indic sacred scriptures or the Tantras? The explanation is very simple: The temple sculptures and the classical Kāmasūtra (कामसूत्र) were and continue to be expressions of a highly developed culture, a culture that thought in non-dualistic terms, was amoral as the result of non-duality, and did not describe things as being good or bad but things that simply were. The ancient and later writings describe the sculptures as expressions of cosmology.
The classical Kāmasūtra (कामसूत्र), apart from two or three chapters, discusses how the cultured man or woman should behave in a relationship; erotic expression and sensuality was part of the relationship, not projected as the be-all-and-end-all of the relationship, nor as wanton sensuality!
As in the Tantras, the sacred texts, and in Tantra (तन्त्र), the science and philosophy, eroticism and sensuality played a very specific but minor role in the bigger picture, and was limited to adepts; in other words, it was not one big Gay Men Orgy! In fact, the erotic sensuality of Tantra was highly ritualized and there was little or no attraction between the partners, because that would distract from the focus and centeredness on the mystical experience.
Tantra does not teach massage techniques; the only legit (as in authentic & traditional) form of massage in India is ayurvedic. The emphasis of massage is on the herbal ‘oils’ that are used & the various ‘pressure’ points and manipulations done on the human anatomy for very specific purposes,none of them for the so-called “happy end” or “total release,” as in the phony “tantric” or erotic massage business in the West.
Tantra (तन्त्र) as promoted and sold in the West is a confused misinterpretation of Tantra (तन्त्र) as described in the sacred scriptures of Sanātanadharma (सनातनधर्म) and practiced in India or by authentic practitioners of ayurvedic, not tantric, massage. There is no connection between an authentic and good faith Tāntric practitioner and anything to do with selling gay massage, erotic massage, sacred sexuality, or body electric. Nothing!
There is absolutely no connection between Tantra (तन्त्र) and pornography as marketed, packaged, and sold or offered free today. Tantra (तन्त्र) is a science and a philosophy whose sole objective is awareness, awakening, well-being, spiritual health, enlightenment, and transformation. It is the polar opposite of pornography. 
The fact that some phonies calling themselves tāntric masseurs or tāntric teachers use Tantra to give their product some exotic flavor or to legitimize their claims of exotic ecstasy and bliss must be interpreted as the chant of the snake-oil salesmen.
What’s even worse is when they hijack the term Tantra and use it as part of their name; that’s not only silly, it’s arrogant, and it’s fake.
In ancient civilizations in the West, in Greece and Rome, for example, pornography was practically unknown; the depictions that have come down to us are either (1) religious in nature, (2) philosophical, in terms of art and beauty, (3) symbolic, (4) promotional. I won’t go into these at this time but suggest you google “pornography history,” if you are interested.
Getting back to the so-called masseurs and pundits who explicitly preach that pornography is good, I would begin by saying that they are 200% unprofessional, ignorant, unqualified, and irresponsible. Why?
Because psychological and medical scientific research has shown it to be a disordered behavior with addictive and harmful effects. I am not being judgmental at all. Nor will I call upon religious teachings or moral teachings to substantiate my statement. Instead, I shall turn to modern medical science for my support.
GTB is not the only one to have expressed explicit public support of pornography. A well-known entrepreneur, JT of a neotantric organization catering for gay men, has even produced a video in which he extols the “benefits” of pornography; pornography is good; that it’s healthy.
There are others, too, but now I’m going to set the record straight: pornography is harmful, unhealthy, and serves no useful purpose. It’s in the medical and psychiatric scientific literature as an addiction disorder.
As professionals, we have a social and moral duty not to overstep our credentials and training, and not to misuse our positions to wrongfully promote our activities and to misinform the pubic. When a masseur advocates pornography as being healthy, he is overstepping his qualifications and expressing his personal opinion, not a professional opinion, much less an educated and informed opinion. When any professional even hints at an individual’s choice to expose himself to risk of disease or even death simply to ensure the success or survival of his business activity, that’s criminal.
If we are to believe the statements made by international and national public health authorities that we are in the grip of a serious pandemic; if we are to believe the media reports of deaths, shutdowns, lock-downs, quarantine, social distancing; if we are to believe that people are at risk of contagion and infection if they disregard the guidelines of the public health authorities, how can we pardon the irresponsible and outrageous statements made by practitioners selling tāntric massage or erotic massage? They should be tarred and feathered! Anyone accepting their invitations should be incarcerated! One publication put out by ToL [(name redacted] a business offering gay tāntric massage in London, UK, reads something like this, content edited for space):
“The UK government’s advice is contradictory…
“On the one hand, we are not to go out. On the other, we still have to pay our bills. There’s very limited financial support and the Bank of England has cut its interest rates because it wants people to spend money and thus stimulate the economy. So, the question is – how do we pay our rent without working, and how do we spend money without going out?
“At ToL [redacted], our view is that unless we get clearer instructions, it’s down to each person to make the necessary judgement call. We’ve also been in touch with colleagues around the world to try and ensure that we’re following a similar approach. Are erotic gay massages still an option during a time of social distancing? Ultimately, it’s down to both the masseur and the client to make that decision.
“Is ToL still offering massage services during the shut-down?
“We are. Masseurs are freelancers and it’s down to each of them to decide when they stop working (and when they start again).”
So, there you have it! Public health is an individual choice. The public health and government authorities of the United Kingdom have not clearly stated their guidelines. A bunch of gay masseurs, with all of perhaps 2 or so years of massage training know better. Why? Because they stand to lose money. So forget the pandemic, guys! Forget the risk to you and your loved ones! Forget the recommendations on how to avoid or prevent infection! Forget the value of social-distancing! Why? Because a couple of small businesses need the money! Look, even forgetting about tāntric considerations for a moment, I think we can all agree that most massage is intended to be therapeutic, that is, it’s intended to relax, de-stress, and in some cases to relieve physical problems and rehabilitate. Right? So, given the world public health situation, don’t we have a serious contradiction in what these guys are saying, preaching, doing? 
What’s more disturbing is the fact that some of these phonies talk an awful lot about love and support. They tend to include meditation and teaching in their tāntric programs. But, again, I have to make a conscientious statement that if they are actually qualified and trained to teach anything tāntric, that is, in the tradition of Yoga (योग) and Tantra (तन्त्र) as systems, wouldn’t you think that they would be familiar with the ethical principle of personal and social conduct? I’m referring to the yama (यम) and niyama (नियम) principles of Yoga (योग). The first and primal principal is ahiṃsā (अहिंसा) non-injury or harmlessness. Another is satya (सत्य) or truthfulness and integrity, and a third is śauca (सौच), personal hygiene and cleanliness, purity. Seems like they’re violating at least those! And if one of the better known pundits, JT, again a Brit practicing neotantra and offering what he claims to be diploma courses, training, workshops, international events, and who talks — and that’s about the extent of it — about love, support, enlightenment, bliss, ecstasy, etc. based on Guess what? Tantra (तन्त्र)! But what are we to think when he publishes statements containing language like:
“As we – [organizers’ names redacted] – sit here in our home, we have to tell you that we have seen our beautiful Tantra community, our vocation, our Tantric spiritual practice, our family, our friends, our business all deeply affected by this crisis on so many levels. We are in pain and distress, on one level. Our sleep is disrupted. We are at times scared and worried, and in these moments we lose our connection and risk falling into a state of depression.”
Doesn’t seem like these false gurus are teaching an effective technique for de-stressing, does it? If they can’t control their own anxiety, how in hell are they going to teach paying customers how to do so?
And in another so-called “Update on COVID-19″:
“We have spent 15 years building [organization name redacted] with every ounce of effort, love and dedication that we have. Now, we are looking at the possible disintegration of all of that. We are realising that this crisis could possibly mean the bankruptcy and end of [organization name redacted], and thus the end of our community. We are not taking this lying down … It’s from that place of Love and vision that you have our total promise that we will do our utmost to keep you safe and to keep this community and [organization name redacted] alive in the face of this crisis. We will do our utmost to not let [organization name redacted] go bankrupt, and we will take all the actions that support that.”
I’m not here to judge anyone or to persuade or to convince you or anyone else of anything, much less to moralize. But statements like those I’ve just quoted are very disturbing.
My real point, however, is this: Any persuasion or conviction, any change or transformation has to come from within you. You must use good judgment and clear thinking. But even before that, you must first be aware of (1) who you are in reality, (2) where you are in the world, (3) where you want to be, (3) that there’s a way to get there. If you’ve self-quarantined yourself and live in social-distance from the real world thanks to your addiction to your smartphone, your selfies, and social media, you need help to claw your way out of the hole you’ve thrown yourself into. In my next essay, I’ll discuss come of the science substantiating the adverse effects of pornography, and why it has little or no place in normal, non-addicted erotic expression. In the meantime, why don’t you just consider how much time you spend watching porn, how many times you can be entertained by the same script, and whether you really are enriched by the experience. We do know that the so-called “tantric” masseurs are enriched by their phony practices but when you really think about it, what kind of men need that kind of service? Interesting thought, isn’t it?
It would be very helpful and generous if you were to leave a comment about your insights and thoughts inspired by today’s text. Please use the Comment feature below to leave your comment/remarks for us to read and reflect on.
Of course, if you have any questions or need personal guidance, please contact me.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Oṃ śānti, śānti, śāntiḥ ||
Peace to you in body, mind, and spirit!
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Your Guide Daka Karuna: An Introduction 