Tantra and Nudity
In the story of Adam and Eve, both were in the Garden of Eden, naked and unashamed. They lived in a paradise, a perfect world. According to the story, they ate the fruit from a tree that gave them the capacity to discern the difference between good and evil, or desirable and undesirable. Once they acquired that ability their life changed and they began to avoid evil and desire good. Their life in paradise may very well have been based on their perception of the world. When their perception changed, so did the world they lived in.
This is an interesting analogy as related to Tantra as they were "ashamed" of their nakedness and they used the clothing and covered themselves to "hide from God". Most people have some shame concerning nakedness, whether manifesting as embarassment or as a dissatisfaction with their body image. In addition, nakedness in our society is associated with sexuality, not with a freedom and lack of shame and guilt. As nudity is associated with sexuality, some of the shame experienced is an artifact of the reward/punishment paradigm that sexuality is traditionally framed in.
In the story Adam and Eve began to seek after that which they desired and avoid that which they deemed undesirable, which may very well be the "death" that threatened to follow their ingestion of the forbidden fruit. Their life in the present moment was traded for a future orientation of desire and a past orientation of avoidance.
To the Tantric practitioner "God" is the source of the life energies within the individual, and these energies reside within the living being. These energies are expressed through the individual, in fact, God is not evident in the world unless expressed by the individual. Wearing clothing effectively insulates the being from experiencing the sensations of these life force energies, both as they are expressed outward from the body and as they are expressed toward the body in relationship with other sentient beings. The skin sense is a powerful organ of perception that is insulated and habituated by the wearing of clothing. In addition to this the way clothing is worn, shoes and socks, pants and skirts, shirts and blouses, even ties, jackets, belts, hats, and gloves, encourages a feeling of segregation of body parts rather than an integration that promotes a sense of wholeness.
Imagine going to the movies with ear plugs and a blindfold. You would miss almost all of the movie. When we enter into an interpersonal relationship with our body fully clothed we lose the sense of feeling that would allow us to be compassionate, empathetic, loving, and nuturant. When we remove the clothing only for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity, we miss the point of true intimacy. We understand this instinctively and, regardless of our body image, feel the sense of freedom and sensuality in the shower, in a hot tub, or wherever nudity is socially acceptable.
The state of nudity is our natural state, no other animals wear clothing, though it can be argued that clothing is an evolutionary aspect of civilization. In our society clothing plays a large part in both modesty, fashion, and practicality. However, the associations that have developed are perhaps unhealthy and restrictive. It may be impractical to conduct a business meeting where the participants are naked, however there are times in personal relationships and intimacy where nudity is prescriptive without the sexual associations.
Clothing reinforces the egoic sense of a vulnerable, defensive self separate from the world and separate from our family of human sentient being, with whom we share a common source of life.
Through our development of Sensual Reiki we have begun to research this sensory system of the skin and we are beginning to understand that the sense of touch is important in the perception of the flow of life energy through our bodies. So not only does this complex sensory system receive stimuli form outside the body, but also from within the body as well. Sensing the flow of life from within the body is what the study and practice of Tantra encourages.
