Some time ago, I saw an advertisement on facebook which attracted my attention. I made a screenshot of the ad for our readers before I clicked on the link:
!["Facebook]("http://www.jaisiyaram.com/images/29dec10-middle.jpg")
Clicking on this advertisement you reach a US website, offering services in Washington DC. The first thing that you see on that website is a picture of a busty woman in an inviting position. All around that picture there are links and text about Tantra Massages, Tantra Yoga, spiritual sex, energy work, reiki, Karma practice, and workshops for couples as well as singles. They used every possible esoteric or spiritual word that they could find from deep relaxation, chakras and meditation over liberation and Tantric energy up to Shamanism. Scrolling down you find pictures of a typical spiritual Indian man with a white beard, of a woman nearly naked, of Buddha and Hindu goddesses. Additionally you can right away see that they are a non-profit charity organization to whom you can give tax-deductible donations. You can even use your credit card. There is an option to contact them and you can find more texts about their ‘spiritual work’ in the inside pages.
The whole advertisement and website seem to be an open invitation for getting a sexual experience. This is the oldest profession of the world and of course it always works. Nobody can ever stop that. I only would like to ask one thing: why do you need to use the words Tantra, Yoga, meditation or spiritual for it? Why do you cover it up with spirituality and Tantra? Who would go to them? A real spiritual seeker who is looking for the truth or God or men who are looking for fun with women in a different environment, with the flair of spirituality? It will be people who are curious and trying to find spirituality in sex or sex in spirituality.
Sex is anyway spiritual but please don’t do this business on the name of spirituality. This creates a very wrong image, many misunderstandings and strange impressions about religions, about scriptures and people in any way involved in spirituality.
Everybody who hears Tantra anyway already thinks of sex and if you keep on advertising like this, it will happen to Yoga, meditation, massages and all those other words, too. Sex is just a normal part of life. It is spiritual. It is energy. You don’t need to go for a course to do it or call it Tantra Yoga or enlightenment through sex. It is just sex.
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I don’t know about prostitution laws in India, but the “tantra” cover could be a clever way around local prostitution laws, with additional benefits of enabling tax-exemptions through the cover of alleged “charitable” or “spiritual” organizations. “Escort” services in the US to my knowledge have not yet followed this example, but I’m sure that if they saw profit potential in this, they would also start selling sex as “tantra.”
Hi Deniz,Actually this was not an Indian website, it was an American advertisement and service! It is located in Washington DC.
So maybe they are already one step ahead 🙂
Yes, now I see. I should pay more attention when reading. I guess I was thinking about your earlier posts about such businesses in India. Well, if there’s money to be made, someone will take advantage of it. That’s the good ‘ol spirit of American entrepreneurism.
They have to advertise it like this or they wouldn’t be free to have an organization centered so much around sex. Spirituality gives them a green light.
Facebook is really quite shameless with their adds sometimes. Shameless and clever.
Sometimes I experience premature meditation…
I absolutely agree Swami ji. The problem ism that sex has accrued such negative connotations in the Hindi? Indian world over time that tantra is supposedly the instrument to rehabilitate.In the same manner, pleasure and other desires and wealth and other material acquisitions have also been imbued with negative connotations.
Dear Annan, actually it is an US website operating their services in Washington DC. I think I was not clear enough in the post but now I have updated. Love
Deniz,This is the first thing that came to mind for me as well. It’s clever and unfortunate for the people that wish to use that language “responsibly.”
Does this cover make what they do legal?
This photo is more delightfully terrifying, and dreadfully funny than the article is disturbing! I was never scared of clowns..but I might be now.
Omg, I didn’t realize that this was a US advertisement!!! But that shouldn’t be a surprise at all…
I bet this cover helps attract customers that would like to justify their actions. I do not feel that prostitution is wrong. I think it is dangerous for clients and especially the workers. And I think it can be emotionally harmful to everyone (again, especially the workers).
There are sooo many harmful things that are also legal. I wonder why prostitution isn’t. It is also one of those things where what is legal and what is not is separated by some nonsensical line. Marrying rich when you don’t love is exchanging money for sex. Marrying to survive…exchanging money for sex. Feeling pressure to sleep with your date who bought you dinner and drinks….same. All very normal things where I come from.
I wonder if “Tantra” has been ruined in so many senses.
When my sister visited India I asked her if she was going to visit any Ashrams and she told me she would not because spiritual tourism has become so big that Ashram scams have made it really difficult to find a good one. I really thought that was too bad.
I’ve seen adds like this all over the place. But I do live in Brooklyn…
Swami Ji, I think that you are one hundred percent right and this is really too bad. How unfair to the true tradition!
I don’t think this kind of sex is a spiritual experience for many people although i think that is possible and depends on the person but I always wonder with people putting out adds like this or saying things that sound so ridiculous that I do not understand them, if these people believe themselves. Do they believe they are offering a spiritual product. And do customers believe it? Could be?
Thanks for sharing this Swami Ji. It is a really important point you are making.