Nityananda Institute’s spiritual director, Swami Chetanananda, gave a public lecture on “The Tantric Tradition” at Occidental College in Los Angeles on a Wednesday evening, November 19, 2003. The campus-wide event was sponsored by the Psychology Department and was very well-attended.
In his talk, Swami Chetanananda addressed the common misconceptions about tantra and made clear that the tantric tradition is about working with vital energy. He explained the history and development of various schools of tantra and the principal elements of tantric practice. Throughout the evening, he emphasized that the practice of tantra is about personal transformation and showed how its strategy remains relevant today. Swami Chetanananda elegantly summed up the evening in his statement “Tantrism is about understanding what is at the core of you and what is the purpose of your life.”
The following day, Swami Chetanananda attended a lunchtime meeting with students of the Psychology Department, as well as a number of professors and administrators, for an informal question and answer session. The meeting provided a forum for students to ask questions in a more intimate setting, and there were a wide range of thoughtful questions.
The students who attended the sessions found them informative as well as inspiring. They especially appreciated Swami Chetanananda’s discussion about applying eastern spiritual practices in the context of contemporary western culture.
Occidental College is a highly regarded private liberal arts college with a student body of about 1800. The event was Swami Chetanananda’s first appearance there, and his first public lecture in Los Angeles in many years.
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