Last year we were all blown away by the radiance, wisdom and childlike nature of the Baul Mystic and his entourage. They brought life and colour and a rememberance of innocence to all the hearts they met.

Again they will join us at the festival to impart some of the secret tantra teachings of his tradition but more importantly they will be holding court in the Living Tantra experiment where all formal structures are thrown out of the window and we are invited to play in the unknown. For me, this is unlike any other opportunity to drink in the mystery and to be in the presence of living masters who are steeped in a lifestyle and esoteric wisdom that is rarely found in western tantra “playshops”…

Below the Baul Mystics offer their insights on the meaning of being a Baul:

The word “ Baul “ originates from the word “ Batul “ in Sanskrit.‘Baul’ in Bengali essentially means an eccentric who has conquered all external sense perceptions. He is totally absorbed in divine love.

The Baul is a seeker of the real self through the path of love. Through Sadhana the Bauls try to transform worldly love into divine love, individual love into universal love, conditional love into unconditional love … He doesn’t take account of ritualistic routines or scriptures. He values “ Bhav ( state of being ) “ and prefers the feeling of love. The Baul seeks “ Moner Manush ( Beloved dwelling in his heart ) “. The Baul is himself the spiritual being, instead of seeking God.

Baul Mystics sometimes dance, sometimes sing, sometimes laugh. But these states are not caused by mind. The mind has many kinds of judgments or prejudices.  The state of being a Baul expresses is caused by a wellspring of essence.

Therefore, he doesn’t know why he is dancing.
He is like a madman. He has done everything and now has nothing to do. He is only fascinated with absolute love.
He is connected with all animate beings.
He is naked, because he releases himself from all the preconceived ideas.
He is ‘Pagol’, drunk with his own love.

It is said,

“ Hatred, Shame, and Fear, he is the Baul whose mind is completely lacking of these three vices. “

The Baul expresses his divine sentiments in very simple language with symbolic expressions. His songs convey the concealed secrets which the Mystical Bauls keep to themselves.

The Bauls usually say that the great cosmos contains itself in the human body … they call the human bodies  ‘the real’, and they prefer to concentrate on their ‘real’ physical identities and ignore the ‘ideal’ for spiritual quest. They seek formless through form, and realize the unlimited within the limited.

It is said … before the beginning of creation …
“ There was a sole existence, that is pure consciousness in a non-dual entity. But in that state it was not able to savor the taste of nectar. As a result of which, it divided itself in two, Primordial Nature, the Natural Entity and the Great Universe started taking shape heralding the beginning of creation. “

The Bauls regard man and woman as symbolic projections of Radha and Krishna, ‘Prakriti and Purusha’, absolute power and absolute powerful, phenomenon and base, enjoyment and enjoyer, dynamic and static. Universal ecstasy is a consequence of union between these two aspects.

Hence, Baul men and women induce a divine passion in human terms, to transform worldly emotions into deep, divine love. Their whole emotion of love is transformed to spiritual worship and simultaneously sensory organs transform into divine organs.

The Bauls sing:

“I bathe in a pond but don’t get my hair wet

In the worldly life, Bauls live an unworldly life.
Doing material acts, Bauls have spiritual experiences.

It is the unification of materialism and mysticism.

In heartfelt love, in giving of ourselves, there is real satisfaction.
A lover’s heart knows no trade.
Love transcends death, love ignores death and conquers fear. Only love can overcome all problems.
Love never demands anything. It is fulfilled in service.
Love never discriminates between the deserving and undeserving.
Only love can heal all our wounds.
Love is eternal.
Love is beautiful.
A Baul seeks unconditional love as his inner self, as his God.”