Tantra, Storytelling & Practical Wisdom

I have been reading, off and on for quite some time now, a great little book called Panchatantra; pancha meaning 5, and tantra meaning scriptures, or in this context strategies. That is, strategies on how to live life (Practical Wisdom).

These are folk tales; mini stories within stories, illustrating how everything relates, and how harmony and our integrated development is based on the 5 strategies of friendship, earnest endeavour, firmness of mind, wealth creation and knowledge.

These are wrap around the key themes of;

1.     How to keep the friends we have. Here the key lesson is not to break trust, but kill a person for disloyalty. We can assume this 'kill' really means eliminate that person from our life.

2.     How to gain new friends. Here the key lesson is how valuable friendship is. We should give others their due, recognising that destiny has decreed what is ours and what is not, yet steering clear of miserliness.

3.     How not to make enemies. Here the key lessons are to be kind, intelligent, brave and friendly, while remembering never to give up, never leave a debt unpaid, a disease uncured, an enemy undefeated, or be proud and vain.

4.     How to maintain what we have gained. Here the key lessons are to look after your kith and kin, befriend good people with humility and the poor with small gifts. But we are advised to be prepared to treat a hero with cunning, and kill an equal with power. These last two seem rather dramatic, but probably refer more to hero's and equals we are in competition with.

5.     And the consequences of rash actions. Here the lessons are to have good judgement, discretion, wisdom and common sense over learning (this makes sense of the 'kill' mentioned earlier and the dramatic approach to hero's and equals). Finally, having a friend and companion for advice, while steering clear of greed.

Like many good folk tales, some of them can be very brutal, some humorous. They are short and to the point storytelling as learning opportunities. Indeed, one of the lesser known aspects of tantra is its use of stories through myth, parables and analogies that serve to deepen our understanding and empathy in our relationships. 

Stories connect our audience with the emotions we wish to convey.  This is often referred to as ‘narrative transport’, the psychological process of creating empathy and a sense of coherence.

In tantra, stories often depict the journey of overcoming obstacles, healing and self-discovery. Tantra stories especially illustrate the transformative power of love and connection. The power of story-telling has always been understood, as oral history shows; fitting, as tantra has a strong oral history tradition.

But here’s the rub.

Neuroscience has finally caught up with oral tradition and now shows us just ‘how’ our brains mirror some of the activities within stories. These activities create bonds within us that can lead to changed beliefs, changed attitudes and changed behaviours.

We know biology drives our emotions, such as the release of oxytocin (the feel good chemical) when we hear good aspects in a story, or the release of dopamine from our limbic (reward centre) that triggers feelings of hope and optimism when we hear happy endings. It is no surprise then that storytelling is one of the most powerful means of communication.

Stories are how we make sense of the world.

This is related to what is called ‘episodic’ memory; the brain’s own need for direction and pattern (ie, a beginning, a middle and an end) and for cause and effect. If stories offer reasons or causes they will be more easily believed as our brains search for meaning, for the cause, and for a purpose.

There are classic plot devises, structural techniques and archetypal characters that are brought into play to help us shape our stories and bring out the emotional intensity needed to engage our audience.

In a practical sense, like most good tales, the Panchatantra itself has its story:

A beginning;

This is where we set the scene and identify the main characters and the conflict to come. This is the ‘will they/ won’t they’ tension. This ensures the audience wants to go along on the journey to see what happens.

In the Panchatantra The King wanted his dim-witted sons to become worthy to be his successor.

A middle;

This is where we engage in the struggle. The ups and downs, the twists and turns, the change and development, and importantly the awakening. To truly engage our emotions this is where you are likely to experience the use of, if at all possible, all 5 key senses; sight, sound, smell, touch and taste as it is our emotional intensity that drives our thinking and so our behaviour.

In the Panchatantra The King called on his advisors, who referred him to the venerable scholar. The scholar takes his sons to his home for 6 months.

And an end;

This is where the conflict or obstacle has been overcome and where there is resolution. At this point there will be clarity on the message any storyteller is leaving their audience with.

In the Panchatantra the sons return transformed. The King is in awe and asks the scholar how he had achieved this.

“I just told them a few stories.” The Scholar said.

Bringing it all together

Stories can connect people. They can bring us closer together. Understanding the mechanics of this is a must for authors and artists, leaders and spiritual guides alike. Alongside empathy and coherence stories can also bringing about the production of oxytocin and dopamine which increases the audiences feelings of generosity and trust.

Relating to the 5 strategies and key themes of the Panchatantra, how to live life, stories then are to be told as an earnest endeavour, based on firmness of mind and sound knowledge, for the purposes of generosity of spirit and wealth creation, not as a way to make enemies through rash action.

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