
In today’s excerpt, Swamiji explains the most important ingredient to meditation. This is from Tantraloka Chapter 11 verse 81, from the Archives of the Lakshmanjoo Academy, recorded by John Hughes. All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes.
taduktam varadena srisiddhayogisvarimate // 81 //
tena guptena guptaste sesa varnastviti sphutam /
This is why Bhagavan Bhairava, Lord Siva, has explained in Malinivijaya tantra that when meditation, or any practice, is done without the...

An interesting saktopaya practice from the Vijnana Bhairava – How to make your mind rest in-between.

Dharana 45
वहनेरविषसय मधये तु
चिततं सुखमयं कषिपेत ।
केवलं वायुपूरणं वा
समराननदेन युजयते ॥॥
vahnervisasya madhye tu
cittam sukhamayam ksipet /
kevalam vayupurnam va
smaranandena yujyate // 68 //
Now He puts another process. It is saktopaya.*
Make your mind rest between the energy of will and knowledge. Give your mind rest between the energy of will and knowledge (iccha...

Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what “causes” grace in Kashmir Shaivism and what are the “signs” by which you can understand that grace is there.
This is an excerpt from Abhinavagupta’s Tantraloka 13th anika, which we discussed during the online course “Grace on the Spiritual Path“.
vairagyam bhogavairasyam
dharmah ko’pi vivekita /
satsangah paramesana-
pujadyabhyasanityata // 98 //
apatpraptistanniriksa
dehe kimcicca laksanam /
sastraseva...

In this excerpt from the Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization Swami Lakshmanjoo explains a śāktopāya technique for revealing the formation of the nature of Bhairava by means of Bhairavi (Bhairavi means, uninterrupted awareness). How to maintain uninterrupted awareness?

Dharana 2
Now next.
मरुतोऽनतरबहिरवापि
वियदयुगमानिवरतनात ।
भैरवया भैरवसयेतथं
भैरवि वयजयते वपुः ॥॥
maruto’ntarbahirvapi
viyadyugmanuvartanat /70
bhairavya bhairavasyettham
bhairavi vyajyate vapuh // 25...

DVD 2.3 (28:32)
धयायतो विषयानपुंसः सङगसतेषूपजायते ।
सङगातसंजायते कामः कामातकरोधोऽभिजायते ॥॥
करोधादभवति संमोहः संमोहातसमृतिविभरमः ।
समृतिभरंशाटबुदधिनाशो बुदधिनाशातपरणशयति ॥॥
dhyayato visayanpumsah san...
In this excerpt from Chapter Three of the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism Swami Lakshmanjoo explains: Who is this enemy inside of our consciousness, how does it appear, and how does it rise? As those three questions of Arjuna are being answered by Lord Krsna in this unique version of the Bhagavad Gita by Abhinavagupta.
Now Arjuna places his question for this.
DVD 3.2 (35:49)
भवतयेष कथं कृषण कथं चैव विवरधते ।
किमातमकः किमाचारसतनममाचकषव पृचछतः ॥॥
...

An important excerpt from the fifth verse of the Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization by Swami Lakshmanjoo, reveals the reality of supreme consciousness-the essence of all Tantra
Image by Antonio López from Pixabay
This is the question of Devī.
परापरायाः सकलम
अपरायाशच वा पुनः ।
पराया यदि तदवतसयात
परतवं तदविरुधयते ॥॥
parāparāyāḥ sakalam
aparāyāśca vā punaḥ /
parāyā yadi tadvatsyāt
paratvaṁ tadvirudhyate // 5 //
There are three energies. In...

In this excerpt from the Manual for Self Realization: 112 Meditations of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, verses 155 – 156, Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals what japa (repetition of a sacred word) really means and how to do it successfully.
“Japa is automatic recitation of breath. It is available to everybody, 24 hours a day.” ~Swami Lakshmanjoo
Listen to the audio below and read along with the transcript to learn more…
सकारेण बहिरयाति
हकारेण...
Kashmir Shaivism is so rich and detailed in its theology and soteriology that it has been aptly described as “the mystical geography of awareness.”
It includes a highly developed system of spirituality that emphasizes not only the intellectual understanding of its philosophy but also the direct realization, the direct experience, of its truth.
For the Kashmir Shaiva, the very nature of truth, its defining characteristic, is that it is both limited and unlimited, atomic and...
“The light of Consciousness is not only pure Consciousness”, and Swami Lakshmanjoo explains why this is so in this excerpt from the book Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism, The Oral Teachings of Swami Lakshmanjoo. This is from Chapter Three; Entrance into the Supreme Reality.
This is a good book to understand some of the basics of Kashmir Shaivism, as well as learn about Swami Lakshmanjoo’s life.

Swami Lakshmanjoo teaching in Kashmir (sitting on the right side of...
The following excerpts highlight some of the experiences of the renowned Saint, Swami Vivekananda, when he visited Kashmir in 1898.
ARANYAMAL* RAINA
The Sweet Mother
Aranyamal Raina was the wife of Pandit Narayan Das Raina. Pandit Narayan Das was the first among the Kashmiri Pandits to speak and write English, wear Western clothes and ride a cycle. Both Aranyamal and Pandit Narayan Das were devotees of Swami Ram Ji, a saint and the greatest exponent of Shaivism. Pandit Narayan Das also adored...
The most important point about meditation is contained within this lecture. It explains very clearly how to meditate with one-pointedness. This excerpt is from Chapter 5 of the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, by Swami Lakshmanjoo).
This Saturday, May 9th, we celebrate Swami Lakshmanjoo’s Birthday. You are invited to join us online via webstream. Please join us also for our annual four-day retreat, May 10-13th, held online for the first time. Read more and register...