An excerpt from Abhinavagupta’s Tantraloka, 8th Āhnika, about the highest point—bindu—and it’s meaning in Kashmir Shaivism. The contents of this blog post are copyright protect and may not be used without the written permission of the owner.
Painting by Claudia Dose, used with permission of the artist.
ūrdhve bindvāvṛitirdīptā
tatra padmaṁ śaśiprabham /
śāntyatītaḥ śivastatra
tacchaktyutsaṅgabhūṣitaḥ // 377 //
Ūrdhve bindvāvṛitirdīptā, above ...
This Introduction was written by John Hughes for the Manual for Self Realization: 112 Meditations of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo.
Lord Shiva creates the objective world through the expansion of his Shakti, which is absolutely one with him; and the universe is manifest in his own nature, like a reflection in a mirror, by his own absolutely independent will.
In describing the nature of reality, the Kashmir Shaiva explains that there is only one Being...
DVD 2.3 (28:32)
धयायतो विषयानपुंसः सङगसतेषूपजायते ।
सङगातसंजायते कामः कामातकरोधोऽभिजायते ॥॥
करोधादभवति संमोहः संमोहातसमृतिविभरमः ।
समृतिभरंशाटबुदधिनाशो बुदधिनाशातपरणशयति ॥॥
dhyayato visayanpumsah san...
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...
Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what is moksha (liberation) in Kashmir Shaivism and compares it to other philosophical traditions like Vedanta and Buddhism. This is an excerpt from the fourteenth chapter of the book, Kashmir Shaivism – The Secret Supreme, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo. (This is not a transcript of the audio).
The view that ignorance is the cause of bondage and perfect knowledge is the cause of freedom (moksa) is commonly accepted by all Indian philosophers. Yet, in...
Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what is real devotion and initiation in Kashmir Shaivism (from Abhinavagupta’s Bhagavad Gita, chapter 4, verse 34).
DVD 4.3 (24:35)
तदविदधि परणिपातेन परिपरशनेन सेवया ।
उपदेकषयनति ते जञानं जञानिनसतततवदरशिनः ॥॥
tadviddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā /
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninastattvadarśinaḥ //34//
[Lord Kṛṣṇa]: That knowledge you will understand by bowing before them [i.e., the learned masters], paripraśnena, by...
In the summer of 1987, Swamiji began compiling important verses from the various scriptures he had studied throughout his life. Each Sunday he would distribute one or two slokas to devotees, at the same time giving, in brief, their essential meaning. In all Swamiji revealed a total of eighty-five verses. The following year Swamiji traveled to Nepal where he spent a month with the Hughes family recording his revelation on those verses in the “Special Verses on Practice“.
When asked...
In his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, Abhinavagupta shared a important verse he wrote about the supreme Goddess – Para Devi in Kashmir Shaivism, where he explained… Who is the supreme Devi and where does she exist?
Devi Stotra
Tatha ca mayaiva sivasaktyavinabhava stotre [Bhagavad Gita, chapter 15, comm. verse 19]. I, [Abhinavagupta], have also somewhere in the Siva Sakti Avinabhava Stotra, I have penned down slokas for Devi.
Who is Devi?
JOHN: Svatantrya sakti.
SWAMIJI: Sva...
In this excerpt, Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals “Why Lord Shiva has created this universe, which is Shakti, His supreme energy?”
This lecture is from the Bodhapañcadaśikā [15 verses of wisdom], verse 5.
Bodhapañcadaśikā [15 verses of wisdom]
तसयैवैषा परा देवी सवरूपामरशनोतसुका ।
पूरणतवं सरवभावेषु यसया नालपं नचाधिकम ॥
tasyaivaisa para devi svarup-amarsanotsuka /
purnatvam sarva-bhavesu yasya nalpam na cadhikam // 5 //
Tasyaiva para devi, this...
This is an extract from a video of Alice Christensen (Mother Alice) and Swami Lakshmanjoo discussing the correct and incorrect rise and awakening of Kundalini in Kashmir Shaivism.
Alice Christensen: Swamiji, there is so much discussion in the United States about kundalini and the power of kundalini, can you give us some of your personal insight and experiences on this mysterious subject. You must know a lot about it, and we’d really like to hear a little of the truth of the...
Swamiji reveals what is the real essence of mantra in Kashmir Shaivism, and how mantras are one with Mother (Kundalini), who is one with Lord Shiva, and how to awaken the divine mother.
3. vidyāśarīrasattā mantrarahasyam //
The secret essence...
