Christopher (Hareesh) Wallis has written THE definitive, modern day work on classical non-dual Saiva Tantra (NST). This book is simply masterful. The author manages to write with a scholarly breadth, but in an easily accessible and engaging style. Many books on Tantra fall into two unfortunate categories. Either they are written in a dense, academic prose that does not lend itself well to the non-scholar, or else they are purporting the bastardized version of "Neo-Tantra" with its overt and almost exclusive emphasis on sexuality. The author manages to avoid both of these pitfalls and the result is an easily readable and enjoyable ride that delivers accurate, scholarly, and practical information on one of the most profound religious philosophies ever developed. The fourth grade of śaktipāta leads a person to take initiation, though his perception of the divinity of his real Self is not as firm as a third-grade recipient, because it is difficult for him to break through his conditioned convictions and mental constructs of reality. Nonetheless, through the gradual ripening of his insight through practice, the fourth-grade recipient merges with the Divine upon leaving the body. This and the following grades account for the majority of people on the path. (By “the path” I do mean to imply that there is really only one path of spiritual transformation, regardless of what name it is given or which religion or culture it is articulated within.) The fifth and sixth grades are received by those who are ready for the spiritual life but who also have a strong desire for worldly enjoyment and prosperity. They thus seek, and find, a teacher who can support them in both endeavors. They practice a yoga that leads them to enjoyment and then to liberation, at the time of leaving the body or shortly thereafter. The three lowest grades of śaktipāta are received by one whose desire for enjoyments is stronger than for liberation. These grades of awakening grant one access to the path to enjoyment through yoga, culminating in liberation in a future life. These grades are not given much attention in the texts, but it is important to note here that what grade of śaktipāta you receive is not due to how “worthy” you are but to how intense your longing for awakening is in relation to your longing to enjoy “the good life.” Though the latter is described as the And the nature of the Blessed Lord as the Light of Consciousness is never obstructed or limited by this world. Having His Light of Consciousness as its foundation, this world manifests as the life-breath or vital energy of the [Supreme] Self ( ātmanaḥ prāṇa-bhūtaṁ) – how then could it constitute an obstruction? And if the world did obstruct or limit That, how could it exist of its own accord? This whole existence is One Reality: Consciousness alone - unbroken by time, uncircumscribed by space, unclouded by attributes, unconfined by forms, unexpressed by words, and unaccounted for by the ordinary means of knowledge. For it is the cause, through its Will alone, by which all these sources of limitation - from time to the ordinary means of knowledge - attain their own natures. This Reality is free and independent, a mass of bliss, and That alone am I; thus the entire universe is held as a reflection within me." Mind and heart(emotion and tought) are 2 different names for one and the same thing. They merely enphasize some aspects of that entity. Therefore sometimes subconscious emotions manifest as thoughts and subconscious thoughts manifest as emotions

Whomever you are, to fully delve into this world, you must not only relinquish any notions of what you think Tantra is but also some of your deeply held assumptions about reality itself. Otherwise, you will never be able to truly understand this particular worldview. Any alternative worldview can function as a critique of the status quo view of reality in our society, but for it to do so in a real and productive way we must — at least temporarily — lay open to question even the fundamental principles by which we create interpretations of phenomena; in other words, we must question the very frameworks with which we create a world for ourselves to live in. What we discover is that instead of walking a path to reach a specific final destination, we are walking it to learn how to walk it." Theories of Mind and Consciousness in ancient India and their relevance for the modern period,” at the International Conference on Consciousness, Mind and Body II: Paradigms and Integrative Practices in Education and Health, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), Brazil, October 2013.

Join us as a FREE Member!

Freelance Lecturer in Yoga Teacher Trainings on the international circuit (USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Brasil, UK, Denmark, etc.), 2008 - 2022 He speaks very fast and as someone for whom many of the concepts were new or not well understood, I initially found it difficult to listen to. As in it was almost impossible to follow due to the energy of comprehension required. Clearly the author is extremely knowledgeable on the subject matter and he fits a lot in. A karmic action is a morally charged action motivated by a desire to attain or avoid a particular result. When we learn to perform actions as service or sacrifice, investing in the process but letting go of our attachment to the final outcome, those actions have no karmic charge and therefore do not bind us, whatever the result may be." Alchemical Metaphors for Spiritual Transformation in Abhinavagupta’s Īśvara-pratyabhijñā-vimarśinī and Īśvara-pratyabhijñā-vivrti-vimarśinī,” at Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions: A Symposium in Honour of Alexis G.J.S. Sanderson, University of Toronto, March 2015. Transcendent void-shunya?: all pervasive is empty of all form of energy it is shiva without shakti. Reached trough meditation. “I am not of this world, my trough self transcends all things”.

Approach it as the best fiction you have ever read, including instructions on how to realize that what it says is nothing but truth, and you and I and all beings and things are nothing but God, unconditionally whole and free.Enphasis on direct experience of a divine reality that has transcendent and eminent aspects called shiva and shakti respectively. Shiva primarily understood as the pure consciousness that is the ultimate ground of being and shakti as the flowing energy making up the entire manifest universe. Consciousness in Shaiva Theology” at the Consciousness in Religion and Science colloquium, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, 2005. On this path there is no such thing as negative emotions, emotions I don’t like or I shouldn’t be having. Cast away the notion that this state of mind is better and you should be feeling this or that. We accept what is we work with what comes. All emotions are energy and all energy can empower you.

Hareesh is the author of Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition, the first comprehensive and accessible introduction to Classical Tantra in English (also available in Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian), and of The Recognition Sutras, a translation and commentary on a 1000-year-old masterpiece on experiential recognition of oneself as a direct expression of universal divine Consciousness.Don't listen to me, don't listen to Christopher Wallis. Perhaps even visit these Ashrams and Gurus that he recommends. You may even like it. But DO YOUR RESEARCH. Please. Christopher Wallis, also known as Hareesh, is a Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner of Classical Tantra with thirty years of experience. He was initiated by a traditional Indian guru at the age of sixteen, and received education at yoga āshrams, both in India and the West.