VBT 112 meditations
Sometime in June 2020, I compiled my (then) understanding of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra as expounded by Swami Lakshmanjoo, in his book ‘The Supreme Awakening’ . On this thread, I’ll be sharing my limited perspective. I usually prefer to write in poetry.
Look forward to all your inputs. |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra: preamble & epilogue
Both void & manifestation Spanda: life pulse vibration Expanding & contracting Concealing & revealing Stupefying & illuminating Separating & uniting Shiva’s self luminescence In playful innocence Creating a pulse of separation Culminating in divine union Paths four for liberation All found in the void of cessation Krama: the descent & rise Resulting in joyful surprise Or Pratyabhijna: re-cognition Upon ego delusion dissolution Whilst Kaula: mukti with bhukti Embrace & release in continuity Doing nothing Spanda: resonation With the omnipresent ॐ vibration Shiva appears upon the earth Shakti accompanying as his consort Both one as Ardhnarishwar indivisible Render the 112 agamas plain & simple That for those souls seeking renuion The path be clear without confusion This preamble given we yet need education About the basic mind-body construction First the purpose Of this circus Descending to rise to fulfil the potential Love in love with love as the ultimate miracle Father wishing that the son be as He Striving to become strong and mirrorlessly see Being absolute and illumined how may we play Unless immersed in limitations that make us sway Thus Shiva the magician manifests maya illusion Layering it with five veils to keep Himself in delusion Himself? Yes; for God alone exists and nothing else is All that we see & know & feel is His own elixirous fizz The first veil being limitation in time Bound by the linear periodic chime The second confinement within a boundary Limitation of space being also illusionary Third to fifth restricted will, knowledge & power Bondage to illusion self-blocking the bliss shower Yet what is manifested from perfection is perfection Thus concealed in mind-body is innate self-illumination The earth vehicle an interface ephemeral Within which pulsates the divine eternal As the seed of the ultimate having propensity for expansion The lifetron searches instinctively to reclaim bliss elation However senses five active are all externalised Along with lower mind in doership having everything analysed The secret being that the aspect perfect throbbing within Is the voice of conscience steering us away from sin The sin being nothing other than self ignorance In opting for transience instead of our eternal presence All the above known from different scriptures Being in delusion we are now our shadowy caricature Shiva in compassion then does reveal the 112 meditations Each of which may grant us here & now instant liberation |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra introduction
A dialogue between Gods manifested polarities To exit duality and get to the one singularity Freedom & liberation as an ever present orientation Illumined & unbound in will, knowledge & action All being grace There is no race For God consciousness The path is pathless Even the burning yearning For with the divine connecting Wherefrom came the exalted thought That inspiration along with it brought Yet trapped in body-mind Unable to unshackle ego bind 112 practices are revealed Self help plan with nothing concealed Three paths to embark upon our entrée Somewhat like the Gunas three The highest path thought free meditation Next mantra recitation and yoga in action The highest path then the vibrant void Unfettered & unbound in bliss overjoyed The other abiding in the gap of cessation Be it thought or breath or mantra recitation All paths leading to God forging a unity A samadhi of unbroken continuity Each practice a form of meditation Grace alone completing actual ascension A quick word on what actually is God realisation Being absolute freedom of will, knowledge & action Recognition that void & manifestation are the same A dance divine of concealing & revealing as a game |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra - prelude to the 112 practices
Self luminous and self existent Throbbing within a bliss current Undifferentiated state of singularity To know Itself descends into duality The choiceless choice an act of free will Screen of consciousness eternally still Projects attention into a vibration a notch lower That that pulse of separation moves farther & closer The play enacted in a spectrum of illusion The projected lifetron bewildered by maya projection Being always complete but veiled so feeling limited Imbibes easily in stillness bliss currents of rapture elated As such there being no way for we are already That In a self hypnotic trance we seek methods that all fall flat By divine grace alone we exit the hall of mirrors Following the fragrance of love as our heart quivers Yet in as much as we wish to employ mind & body Instruments of limited thought and perceptions shoddy The path is singular although offering opportunities many Within cessation of pure intention in stillness sedentary Cessation or emptiness humming with potent power Formless & identityless no longer limited by mind lower Exits too limitation of time and boundaries of space Self existent & self luminous Itself radiates divine grace Liberation here & now within bodily form Self illumined in the eye of the bliss storm The 112 paths kinetic to rest in absolute potentiality Getting to indivisible oneness singularity |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-1&2/112
Each half breath has a point of cessation Yet the voids differentiated by intuitive intention The beginning of exhalation return to space Whilst commencement of inhalation divine grace Geometrically we may assign lungs to the Anahata Breath flow from nose to head crowned at Sahasrara Connector between the two being the Vishuddha Union of separated polarities the flowing divine enigma The flow being of nothing other than consciousness From the domain of matter through ether into formlessness Hiranyagarbha the one at Sahasrara becoming two The polarities merging in a bliss explosion as bliss renews The practice affirms manta ॐ (ohm/ham) during inhalation With the sound ‘Sa’ or ‘So’ during exhalation Yet focusing not on breath but relying on purity of loving intent Within our heart to the ॐ sound current we become sentient Such is the energetic path first of one hundred & twelve Urging us to focus on the voids and therein within ॐ dwell Blurring boundaries between form & formlessness Merging in-form consciousness with Absolute Oneness The second of the 112 paths same as the first Differentiated by an insatiable thirst Whereupon we abide in cessation without thought Simply imbibing the divine soma nectar as bliss brought |
I wish to clarify once again, that what I’m posting here, is my interpretation of the VBT, as expounded by Swami Lakshmanjoo in his book, referred to in post#1. The readers who are interested, may obtain a copy of this remarkable work directly from archive.org for free.
I’ve looked at the 112 meditations, as it resonates with me. As such, it is a personal view. We each must determine the validity for ourselves. In fact, I’ll be looking forward to your perspective as of your understanding and experience! Thank you! |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-3/112
Before we get to the practice number three A few words to reside in clarity The triad or trika Para, para-para & apara Lowest the apara - we as in-form consciousness Aligning with (para-para) Shakti to get to (Para) Shiva Oneness Or we may say our journey from ignorance to luminescence Relying upon energy as vibration in octaves of innocence The path being pathless there being no coming or going Yet awakening from amnesia by simply re-recognising So no doing to be done erect without support The Sushumna ignites vaporising the maya fort Or we may say bypassing the Ida & Pingala We cajole the Kundalini to ascend via Sushumna Thus theoretically this practice is known Yet execution feasible only when fear has flown So what does the practice actually entail How may we rudderless sail Resting thoughts imaginal As also theories conjectural Our focus on Sushumna when breath ceases Possibly is a childlike prayer that Shakti pleases The practice also speaks of Samadhi like meditation Which if enabled grips Sushumna in bliss elation Which it always was & is Though we were oblivious to its fizz As such this practice is for those who are so qualified Having partly awakened with lower mind vaporised Epilogue The practice narrated As stated Yet it may be affirmed Confirmed That indeed the Sushumna is the rod of initiation Luminous with radiant bliss throbbing in elation Preceded by fusion of polarities in the Anahata Whereupon bliss in permanence abides in the Sushumna |
Essentially, the 112 meditations listed in a dialogue between Shiva & Parvati are offered to humanity that whichever any one meditation suits, it can carry the pilgrim to enlightenment. The catch? That the neophyte be pure of heart!
(There’s always a catch!) :biggrin: |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-4/112
A simple physical breath recitation For we cannot yet call it meditation Gently inhaling we pause at the heart Likewise pause at crown when breath departs Breathing thus with pause of cessation Thoughts may come & go as of ego suggestion We gradually lengthen the practice duration Flow of breath regardless of thought agitation Simply positioning attention during the voids Alternating at heart & crown therein buoyed What happens thus is assigning priority Getting to the divine in stuporous simplicity By merely performing an exercise in lengthening time Until the divine relents and we we hear the chime Within Footnote Such is the exposition But there is no imposition Possibly it may not resonate Unless thought rested we meditate We may then thus tweak what is written Like a spirited horse not do as bidden Adding to this doing our own colouration Of love seeking love via breath meditation Why not? |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-5/112
Tantra being the path of energy To facilitate divine connectivity Triad from gross to subtle to emptiness Are three basic tools for getting to oneness Eventually no path higher or lower Although some are faster and others slower Essentially divine reality omnipresent It depends upon how we choose to be sentient Taking theoretical knowledge of chakras as a given We may embark upon the offered suggestion So plunging into technique number five Vibrancy in stillness that makes us jive Employing imagination along with our breath Breath silent descends via Sushumna in stealth Where at root in supreme glory resides the Para Shakti Empathetic to our trepidation smiles in loving geniality The practice involves cessation of breath as prana Surrendering in wonderment to behold the divine enigma Content as a child in the lap of the divine mother We know not where it takes us for the bliss shower There then being upon our part no striving For at the Muladhara itself we feel the pulse vivifing We rest all vicarious knowing of chakras & nadis Each cell within our form holding the divine in entirety Para Shakti illumines the Sushumna with her radiance Each chakra in its own right Shiva in full brilliance We thus rest as Shakti decides imbibing the divine elixir For who are we to suggest any imagined vector As far as subtlety goes the Sushumna too has layers Revealing invisible conduits depending upon our prayer Unfathomable is the ultimate divine mystery Yet each coordinate perfect for divine connectivity |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-6/112
Employing imagination As valid affirmation A wish granted before uttered Flower petals upon our path scattered We visualise the Kundalini like lightning Not frightening but benign & enlivening Shakti recognising 12 finger space geometry Jumping chakra to chakra in instant connectivity Root to navel to heart to throat to third eye to crown Lightning fast jumps never looking down Free of fear or desire or doubt or hesitation Devoid of any ego borne precipitation Hark! Are we ready to leap in the dark? Footnote for theoreticians The interpretation thus in the scripture The Sacral chakra does not feature Jumping straight from the Muladhara To the fiery Manipura |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-7/112
Here we get to a new visualisation Chakras not six but twelve as of this computation Root, sacral, navel, spleen, heart & throat Plus upper palate, third eye, Guru & three at the crown afloat This is an esoteric technique directly taught So that errors into the practice are not brought Involving mantra with inner light and focus in continuity An energy path mystical not to be confused with Kundalini The practice involves cessation of breath without breathlessness Blurring boundaries between form & formlessness Penetrating the dark void to get to Absolute Oneness The Tantras have many such agamas Direct initiations - to lower mind enigmas Take this, if we will, as Krama + Spanda |
For quick understanding, liken
Pratyabhijna to re-cognition Krama to step by step progression Spanda to vibration and Kaula to celebration Choose any path as of orientation |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-8/112
We imagine breath filling the entire Sushumna In fullness from Muladhara to Sahasrara Then along this locus We get to one pointed focus Between the eyebrows at the Ajna chakra Pure awareness without thought stigma Then the breath becomes more subtle Not by focus but from loving devotion simple Our attention then abides In rippleless stillness resides At the third eye zone Fruits follow in timeless time of seeds sown Within this visualisation leading to meditation We retain single pointed focus by mental creation Of a dam or an enclosure binding us at the Ajna Attention subtler & finer drawing in by charisma God Himself in Absoluteness Vivifing our being in fullness |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-9&10/112
Are we in staid tranquility overjoyed Both in manifestation as well as in the void Do we continuously look at sensory impressions askance Or does the mind-body hypnotically hold us in a trance These are the silent reflections The form vaporising questions That this practice asks us to investigate In a continuum of stillness thus meditate This path of Pratyabhijna or re-cognition Becoming our ever present orientation Recognising Universe as vibrational no-thingness Both void & manifestation God as the only Oneness |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-11/112
We shift attention to the Sahasrara and be there buoyed Imagining within the vibrant void divine joy Finally we see Everything as void-ness Illumined by the That Oneness In addition within the crown is a flaming light Not imaginary but in reality shining bright The divine revelation of self illumination Arising by grace upon automatic breath cessation Whilst thus in meditation Knowing there is no limitation |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-12/112
Voids within the void and conduits within the central conduit We keep refining sensibility with unwavering prayer resolute The Sushumna is no doubt the central funnel Throbbing with bliss, a divine enabled miracle Yet this practice asks of us to visualise That in time we may recognise Cylindrical capillaries as carriageways of energy Of divine electricity Layered one inside the other Finer & finer, subtler & subtler Meditating thus on the imagined innermost channel We go there and in innocence ask God for the miracle Meaning that we vaporise and so be to become As a bliss mist with the divine one God being the way as also the means This is the knowing from this practice we glean |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-13/112
With one pointed attention We focus on the Ajna going into meditation Preceded by physically closing ears, nostrils & eyes With fingers of our hands that we may behold in surprise The Bindu, the dot of light Shining within, effulgence white As in any practice we repeat again & again No pain, no gain |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-14/112
We now get to a secret technique
Into which we are allowed a sneak peek Eyes open we still our eyeballs with our finger A comfortable pressure but pupils should not quiver In trusting simplicity we let the light within arise A flame self luminous known to sages wise Then within stillness sedate We let our attention oscilllate Between the third eye-crown-Bindu & heart The flame divine never departs! |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-15/112
A meditation on that that is as is The unstruck sound accompanied with a bliss fizz Within the heart Is where it starts In stillness & silence we may listen To the inner sound current that glistens Vibrancy In constancy In case we are yet not cognisant If inner sense polarity is dormant We may sit in silence listening to nature sounds Waterfall, leaves rustling, laughter of children in a playground The essence of this practice being make attention one pointed Within the vibration cognised is realisation automatically granted All the doing we do is to choose to dissolve in the current The Absolute being instantly available in this moment |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-16,17&18/112
Tantra the triad the trinity the three energies The theme repeats with each void of infinity We shift in within into the void of inner silence Choosing any mantra in purity of innocence The three mantras being ॐ (ohm), hum & hrim Trick being to recite just as lovers dream Deep sound arising from our heart Lingering to the last lest our lover departs There are in the mantra sounds their continuation As also two zones of poignant cessation Before we utter the first syllable void of our intent On fading of our voice at end surrendered consent Thus love being the only real energy Energising the mantras in synergy Amplifies the sound vibrations as also the void That Gods radiance within throbs overjoyed For variety to those not inclined to voice a mantra Any musical instrument may be employed as a yantra As the chord of any note is strummed slowly fading We become one with the Absolute by likewise vaporising Notes Three practices separated we seemingly combine That that we may divine That there are three layers of subtlety Resonance of our presence choosing optimal frequency |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-19/112
In case the practices 16-18 sound simple Let us dwell deeper in realms more subtle Moving from ohm (ॐ) to pinda mantra ohm-kara Distilled attention moving in the void the enigma That awareness that is as a feeling Identityless & formless no-thingness being It is not meditation Nor contemplation That that is ingrained Pure love unstained May not be named |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-20/112
An exercise of this unwavering visualisation Eyes closed in stillness we employ our imagination Void of nothingness at our feet Rises slowly swallowing our form complete We then as the void view any sensation In surprise as a divine manifestation Then nothing to test We thus rest In the void of stillness |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-21/112
We are the void and our body is missing! Within the throb of the void we go on searching! A game of hide & seek Not for the faint of heart weak For if we succeed It means we concede Whilst if we vaporise Can we keep bubbling in surprise ... Formless |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-22/112
Within the bliss surge Subject & object merge Resting for a moment in separateness In the domain of thought oscillation & fickleness ... It mattering not whatever be our judgmental perception We make void both subject & object employing imagination Holding thus this cognition ... Within the void of the heart in elation Subjective-objective-cognitive Merge in void as meditative And there thus remain ... |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-23/112
Thought free awareness Being voidness Self aware If we be there Making meditation An ever present orientation We live internally Vibrantly Bliss elation The outer reflection Tranquil Samadhi the miracle Within |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-24&25/112
Our bodily form empty A hollow shell Magnetic bliss electricity In the void we dwell Our skin porous Emptiness within Energy swirl a torus As bliss ignition Making this recognition Our felt meditation We be to become With God one |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-26/112
Heart lotus meditation Concept to actual realisation Purring within the heart Each moment restarts Shielded by two lotuses In different poses One pointing upward The other downward In between the ether Energised by invisible nectar Oh hermit! Ceasing to suspect Realise that in truth Forsooth! Between lotus shaped as bells Shiva within dwells His heart is open Once doubts are forsaken He invites our endearing embrace Face to face In the heart lotus |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-27/112
Let our pristine attention in stillness slow Abide in the void between our eyebrows And there thus remain Unstained With practice we may extrapolate Silently contemplate That the same void is in every chakra In each cell in fact exists this enigma To retain poise We lessen noise Choosing any body coordinate as of preference With propels void meditation without thought interference Thoughts seek to befool But using imagination as a tool In the vibrant void unbound Shiva Himself is found! |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-28/112
Employing thought as concentration Our fickle attention we position In the void of cessation Present in every vibration This stillness being meditation Becoming our ever present orientation No anticipation or expectation or recollection Recognition of voidness in each manifestation So as the formless awareness in bodily limitation This practice requires recognition of void in each pulsation Be it thought or physical movement We cognise and so recognise voidness in each element So we as the void encase this form Knowing innate voidness in every act we perform Void the centre Wherein bliss enters This meditation in continuation as our orientation Centred voidness in an uninterrupted flow of cessation |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-29&30/112
In focused stillness slow We look at our left toe Then employing visualisation Affirmation imagination We see God consciousness rising The magnetic fiery heat amplifying Our body reduced to ash In a searing flash Holding thus our single pointed attention Keeping fiery toe as subject of concentration We merge therein In stillness sanguine Taking this practice deeper Shivas fire as the vaporiser The entire Universe thus disappears Nothing remains, we alone appear As the void of no-thingness |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-31/112
This practice asks us to get to the root Of everything ... forsooth! We meditate Contemplate Shifting from gross to subtle Layer by layer cognition spherical Until we get to the subtlest Rarified ... finest For instance if we take matter We shift from earth to water, fire, air and ether Likewise the Gunas that orientation define We move from Tamas to Rajas to Satva to align In prayerful stillness nearer to God connectivity Love hues too joy, empathy, compassion & purity Five sheaths of the body Thoughts refined as well as shoddy The practice asks us to contemplate in a continuum Shifting to the source eradicating the gross residuum In all aspects of consciousness divine love our fulcrum |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-32/112
So far it has been fun Mostly with past conditioning to be undone But if we truly wish with God to be one Our flow of awareness must be unbroken Through waking Dreaming Deep sleep Turiya where bliss seeps And finally turiyatita Samadhi nirvikalpa Such is what the practices asks Even as we in childlike trust bask Within the magnetic current To which we are ever sentient Slipping from waking into slumber At which instant falls the tumbler? Within the dream state what is our response Do we lead or simply react in a trance Likewise from dreaming to deep sleep and the fourth Identity vaporised how does our awareness spring forth Such are the questions In this practice mentioned With the remedy too offered To awake us from our stupor The steps involve both a focused mentality As well as breathing with sound in physicality The mental aspect requires a shift in our orientation Taking all states of being as a rehearsal enacted in elation Meaning thereby that we take all states including waking To be in effect a practice session for before God performing ... One day Any day Today We must first take our time to reorient our awareness That viewing all states as a dream is instinctive responsiveness Will this take a whole lifetime? Who knows save the divine sublime! Next the physicality of breathing with noise Gently ensuring that we never lose our poise It may perhaps be substituted by the inner sound current In case we are to the everpresent inner hum sentient The trick being that even during the dream we retain focus With the sound or hum we choose as the central locus It is preferable Some sages say even essential That the sound be within the void of the Vishuddha There being latent dangers if we choose Anahata or Ajna The posture too should be while lying down on our back Straight as a rack We then practice this secret technique for as long as it takes To be ever awake Unbroken awareness God connectedness |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-33&34/112
This meditation requires a view universal Looking at creation from gross to subtle Lowest to highest, the triad of tantra Apara, para-para & Para 118 worlds, 36 elements, 5 circles Not for everybody, a practice not so simple We may also employ imagination As of Bhairavas own suggestion Placing ourselves in the void, the centre 118 worlds above, 118 below ... then God enters! Or let us tweak this practice holographically Going in within, into our heart, innocently Looking at love hues in prismatic variety Love too having colours in graded subtlety Joy, empathy, compassion, bliss & purity Which of these pulsates within in continuity ... As Samadhi |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-35/112
How deep is our stillness Is it yet still in the void of no-thingness This practice prescribes That as bliss continues to rise Let it be in the void of emptiness Energised by God's lovingness Thought rested we hold our attention Within the void as our meditation |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-36/112
Consider any object or person Vaporising shape & attribute till undone Holding attention still in formlessness Our viewing thus as God consciousness |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-37/112
Barren land and distant horizon We simply look without any opinion Go on looking Meditating The barrenness No-thingness Light dawns! |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-38/112
We take two different objects Our perception cognitively detects First we may allow attention to oscillate Then in single pointedness we meditate It is simple As also subtle We go into the gap of shifting attention Which wavers between the two objects in oscillation Freezing the moment of release in between attention cognition Just at the moment of shift but before the new cognitive connection Meaning thereby neither of the objects are in focus The gap stretched thus becomes our unwavering locus We may choose any variation Such as the gap in thought or breath cessation The pause is when we release one intending to go to the other We complete the release but do not actually move further Thereby getting into the gap Where we hear the sound of one hand clap The centreless centre Is where Shiva enters |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-39/112
This practice agrees that God being omnipresent He must reside in each pulse to which we are sentient Thereby we focus attention on any object We are looking and so we are the subject In unwavering focus subject & object merge The unified field manifesting an awareness surge Where we remain |
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Practice-40/112
This practice an affirmation with this story “I Am Shiva and the whole Universe is My glory” We hold our attention unwavering with this belief Until Shiva ignites our heart giving us relief |
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