The Triadic Heart of Siva

[jonesboy]

Originally Posted by running

i dont know where you find this stuff. but your ability to do, patience to follow it, and ability to interpret and understand it is a blessing for the forum. thanks!

Thank you very much running.

I think if you read the Shiva Sutras and the Triadic Heart of Siva you would see many similarities to your own experience.

[Bindu*]

Yes - this is soo powerful stuff.

Reading it slow and contemplatively I gets in almost a state of Meditation.

Nondual shaivism and kashmir Shaivism is very dear to me.

It's a Shakopaya practice, using the mind to elevate oneself into a state of wholeness, the experience of Shiva consciousness. Changing the
conceptual framework for the living experience.


http://shaivism.net/introduction.html

Shaktopaya :
It is a yogic practice of thought only. In this the seeker has to develop concentration upon God-consciousness by means of a special initiating thought unfolded by the master. The definition of Shaktopaya is given in Shri Malinivijaya Tantra as under:-

<verses>

When the aspirant concentrates on the particular thought of God-consciousness without the support of Pranayama and chanting of mantras etc, be develops that consciousness uninterruptedly. That state is called Shaktopaya.

The particular thought like 'I am all consciousness', 'I am all', or 'I am Transcendental Bliss', must be firmly adjusted in mind with such an awareness that no other thought comes to displace it. aspirant established in this state of awareness enters the state of Transcendental consciousness and passes from duality to unity.

Shaktopaya does not involve any objective 'Dhyana' intellectual meditation, or anything of that sort. It is an expedient of very high order and is meant for those who possess unflinching devotion and sharp intellectual acumen. It is solely meant for those who are not capable of undergoing Nirvikalpa yoga of Shambavopaya, because of the deep-rooted mental impressions of the impure vikalpa (thought-aberrations).

This Shaktopaya is call Jnanopaya also, because the mental activities of meditation are the most important factors in it. Thus it is an indirect means to complete liberation.

[jonesboy]

I think the next quote is very important for people to understand.

Wherever Siva is present, the

whole is present. If the body is a structure composed essentially of Siva,

then all that is manifested from Siva, including the entire array of universes,

may be found present in the body.

Your body is light as well.. within the tip of your finger is all that there is in all of the dimensions and galaxies that are beyond counting..as you.

It is not separate or something different from the Heart.. it is also the Heart which is Siva, which is you.

[jonesboy]

Originally Posted by Bindu*

Yes - this is soo powerful stuff.
Reading it slow and contemplatively I gets in almost a state of Meditation.
Nondual shaivism and kashmir Shaivism is very dear to me.
It's a Shakopaya practice, using the mind to elevate oneself into a state of wholeness, the experience of Shiva consciousness. Changing the
conceptual framework for the living experience.
http://shaivism.net/introduction.html

Remember Abhinavagupta was a realized being and sharing his living experience.

KS is really strong about the need for a guru. One of the practices mentioned in the book is guru based.

Running, this should seem familiar to you.. It is what we call a "Dive" over a LU.

Rites of Adoration of the Circle

Abhinavagupta refers to this concept of the spiritual family
(samtana) in the TA.

because the notions of 'self and 'other' are equally imaginary, howsoever many
become united with the teacher, he forms a single self with all of them and, as
such, is called "perfected one" (siddha) and "liberated one."

Abhinavagupta continues:

The group that is constituted by the teacher, the teacher's wife, the brothers,
and sons is not generated by a connection of blood, but rather a connection of
consciousness.

This larger consciousness-group is experienced during the group ritual.
In a revealing passage Abhinavagupta says:

Consciousness, which is composed of all things, enters into a state of contraction
due to the differences generated by separate bodies, but it returns to a state of
oneness, to a state of expansion, when all of its components are able to reflect
back on each other. The totality of our own rays of consciousness are reflected
back one on the other when, overflowing in the individual consciousness of all
present as if in so many mirrors, and without any effort whatsoever in an intense
fashion, it becomes universal.

For this reason, when a group of people gather
together during the performance of a dance or of song, etc., there will be true
enjoyment when they are concentrated and immersed in the spectacle all together
and not one by one. Consciousness which is overflowing with bliss, even when
considered individually, attains in these spectacles a state of unity and, because
of that, a state of full and perfect blissfulness. The absence of causes of contraction
such as jealousy, hate, etc., allows consciousness in such moments
fully to expand without obstacles in a fullness of bliss, but if even one of those
present is not concentrated and absorbed, then consciousness remains offended
as at the touch of a surface full of depressions and protuberances because he
stands out there as a heterogeneous element. This is the reason why during the
rites of adoration of the circle (cakra) one must remain attentive and not allow
anyone to enter whose consciousness is in a dispersed state and not concentrated
and absorbed, because he will be a source of contraction.

In the practice of the circle (cakra) one must adore all the bodies of all those present because
since they have all penetrated in the fullness of consciousness they are in reality
as if they were our own body. If through some negligence a stranger succeeds
in entering, the initiated ritual may proceed together with him provided that
he does not enter in a state of contraction. Such a one, if divine grace falls upon
him, will become concentrated and absorbed with the various rituals, but if
he is struck by a sinister and malevolent power of the Lord, he will criticize
the group.

[jonesboy]

Moving on,

Pg 125.

The notion of visarga, translated as Emissional Power, constitutes a central and essential component of the meaning of the Heart.17

Let us begin our examination of the notion of visarga by quoting Abhinavagupta's initial exposition of the term in the PTlv;

The knowing subject has as its essence the supremely subtle vibration of the Self. It is characterized by knowedge and action, and its nature is one of contraction and expansion, that is, opening and closing. It is not like a pot, and so on, which is inert, limited and stationary. The more this combination of expansion and contraction becomes evident in the vibration of the Heart, of the triangle, etc., the more does the subjectivity become elevated, until it reaches the consciousness of Bhairava. Conversely, the more the expansion and contraction diminish, the more does the subjectivity fall until it becomes inert like a stone etc. This expansion and contraction is the characteristic of the visarga, whose essence is freedom, that is, the very power of the Lord, of the Ultimate. Therefore, the phoneme If, the visarga, is termed the Rudra- yamala, the Rudra-dyad, because it consists of both the supreme Siva and sakti, of the rest and activity which constitute the union of Bhairava with his Beloved."

In Abhinavagupta's teachings about the Kaula method, the term visarga has a wide signification. Here,it comes to name that power( known alternatively as the kauliki sakti, the Devi, the nada) that is responsible for emitting the universe in all its glorious variety. Equally important, it names the power that must be harnessed by the tantric yogin to continue the arc of manifestation as it doubles back on the journey of return to Siva. This power may be thought of as an impelling force (iccha-sakti)

that at one and the same time continuously pushes everything out into being, and continuously absorbs it all back into Siva. This power in the Heart, which is the Goddess, and which is named the visarga, is at once centrifugal (pravrtti), that is, Emissional and expansive, as well as cen- tripetal (nivrtti), that is, absorptive and unitive.20

This expansion and contraction forms a kind of "alternating current" of spiritual power which may be tapped by the yogin in various ways. The "expansive" mode may be employed for the further manifestation of desires in the external or subtle worlds (bhoga, phala), or, during the farther reaches of the sadhana, for the establishment of the experience of non-duality even in outward perceptions. The "contractive" mode connects the yogin to the inwardly ascending force that effortlessly propels the yogin to rest in absorption (samavesa-visranti) in his own unbounded, original consciousness. Here, the infinitely fast vibration of consciousness allows the re-emergence of the state of Bhairava, the state of liberation in this very life.

[Bindu*]

Originally Posted by jonesboy

Remember Abhinavagupta was a realized being and sharing his living experience.

KS is really strong about the need for a guru. One of the practices mentioned in the book is guru based.

Running, this should seem familiar to you.. It is what we call a "Dive" over a LU.

Yes - Guru is key here. Abhinivagupta in one of his work does actually grade the varous levels of intensity of intiation by Guru (Shaktipat).

http://www.truetantra.info/shaktipat.html

Nine Levels of Shaktipat
In Tantrasara Abhinavagupta describes nine levels of shaktipat. Please understand that it is one thing wether the guru can give these, but the vital factor is if the student can receive them. Usually students can only receive the lower grades of shaktipat, much to the teachers chagrain.

Yes Abhinivaguptas words comes directly from the Source. His words is like mantric utterings of Shiva.

From earlier quote from triadic heart of Shiva:

In the inconceivable enormity of Siva's game, any self-contained

unit - for example, our universe - may be termed a kula. The unit is
self-sufficient precisely because it is a part that is structured out of wholeness.
Since the kula's essential reality is finally that wholeness which it has bodied forth, every unit, or kula, resonates in identity with every
other structure composed of that wholeness. It is in this way that the
human body, as a kula, resonates in identity with the entire universe.
Wherever Siva is present, the
whole is present. If the body is a structure composed essentially of Siva,
then all that is manifested from Siva, including the entire array of universes,
may be found present in the body.

Contemplating my Guru's words yesterday I read this:

"Your body houses Divine Light. Your body is a temple of God. The Light exists in everything, in all places and at all times"

".....It is the Light of your own Heart; It is the divine light, which is pure and changeless...

Om

[django]

Originally Posted by Bindu*

Yes - Guru is key here. Abhinivagupta in one of his work does actually grade the varous levels of intensity of intiation by Guru (Shaktipat).
http://www.truetantra.info/shaktipat.html
Yes Abhinivaguptas words comes directly from the Source. His words is like mantric utterings of Shiva.
From earlier quote from triadic heart of Shiva:

Contemplating my Guru's words yesterday I read this:

"Your body houses Divine Light. Your body is a temple of God. The Light exists in everything, in all places and at all times"

".....It is the Light of your own Heart; It is the divine light, which is pure and changeless...

"The guru (teacher) has to be fully enlightened... if anybody offers shaktipat and they are not enlightened, know they are fakes on an egotrip." http://www.truetantra.info/shaktipat.html

"You will find more and more who claim to give shaktipat, but shaktipat is solely the transmission of grace from the enlightened teacher (guru) to the student, that awakens kundalini in the student. Simple energy transmission is NOT shaktipat." http://www.truetantra.info/kundalini.html

[Bindu*]

Yes enlightenment is important.
Connection to a lineage is important also.

[jonesboy]

Originally Posted by django

"The guru (teacher) has to be fully enlightened... if anybody offers shaktipat and they are not enlightened, know they are fakes on an egotrip." http://www.truetantra.info/shaktipat.html

"You will find more and more who claim to give shaktipat, but shaktipat is solely the transmission of grace from the enlightened teacher (guru) to the student, that awakens kundalini in the student. Simple energy transmission is NOT shaktipat." http://www.truetantra.info/kundalini.html

I like the fact he is using the Tantrasara by Abhinavagupta to describe the 9 type of shaktipat. Maybe this is a good time to post the Shiva Sutras and talk about that as well. Some very interesting stuff in the Shiva Sutras.

I would also like to know what he means by simple energy transmission.

I would also agree with the need and benefit of a real guru.

[django]

I thought his explanation of the difference between aroused kundalini and awakened kundalini was interesting, especially the concept of an awakened kundalini "lasting for several incarnations pulling you towards sadhana (spiritual practice) over and over again until you are liberated." Powerful idea.