The Very Heart of Tantra

Today is the monthly śivarātri (the day before the new moon) and the Wednesday Amāvasyā (new moon) features a very special celebration, the Phalaharini Kali Puja, one of the Big Three for Kali in the calendar year!  
Naturally, I wanted to do something special in this lecture to mark the occasion: 
I felt like we should discuss the very highest, the very essence, the very heart of the Tantrik tradition.  And the best way to do this, I humbly propose, is to introduce you to one of the most important Tantrik texts ever composed: The Tantrasāra of Abhinavagupta. 

In this lecture, we discuss the four things that Abhinavagupta points out as the defining features of this tradition that make it so awesome. I want to share with you the central insight from this text which has the power and potential to totally liberate us in a single instant! Also we can talk a little about “Kashmir Shaivism” as the scholars are calling it these days, and discuss what it means to be part of this lineage

विमलकलाश्रयाभिनवसृष्टिमहा जननी भरिततनुश्च पञ्चमुखगुप्तरुचिर्जनकः। 
तदुभययामलस्फुरितभावविसर्गमयं हृदयमनुत्तरामृतकुलं मम संस्फुरतात्॥१॥ 

विततस्तन्त्रालोको विगाहितुं नैव शक्यते सर्वैः।
 ऋजुवचनविरचितमिदं तु तन्त्रसारं ततः शृणुत॥२॥ 

श्रीशम्भुनाथभास्करचरणनिपातप्रभापगतसङ्कोचम्। 
अभिनवगुप्तहृदम्बुजमेतद्विचिनुत महेशपूजनहेतोः॥३॥ 

Vimalakalāśrayābhinavasṛṣṭimahā jananī bharitatanuśca pañcamukhaguptarucirjanakaḥ| 
Tadubhayayāmalasphuritabhāvavisargamayaṁ hṛdayamanuttarāmṛtakulaṁ mama saṁsphuratāt || 1 

May my heart, filled with the nectar of the Embodied Absolute and pervaded by the emissions of the ecstatic union of my Mother who is the stainless ground of ever new creation, and my Father who is the five faced Shiva who in fullness is always delighting himself in that creation, shine forth!  

Vitatastantrāloko vigāhituṁ naiva śakyate sarvaiḥ| 
Ṛjuvacanaviracitamidaṁ tu tantrasāraṁ tataḥ śṛṇuta || 2 

Not everyone is capable of diving into the the oceanic Tantrāloka Therefore, listen, all of you, to this Tantrasāra which is written in simple language! 

Śrīśambhunāthabhāskaracaraṇanipātaprabhāpagatasaṅkocam | Abhinavaguptahṛdambujametadvicinuta maheśapūjanahetoḥ || 3 

If you want to worship Śiva, please pick one by one these lotus petals of the the heart of Abhinavagupta in which contraction has been for ever ended, which has bloomed open through the touch of the rays from the feet of his guru, the revered Sun, Shambhunatha.

Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. 
It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815
Our hatha yoga class is Wednesdays at 11am PST and again at Friday 5pm PST via this same link also.

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

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