What is Yog?

Patanjali, in The Yog Sutra, says Yog is a science and an art. It is a discipline to break the pattern of repetitive cycles of thought, to see and be seen in our True Nature; that is, for self-realisation. This is Sutra 1, 2 and 3 of Patanjali’s Yog Sutra.

Are we Real?

I am a huge fan of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and am forever dipping in and out of his book I AM THAT. However, the spiritual journey, if nothing else, is a journey of discernment. Curiosity and questioning play a major role in that.

The View

The View, as written by Abhinavagupta, expressed in Christopher Wallis’s book Tantra Illuminated, is something that came up in a conversation the other day. I realised that while my practices these days mostly conform to Kashmiri Shaivism, the View is something I don’t always keep in mind.

How to become universal Self

As Jiva, the mind-body self, we look to discern patterns to transcend our individual sense of self, becoming universal Self, Atman in Vedanta, Siva in Tantra. But taking the step from reading and knowledge accumulation, to practice can be daunting. We are taking the step from seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, to the great adventure of spiritual truth (knowing our Being as Pure Consciousness).

Tantra Misunderstandings

I’ve been reading Tantras: Their Philosophy and Occult Secrets, edited by Dhirendra Nath Bose, and three key misunderstandings jump out for me; (1) the relative newness of Tantra, (2) the anthropomorphic nature of the Divine, (3) and the masculine/feminine principle.

Orgasm as a Divine Experience

I’ve been reading a number of books recently to do with erotic art and literature of ancient India, all, it has to be said, very heteronormative. It astounds me, even today, when we talk of the masculine and feminine principles, we still refer mostly to man and woman. It really is time we moved away from this lazy use of language.