The Trika Shaivism of Kashmir (From ikashmir.net)

The religious practices of Hindus of Kashmir (popularly known as Kashmiri Pandits) revolve around the worship of Shiva and Shakti. All other deities (gods and goddesses) of the traditional Hindu pantheon are worshipped as various manifestations of Shiva and Shakti. Shiva is the Supreme Lord of the universe and Shakti, the Universal Mother Goddess, is his eternal companion. Bhairavas and Ganas are also his divine companions and they are also worshipped with him on important festivals, such as Shivaratri. There are numerous Shiva shrines in Kashmir, such as Amareshvara, Vijayeshvara, Sureshvara, Harsheshvara, Mahaadeva, Bhuteshvara, Haramukheshvara. The shrines dedicated to Shakti are Tripurasundari, Trisandhyaa, Jvaalaamukhi, Shailaputri, Shaarikaa, Shaarada, Rajni, and Khirbhavaani.

The religious philosophy of Kashmiri Hindus is rooted in Kashmiri Shaivism, a school of Shiva philosophy that originated near Kailasha in Himalayas around 400 AD. The first teacher of this school was Tryambakaditya, a disciple of sage Durvasas. Sangamaditya, the sixteenth descendent in the line of Tryambakaditya, later settled in Kashmir valley around 800 AD. His fourth descendent, Somananda, extracted the principles of monistic Shiva philosophy from the scriptures and incorporated them in his own work, Shivadrishti, which is the first philosophical treatise on Kashmiri Shaivism. Later a galaxy of illumined sages, such as Vasugupta, Kallata, Utapaladeva, and Abinavagupta further refined this philosophy. The philosophy of Kashmiri Shaivism is generally called Trika Shastra, since it is a philosophy of the Triad: Shiva, Shakti, and Nara (the bound individual self). The literature of the Trika System of Kashmir comprises of three categories: the Agama Shastra, the Spanda Shastra, and the Pratyabhijna Shastra.

Kashmiri Shaivism, also known as Pratyabhijna (meaning "recognition") school of Shaivism, adopts a purely monistic metaphysical position. It considers the Supreme Lord, called Shiva or Maheshvara, as the Supreme Reality, which is innermost as well as transcendent. As a conscious and active principle, the individual self (atman) is identical with the Supreme Lord. Due to the influence of maya (ignorance) the individual self forgets its divine nature, becomes liable to limitation and bondage, and thinks itself to be different from the Supreme Lord. Thus one's mukti (spiritual freedom) lies in one's clear recognition (Pratyabhijna) of one's identity with the Supreme Lord. In Kashmiri Shaivism we find a type of religious thought which synthesizes pluralism, dualism, and the Buddhist doctrine of Shunya, and develops a nondualist philosophy which is sweet, sublime and constructive. This philosophy is closer to the theism of the Bhagvad Gita than to the nihilism of Buddha.

Kashmiri Shaivism is free from restrictions of caste, creed, and gender. Any devout aspirant can have access to both the theory and practice of this philosophy. In Kashmiri Shaivism, practice of religion is considered more important than theological debates and discussions. Kashmiri Shaivism does not advocate a life of renunciation (Sannyasahood) or profession of monks, but recommends an active householder's life with daily practice of worship, yoga and meditation. The use of outward symbols, such as yellow and orange robes, matted hair, and ashes are prohibited. Worldly enjoyment as a goal of worldly life is recognized and respected, but a spiritual path aimed at harmonizing bhukti (worldly enjoyment) and mukti (liberation) is advocated. Kashmiri Shaivism does not advocate suppression of one's emotions and instincts, but provides a spiritual path aimed at their sublimation towards the ultimate goal of spiritual freedom.

- Bansi Pandit

Self-Inquiry and Self-Observation - The Two Wings of Self-Discovery

Self-Inquiry (vichara) and Self-Observation (vidarshan) are the two wings that lifts a Kaula Nath to the hights of Self-recognition.

Self-Inquiry

The Path of Self-Inquiry is clearly outlined and explained by Shree Ramana Maharshi and are used by many contemporary teachers. Basically it consists of asking the question "Who am I?". Who is this that experience this life of pain and delight, suffering and joy? Who is it that reads this text? Who is it that wonder who it is that reads this text?

Shree Ramana Maharsi says that all these questions leads back to the one I-thought, or rather, the I-feeling underlaying them all, the feeling of I AM. The first idea that arises in a conscious being is the thought I AM. Then we relate this I AM to our surrounding: I AM a man, I AM a woman, I AM a son, I AM a mother, I AM a master, I AM a slave, etc. I AM is the first thought arising out of the depths of our being.

If we manage to stay with this I AM, without the other, and passes through the gateless gate of "I", we will reach the state of AM-ness, as Osho puts it. This state of AM-ness is what the Sahajiyas calls sahaja - the natural state, and what Zen people calls Tathata - Suchness, and Kaula Nathas calls Svecchachara - doing one's own will. When we have discovered the source of the I, and reached beyond it, into the depths of pure, boundless AM-ness, free from all notions and ideas of the mind, we become truly free.

This inquiry into the true nature of our being is the heart of meditation. It is what meditation is all about - to reach the inner center of consciousness and discover the one consciousness underlying all.

Self-Observation

But for the unenlightened and struggling Kaula Nath this dive into the core of being can seem almost impossible. It is here where the practice of self-observation comes in. Osho has explained that in his path of meditation one has to work with both the core of meditation and the circumferense of meditation.

In self-observation we do not do anything in particular other than to just watch what is happening, just being a witness. In working with the circumferense of meditation (the body, thoughts and emotions) we have first to watch and become familar with their spontanious and natural activities. In this watching of the body, thoughts and emotions we will discover two important things: one, that all these activities goes on even without us interfering with it. Even if I am not conscious about my body digesting the food and rebuilding itself, it will do so. Even if I am not participating in the continous stream of thoughts, it will go on by itself. And the same is with the emotions.

With this insight one discovers that all this - body, thoughts and emotions - are like objects that I am aware of, they are not me. I have a body, but I am not the body. I have thoughts but I am not my thoughts. I have emotions but I am not my emotions. But if I am not my body, thoughts and emotions, who am I then? Who am I?

Here we reach back to the first practice of self-inquiry.

In my own life I find these practices of great benefit and importance. As a Kaula Nath I try to make every situation into a learning situation for going deeper into my consciousness and being.

Having been a Swami of the Neo-Sannyas Movement for many years, I find great inspiration in these words of Osho:

“I would like my sannyasins to live life in its totality, but with an absolute condition, categorical condition: and that condition is awareness, meditation. Go first deep into meditation, so you can cleanse your unconscious of all poisonous seeds, so there is nothing to be corrupted and there is nothing inside you which power can bring forth. And then do whatsoever you feel like doing.”

Osho, The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha, Vol. 6. Number 40

I think the Swamis of The Neo-Sannyas Movement and the Kaula Nathas share many common features, though they differ in that where the former is based on magick and mastery the latter is based on devotion and surrender. Both paths are good though, and combining the two can make a healthy breed.

(From the notebooks of Visarganath, april 2008)

The Color Black

I read in a booklet by Shri Mahendranath that the robe color used by the Adinath Sampradaya was black. He said that he had only used it on odd ocations but prefered the orange robe most commonly used by Sannyasins in India. Personally I like the color black. It only seems natural to me that if an Adinath or Kaulanath was to wear clothes, they should be black.

In hindu tradition deep blue or pitch black represents the emptiness of space and since Kaulanaths prefer to be skyclad it only seems right that we should be dressed in black, if clothes were required (in Norway it gets a bit cold in the winter).

This reminds me of a story...

One night, last year, when I was walking home with my daughter, she asked me: "Dad, today we learned at school that red is for vigour, blue is for soulfulness and yellow is for creativity. But what does black stand for?"

Great question!

I told her, "Black is Kali Ma's color."

"Who is Kali Ma?"

I told her that Kali Ma is the great mother of all that exists. "You know how you used to live in Moms belly before you were born?"

"Yeah?"

"Just like that, all the stars and planets, live inside Kali Ma's belly."

"Really?"

"Yes, and she is very protective of Her children, that is why She looks a bit scary. One time some demons tried to be mean towards Her children, and She became so angry that She was about to tear apart the world. The only one that could save us was Lord Shiva, but He could not come as a grown up. He had to transform Himself into a little baby and crawl towards Her. Only then Kali Ma stopped. She lifted Him up to Her breast and fed Him like a baby, because She loves Her children so much."

"Am I one of Her children, Dad?"

"Yes you are."

"Are you one of Her children?"

"Yes, I am."

"But where is She?"

"She is everywhere. In the night sky, in the trees and the flowers, the earth and rocks. You can see Her everywhere."

"I want to kiss Kali Ma!", she said, and kneeled towards the ground and was about to kiss the asfalt road. Then she stopped.

"I think it's too dirty"

"I think you're right." I said.

My daughter is a great mentor. Even though she was moved with love for Kali Ma she saw the reality of the ground. Too dirty for kissing :-)

Jai Kali Ma!

Thelemic Magick in the East and West

I can't say I know too much of the thelemic magick of Aleister Crowley. I have a couple of books on the subject ("The Magick of Thelema" by Lon Milo Duquette, "Gems from the Equinox" compiled by Israel Regardie, and "The Law is for All" by Aleister Crowley), but I have never practiced the path that he lays out simply because I do not see what good it could lead to.

But Crowley has some indirect relevance to my Kaula Nath Path, since it was Crowley that adviced the young Lawrence Miles, later to become Shri Gurudev Mahendranath, to pursue occult knowledge in India rather than in Europe.

Another connection is through the founding Guru of The Arcane Magickal Order of the Knights of Shambhala, Shri Lokanath Maharaj, that previous to the forming of AMOOKOS was an initiate of Kenneth Grant's so-called "Typhonian" Ordo Templi Orientis.

For those of you that do not know much about Crowley, the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) became his propagating order for his "Thelemic Religion" after The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn became disfunced (The Golden Dawn was the magical society which gave Crowley his magical training).

So, there is definitely a crossing of paths between AMOOKOS and Crowley, but there is also clear distictions.

If the tree is known by its fruits, the path of Crowleys Western Thelemic Magick and the Kaula Nath Eastern Tantra Magick are two different species. They share some common features, but the fruits they produce are quite different, I think.

In "The Magick of Thelema - A Handbook of the Rituals of Aleister Crowley", Lon Milo Duquette writes in the beginning of the first chapter:

- - - - -

Chapter one: THE MAGICK OF THE WILL

"Magick is the Science and the Art of causing change to occur in conformety with Will."

- Aleister Crowley, Magick in Theory and Practice

The above definition of Magick can be as misleading in its simplicity as it is in its complexity. The key word is of course Will, Thelema(1) in Greek, and according to this definition, any willed action is an act of Magick: brushing your teeth, walking the dog, or even paying your taxes.

Conversely any unwilled action is an unmagical act: reaching for a cigarette; ordering that fourth Martini; or any habitual or reactive behaviour that overrides the momentum of one's life focus could fall into the category of unmagical act.

Try as we might there is no escaping this simple fact: We are all Magicians and we are either competent or incompetent practitioners of our craft.

(1) Thelema; by the Greek Qabalah enumerates 93 as does Agape: Love.

- - - - -

This technical definition of Magick is true for both the eastern and western traditions. In fact, the term Magick, spelled with a "k", IS a technical term to distinguish it from the stage magic of showbiz people like Houdini and the likes.

The Thelemic Magick of Crowley and the Tantra Magick of the Kaula Nathas both work with the power of will and tries to cultivate and enhance it. But the theory, imagery and practice, and the aiming of this power is very different.

When I look at Crowleys life I find little in it that I would want for myself. He was very much a lonely person, a drug addict, and seemingly was not capable to love another human being, male or female. He was married several times and had many lovers, but it seems that he drove most of them crazy. Two of his women ended up in mental asulums, and another ended up as a prostitute. Some of his friends and followers died as a direct result of his magickal adventures or killed themselves after being involved with him.

This attitude towards life that he showed in deed and action seems to me contradictory to the eastern attitude of thelemic Tantra Magick. The most distinguishing feature is the attitude towards women. In eastern magick the women is revered as the embodiment of Ma, or the Great Mother. All women should be respected as ones mother or sister, and if a male tantrika wants to perform a ritual with a women she should be an initiate and treated like an equal. Every male should protect all women as if they were his mother or his sisters.

Not treating women as equal will eventually lead the tantrika to his downfall, which was the case with Baba Muktananda, a tantrika with some magickal skills but who misused young and non-initiate women in his performance of sex magickal rituals.

The ugly treatment that Crowley showed towards women, and the sorry outcome of his life prooves to me that his path was contradictory to the Kaula Nath Path. The aim of the Kaula Nath Path is to realize true peace, true freedom and true happiness in ones own life and being. When I look at Crowley's life I find these qualities hard to find and I do not think that he ever was truly at peace, truly free or truly happy.

There is an expression in sanskrit that I find significant and that is Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram, Truth-Goodness-Beauty. Rudolf Steiner, another western occultist that knew the importance of cultivating Will, says that in order to find truth you should look for these three marks. I think that a statement that shows a truthful insight, have a good or benevolent effect, and an inspiring beauty can be considered a healthy seed that will lead to true peace, true freddom and true happiness.

I think that all people who are thinking about starting a magickal practice should carefully inspect their teachers, acharyas or gurus and see if their lives have the qualities that you want to pursue for yourself. In my case, even though Crowley might be facinating, he does not have anything that I want and I consider his Magickal Path to be a road to unrest and nervous breakdown, restriction by insticts and the grand delusion of ego, and unhappiness and abuse. His written goals and ideals might express otherwise but of what I can see, this was the outcome of his practices.

The beauty of the Tantra Magick of the Kaula Nathas is of such profound character, and even if not all Knights of Shambhala displays these qualities of truthfulness, goodness and beauty in perfection, it is there in seed form, ready to be watered by our attention and devotion. Let us not be lost in Maya and Her Divine Play, but seek that which is Real and True. Magick is not the goal, it is the means towards the realization of the Self. Let us call upon Shakti to lead us to Shiva, and when the two are united: SVECCHACHARA!

As Shri Gurudev Mahendranathputs it: The Will to Love is the Law to Live.

Sandhya Yoga Meditation

Sandhya Yoga Meditation is a yoga practice of centering into the heart, or core of being. It is part of the Anavopaya, or Kriya Yoga, of Trika Shaivism, ment to bring the sadhaka to the stage of Shaktopaya, or Jnana Yoga.

Anavopaya means the means of the sadhaka living in the state of duality. Here the sadhaka experience that he or she is different from the surroundings, identifying with the momentary and dual aspects of existence. "I am Mr. So-andso", "I am of this-or-that age", "I am wealthy", "I am poor", and so on.

In this state the sadhaka identifies his or her I-consciousness, or I-feeling, with the phenomena of his surroundings (wether internal, like thoughts, emotions and sensations, or external, like body, family and country). The sadhaka is not aware of his or her essencial state of being, which is experienced as the state of pure I-consciousness, or I-feeling.

But to experience, and with time getting rooted in the pure state of I-consciousness, needs some practical guidance for the forgetful. Because the loss of connection with I-consciousness is a process of forgetting, and the means of reconnecting is a process of re-discovering, or remembering.

When one reconnects with ones I-feeling one does not gain anything - a new knowledge or a new realization - because the I-cosnciousness is always there, shining within us. But it is not remembered and experienced.

By the grace of Swami Lakshmanjoo the science and the means of the path of self-rememberance is reveiled to the world, and the practice of Sandhya Yoga Sadhana made available to all.

(From Visarganath's notebooks 2006)

Hamsa Mantra

The Hamsa mantra is said to be the ajapa-gayatri of breath and to be coined together by the sound of incoming and outgoing breath. Some say it is to be recited as "so'ham", others as "hamsa", the meaning becoming either "That I am" or "I am That".

Shri Vamadev Shastri say that the so'ham mantra is the energizing and natural sound of breath, and that the hamsa mantra is the pacifying sound of reversed breath.

Shyam Sundar Goswami and others says that the hamsa mantra is to be preferred, and uttered "hung-sauh".

This latter argument is very interesting when one knows that the central mantras of Trika Shaivism and the Kashmiri Kaulas are "aham" and "sauh". It can seem that the hamsa mantra ties together these two central mantras into one. That is if you consider how the mantra is sounding and not as it is written.

We are told that the "ham" part of the hamsa mantra is aham (meaning "I") and representing Lord Shiva, and "sa" (or "sauh") representing Lady Shakti.

Another interesting interpretation, turning everything upside down, is that "ha" is also considered to be representing the manifested universe and "sa" to be representing Shiva.

Anyway, if one is to be diving deep into the mysteries of this mantra one will certainly have some realizations of the oposite aspects of nature and existence.

(From Visarganath's notebooks 2006)

The Kaulas of Kashmir

Swami Lakshmanjoo was the last living master of Kashmir Shaivism (also known as Trika Shaivism), and a great devotee of the Kashmiri Kaula Acharya Abhinavagupta. Here is what he say about the Kaulas in Kashmir:

The Kula system teaches you how you can live in caitanya (universal Consciousness), the real nature of yourself, in the act of ascending and descending. While you rise from the lowest to the highest you realize your nature, and while you descend from the highest to the lowest you also realize your nature.

"In the Kula system, there is no break in the realization of your own nature either in the highest or in the lowest cycle. This system, therefore, teaches you how you can live in totality."

In fact, the word kula means “totality.”

In the practice of the Kula system, you have to realize the totality of the universe in one particle. Take one particle of anything that exists in this world; in that one particle is to be realized the totality of the whole universe. The totality of energy is found in one particle. Everything is full of one thing and one thing is full of all things.

The difference between the Pratyabhijna system and the Kula system is, that the Pratyabhijna system teaches you how to realize your own nature in one place and exist there, reside there. While the Kula system teaches you how you can rise from the lowest degree to the highest degree, and all the while, experience the nature of your Self on the same level and state. Shiva, which is realized in prithvi tattva (earth element), is the same level, the same reality of Shiva which is realized in Shiva tattva. Here, there is complete realization in every act of the world.
The Kula system was introduced in Kashmir in the beginning of the 5th century A.D. by Shri Macchandanatha. Later, in the 9th century, because its teachings had become distorted, it was reintroduced by Sumatinatha. In the line of masters that followed from Sumatinatha, Somanatha was his disciple. Shambhunatha was the disciple of Somanatha, and the great Abhinavagupta was the disciple of Shambhunatha.

Pasted from the website of Universal Shaiva Fellowship.

Welcome

Adesh! Adesh!

Welcome to this blog.

The path of the nathas are an ancient one and there is really no simple answer to as how this tradition operates. The line of nathas started a long time ago with Shri Matsyendranath and Shri Gorakshanath, and has gone through many changes and directions through the centuries.

There are many sects, or panths, within the global nath community, and the Kaula Naths of AMOOKOS are just one of them.

Here, on this blog, I hope to make contact with sincere seekers after true peace, true freedom and true happiness, and exchange experiences and questions regarding the Kaula Nath Path.

Jai Kali Ma!

:nath (Visarganath)