Tantra Illuminated with Dr. Christopher Wallis

This episode is a scriptural reading and continues our exploration of  Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," focusing on Chapter Four, entitled “Illumination of the Empowered Method (śākta-upāya)”. The text is a magnificent description of the śākta-upāyas, the contemplative process that can refine one’s understanding of reality, ultimately leading to the experiential realization of one's true nature. The ‘empowered’ methods through which ignorance is dissolved are discernment (sat-tarka), teachings from an authentic tradition (sad-āgama), and guidance from a teacher (sad-guru).You can read Chapter Fours (Part One) in three distinct blogposts: blogpost one, two, and three.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Abhinavagupta’s argument here must be read in its wider context lest we misunderstand him. Clearly, he does believe that yogic practices can indeed support and foster the discerning insight that leads to liberation, for he teaches yogic practices in the very next chapter. But he suggests that those yogic practices must be conjoined with at least a provisional understanding of how they illustrate the nature of Reality.Additionally, in the Tantrāloka, he allows that even when yogic practice does not foster sat-tarka (accurate discernment), it still might be helpful to remove impediments on the path, such as doubt and fear. In Tantrāloka verse 4.98, he writes: “On the other hand, in our view, since [Consciousness] clearly consists of everything, including prāṇa, mind, and body, even practice which remains on those levels can successfully remove impediments [to liberation], just as one who wishes to leap must first overcome fear of falling.”Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

In this episode, we speak with Dr Ben Williams, an intellectual historian specializing in Indian religions and Shaiva Tantra. His academic focus has primarily been on Abhinavagupta. He holds extensive training in Indian philosophy, literature, and aesthetics, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Hinduism at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where he also leads the newly launched MA in Yoga Studies. His doctoral thesis is on revelation and the figure of the tantric guru in Abhinavagupta's writings. Ben discusses his journey into this field, the distinction between a scholar-practitioner and a traditional scholar, and shares incredible insights into Kashmir Shaivism and Abhinavagupta’s teachings and texts. Ben Williams' Patreon Close Readings. Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

This week's solo episode explores the teaching of the three stages of awakening, or three samāveśas, rooted in the 7th-century Mālinīvijayottaratantra and further elaborated by Abhinavagupta in Tantrasāra. This teaching, preserved both in the scriptures and through oral transmission, clarifies the multifaceted nature of spiritual awakening. Each of three samāveśas, which literally means 'immersion,' represents an immersion into a fundamental aspect of ultimate reality. This episode unpacks these stages to provide a clearer understanding of the spiritual awakening process, which, while not always linear, shares commonalities across different traditions and ways people experience it. Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

This week's episode features a conversation with philosopher and scientist Dr. Bernardo Kastrup, a prominent figure in the renaissance of metaphysical idealism—the view that reality is fundamentally mental, meaning to say that everything that exists is consciousness or Mind. Bernardo Kastrup is also the Executive Director at the Essentia Foundation, a new foundation dedicated to exploring the nature of reality, and is renowned for his extensive publications, including his upcoming book 'Analytical Idealism in a Nutshell.'Our conversation reveals the deep parallels between Tantrik Shaivism and metaphysical idealism, both of which conceptualize reality as fundamentally mental or conscious. We discuss how these perspectives, although expressed in different languages, converge on the same understanding. The episode includes an afterword (at the 2hr14min) and for those unfamiliar with Dr. Kastrup's work, we recommend starting there to better appreciate the insights shared in our dialogue.Take Bernardo Kastrup’s free online introductory course Analytic Idealism with Bernardo Kastrup.Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

This week, we continue our journey through Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," focusing on Chapter Three, entitled "Illumination of The Divine Method," or śāmbhava-upāya. This chapter wonderfully explains how spiritual realization—whether referred to as enlightenment, awakening, or liberation—can unfold through intuitive, non-conceptual insights, without reliance on conceptual understanding. Presented here is an abridged version of the scripture that excludes Abhinavagupta’s detailed exploration of the fundamental structure and nature of reality through the phonemes of Sanskrit alphabet. Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

This week’s episode features a conversation with Andrew Holecek for his podcast ‘Edge of Mind’, recorded a few years ago. Andrew is an acclaimed author, spiritual teacher, and long-time practitioner of Buddhism. He's also an expert on lucid dreaming, and the author of Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep and Reverse Meditation: How to Use Your Pain and Most Difficult Emotions as the Doorway to Inner Freedom. In this interview, we explore themes from The Recognition Sutras, and discuss the simplicity and immediacy of the awakened state, how to access it and how to stabilize it, as well as what makes it so extraordinary. Together, we draw the similarities between Tantrik Shaivism and other traditions like Dzogchen. We explore the role of contraction and relaxation on the spiritual path and get into its nature looking into questions like: do we really need a path? How does striving along the path actually get in the way? Why do some people have awakenings that are blissful, while others experience fear upon opening? What is the importance of cultural translation, and how does language trap us? What is the nature of consciousness? This is a wide ranging conversation that I hope will stretch your mind and open your heart. Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

This week's episode is a solo episode about the understanding and practices necessary to actualize the goal of spiritual path, specifically focusing on the path that we call Nondual Shaiva Tantra. Recorded live during a satsang, this candid, off-the-cuff talk draws upon Abhinavagupta's teachings. My aim is to present the most coherent understanding of how spiritual practices function and their limitations, both universally and within the tantric tradition. Despite its raw and unrefined recording, this episode contains valuable insights. It wants to clarify the essence of the spiritual journey and address common misconceptions about its process.The original live satsang this excerpt is from is part of our library items available with a free membership. You can find it here.Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

In this episode, we delve into Chapter Two of 'Tantrasāra' by Abhinavagupta, titled 'Illumination of Spontaneous Realization.' The chapter explores the concept of spontaneous modes of realization without methods or practices, a rare but profound occurrence. Such immediate insight into the nature of reality can lead to permanent immersion in divinity, independent of formal spiritual practices.Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.