I first encountered this fascinating and seemingly esoteric text with its lengthy unpronounceable title at age 17. I was immediately intrigued by its mystique, and though it was largely incomprehensible to me, some of its sutras (tersely worded key teachings) stuck with me. I contemplated bits and pieces over the years, sensing that within the mysteries of the Universe were laid bare with a powerful precision and economy of language. When my teacher Alexis Sanderson, one of the greatest living masters of the Sanskrit language, began reading through this text with his students, I was over the moon with excitement to finally plumb the depths of this masterpiece of spiritual understanding. And what depths they are — reading the complete text has surpassed my expectations and brought about great leaps forward in my spiritual practice, refreshed and revitalized after 20 years by a book I encountered at the beginning. I now think of the Pratyabhijna-hrdayam as having the highest impact per sentence of any text of the Tantrik tradition, seamlessly weaving together the key teachings of the Trika, Spanda, and Krama schools of Tantra in a work drenched in the nectar of real experience. I feel sure I will spend the next 20 years unpacking the layers of meaning and beauty of the work, now that I have translated it from the original manuscripts.
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A little background: in approximately 1025 CE, in the exquisite valley of Kashmir, a great master, yogī, scholar, Tantrika and sage named Kshemarāja (“King of Contentment”), the foremost disciple of the greatest of Tantrik masters, Abhinavagupta, composed his masterwork: a concise account of the essentials of Tantrik philosophy and practice called “The Heart of Recognition” (Pratyabhijna-hrdayam). This utterly sublime scripture consists of just 20 sūtras (thought to be divinely revealed) with a detailed exposition of each sūtra by the author. The sūtras move from a stunning description of the all-encompassing truth of reality, through an explanation of why we suffer and how to be free, to some practical yogic techniques that can help us, concluding with a discussion of the nature of spiritual experience brought about by these techniques. This is perhaps the most accessible and powerful of all the great Tantrik texts for 21st century Americans.
Here’s the exciting news: the author’s commentary on his own work, the real meat of the text, brimming with insight and guidance, has never before been adequately translated into English. I am thrilled to share this with the yoga community, especially Anusarins, many of whom have heard John Friend cite sutra 17: “The bliss of consciousness is obtained through the expansion of the center.”
Starting on Tuesday, my 11 week course is the first time a line-by-line reading of the text has ever been offered in the English-speaking world. This course will be offered in two formats: in-person in San Francisco, and through teleconference through Up2yoga. Classes are offered every Tuesday evening at 7pm June 22 through September 7, each night covering in depth one of the sūtras. The in-person class will be something special in honor of the unique opportunity of studying this text. Instead of the usual business-based studio environment, it will be held in a beautiful home to create a strong sense of community. Each class will range from 1.5-2.5 hours, ending only when it has been verified through contemplation and discussion that everyone has grasped the material presented. Healthy snacks and real chai will be offered throughout, and each class will be concluded with a 20 minute kirtan led by talented musicians. Drop-in’s are welcome, $15.
The RSVP link is here
The group for class info and materials is here
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