Offer Your Heart: Radiance Sutras Verse 147

During this session, we discuss Verse 147 of the Insight Verses from the 'Radiance Sutras', a translation of the Vijanana Bhairava Tantra by Lorin Loche. A meditation follows our discussion.

These sessions are recorded every week, and all are welcome.

Transcript

So today we are reading from the Radiant Sutras.

It's a beautiful book by Lauren Roche,

A translation interpretation of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra.

The goal of this book is to help us to feel what it is to be one with God.

And so there's three parts of the book.

The first part is the banter verses,

Where there's a discussion between Bhairava and Devi,

Or God and the human,

Or your highest self,

Your divinity and your ego,

However you want to understand it.

And then there are 112 Yukti verses.

And these are the teachings.

These are the meditations,

The contemplations that will help us,

That will turn the little dials inside of our consciousness ever so slightly so that we're just a little bit different.

Then at the end are the insight verses.

And that's where we are now.

Today we are reading verse 147.

And if you're new,

I have a playlist here on Insight Timer that has all the previous,

Almost all the previous classes.

If you ever want to go back and look at the Yukti verses,

Or if you ever get a copy of this book and see one that you love and you're like,

Oh,

I'd like to hear the conversation and the meditation about this.

So now we're in this state where at this point in the book,

They kind of assume that you've gone through the journey.

And it's okay if you haven't,

Because we're just going to have a great conversation anyway.

But just so you know,

If it sort of feels like they're summarizing,

They are.

So let's close our eyes.

Breathe deeply.

And just releasing all thoughts,

Releasing that world of doing out there,

Coming into being,

Coming into the quiet within.

Here we go.

Worship does not mean offering flowers.

It means offering your heart to the vast mystery of the universe.

It means letting your heart pulse with the life of the universe without thought and without reservation.

It means being so in love that you are willing to dissolve and be recreated by every moment.

What comes up for you when you hear that?

An emotion or a thought,

Or if there's words that repeat or ring through your mind,

Wow,

That sounds so blissful,

Right?

Shivers.

I love that one.

What number is it?

It's number 147.

Dissolve and recreated.

Dissolving and being recreated in every moment.

Feels like a rebirth through surrender.

I love the idea of dissolving and recreating a world of possibilities.

This feels like an example of being versus doing.

Yes.

Surrender.

Dissolve like a loving sacrifice,

Recreating in love and acceptance,

Fashioned by the divine,

Not carrying it all,

All the time.

Complete transformation like the caterpillar in the cocoon.

Even the gentlest surrender can bring bliss and a sense of renewal,

Or conditioned by the divine.

Feels uplifting and unconditional love for self and divine intertwine.

Move led by God,

Heart.

No need for things.

Our heart is the greatest offering.

Without thought,

Following what pulses.

Be recreated by each moment.

Offering your heart to the mystery of the universe.

So true.

Unconditional love,

Space,

Time.

Willingness to change without resistance.

The reverence that sweeps you away in a sacred place.

Yes.

You know what I love?

I love how we all have such a visceral response to this.

Because we know this feeling.

This to me is the essence of Tantra.

That we know this deep inside.

It isn't something out there.

It isn't something that a teacher has to say.

We know this.

And that's the foundation for all of our study,

All of our true revelation.

It's all that inside each of us,

We know this.

The remembering feels like it's speaking to our whole,

Our soul.

This is definitely a summing up of this whole book.

What is meant by the first word of the passage,

Worship?

This is a beautiful question.

This verse comes after a series of verses.

So three verses before this,

This is what it says.

The goddess then asks,

If this is the nature of the universal self,

Being our own divinity,

Then who is to be worshipped?

Who do I invoke?

And who do I meditate upon?

To whom do I offer oblations?

To whom do I sacrifice?

If everything is divine,

And consciousness merges with that divine essence,

Then what happens to the distinction between worshipper and worshipped?

And then last week,

Our discussion was all about how,

You know,

These rituals where I sacrifice this,

Or I give this in worship,

Or I donate this,

Or I,

You know,

These kinds of ideas of honoring God,

Or honoring a God,

Or honoring something.

And they say,

Last week,

We talked about how these are all just externals.

These have nothing to do with the soul.

They have nothing to do with what God really is.

And so this time,

They're saying,

Worship isn't any of these things.

So in a lot of religion,

God is seen as external to a human.

So somehow,

You have to get God's attention.

Like in order to get God to love you,

In order for God to bless you,

In order to achieve God's grace,

You have to do things.

In ancient times,

You had to sacrifice things.

You had to,

I don't know,

Maybe people give things up for Lent.

There's ways of,

And all these things are considered worship.

A way to communicate,

Commune,

And hope for connection.

So around the world,

There are many,

Many,

Many ways of worship.

And so in this teaching,

And so to really understand that this doesn't mean that it's wrong to worship in these ways,

Or anything like that,

Or it's wrong to give flowers,

Or burn incense,

Or do personal rituals,

Or anything like that.

This is one teaching,

One book of Tantra.

What's interesting is,

I'm actually going to read a literal translation of this verse.

So here is a literal translation.

Offering of flowers,

And et cetera,

Is not puja or worship,

But making one's mind steady in maha-kasha,

The great void and thoughtlessness in nirvikalpa is worship indeed.

From such reverence,

Dissolution of mind takes place.

And I know that's really wordy,

But I'm going to read one more version of that direct translation,

Because it's important.

Worship does not mean offering of flowers,

Et cetera.

It rather consists in setting one's heart on that highest ether of consciousness,

Which is above all thought constructs.

It really means dissolution of self with perfect ardor in the supreme consciousness known as Bhairava.

So what's really interesting is,

This verse actually brings up the difference between what we might call God,

And what we might call God Consciousness,

The universe,

Bhairava,

Brahman,

The highest ether of consciousness above all thought constructs.

And another translation I read,

They called it supreme space.

So what's interesting about this is,

Let's imagine two different dimensions,

And I don't mean like third dimension,

Fifth dimension,

I don't mean that.

In the understanding of Tantra,

In the history of Tantra,

Or the world creation,

There is oneness,

Is oneness.

Shiva Shakti,

Brahman,

The highest ether of consciousness.

This is when we talk about,

We are all one.

All things,

You know,

Omnipotence,

Omniscience,

All those things.

This is,

Imagine it like a dimension of being.

That you are the tree,

You are the sky,

You are the ocean.

We're talking about existence in a consciousness of oneness,

Or in a dimension of oneness.

But we don't live there.

We live in duality.

And this was created intentionally,

There's nothing wrong with duality.

Duality makes me Katrina,

And all of you guys,

Someone else.

Duality lets us have a conversation.

Duality lets us explore ancient texts.

Because the ancient text is here.

It's separate from me.

This is a text,

And I am Katrina,

And I am going to explore this.

This is the thrill of duality.

We get to do stuff.

We get to talk to each other.

We get to eat food.

We get to sit in the sunshine.

We get to sit by the ocean.

This is the joy of duality.

But in the creation of duality,

They had to create an ego.

I had to have some kind of ego.

Ego means in Latin,

It means I am.

So part of our mental construct is our ego.

And it's made up of our memories.

It's made up of how we discern that that is for me,

And that isn't for me.

And that is good,

And that is bad.

And I like you,

And I don't like you.

And that's our discerning intellect.

It's made up of my ability to taste food.

It's a,

You know what I mean?

Like my ego is really important.

It's almost like it's the script I was given for this great play we are all a part of.

So when I am living in my ego,

And I don't mean this in a negative way.

I don't mean that I'm egocentric and all that.

That's a whole dysfunctional,

Weird attachment to something.

That's another discussion.

I'm talking about the tantric,

Egoic center of self.

I mean your third chakra,

Your sense of self,

Your place of will,

Your place of power,

Your place of choice here on earth in maya.

When we are living in that place,

What we imagine God to be is separate from us by definition.

We are in the dimension of maya.

We are in the dimension of duality.

So as much as I say,

Well in oneness,

I am the tree.

In oneness,

You and I are one.

That's in oneness.

That's over here.

It's almost like I'm putting on different glasses.

Ah,

Now I'm in oneness.

Oh,

Now we're all separate again.

It's very important to be able to discern between these.

So when we're in duality,

Of course any idea of God is separate from us.

And in fact,

We even personify God.

Some people call God he.

Some people call God she.

Some people give God attributes that are very human.

And it's all good.

Because that's how our ego relates.

That's how our ego can have a relationship with a God type energy.

So what this teaching is saying,

On the earth plane,

You can 100% worship God.

You can do rituals.

You can give flowers.

You can do whatever it is you want to do.

If giving something up for Lent helps you clear your mind so you can feel closer to God,

To your true self,

Then this is good.

Personally,

On a day-to-day basis,

I feel like God.

And I know this word is very loaded,

So feel free to replace it.

But God to me is like my best friend.

Walking beside me all the time.

And that if I have a question,

I ask and I get an answer.

Sometimes I can't hear it,

Or I don't like it,

Or I don't know what they said,

Or I have to wait for another time.

But essentially,

That's sort of what it feels like to me in my ego state,

In my Katrina state.

I pray to God.

I pray for guidance.

You know,

It's external to me for all intents and purposes,

Or internal to me,

But it's still separate from the one asking.

The journey of Tantra says,

Yes,

We can live in this world and we are meant to.

We are meant to live in duality.

But right now,

You can also access oneness.

You can also access pure divinity.

But of course,

In that space,

We can't call it God.

Because we're going to get all confused with the duality version of God,

Where there's even definition.

Because when we dissolve the ego,

Dissolve all of our thoughts,

Memories,

Judgment,

Experiences,

Everything,

We dissolve everything.

Now we are entering the void.

Now we are entering a place beyond thought,

Beyond definition.

We are entering the oneness.

And there is great bliss there,

But it's beyond thought.

And that's why all of these sutras,

All of these meditations,

Or maybe even particular meditations that you love,

When they can bring you to a place of no thought,

And quiet,

And emptiness,

In those moments,

You are merged with God,

Or with oneness,

Or with Bhairava,

Brahman,

Whatever you want to call it.

But this is an entirely different experience than external worship of an external God.

Does that make sense?

That these are very different things,

That you can't think your way to experiencing oneness.

You have to somehow bring yourself there,

Through the heart,

But you have to dissolve all thought.

And the beautiful thing is,

We can have both at the same time.

Like it isn't like you can only feel this oneness while you're sitting in meditation.

Maybe there are places in your world,

Right now,

That you feel that oneness instantly.

And how do you know you're feeling it?

Because your thoughts disappear.

And I would love for you guys to share in the chat,

Where do you become without thought?

For me,

And I'm going to just chit chat,

But I would love to know where you guys experience this without ritual,

Without trying.

For me,

If I sit beside the ocean,

Very soon my thoughts disappear.

Jane Fonda said she felt that the goal was to become whole,

Totally.

Oneness without thought,

Or pursuing a relationship to an external divine being,

Are different spiritual practices than humans do,

100%.

Kayaking,

Qigong,

Hiking,

Nature,

Gazing at the sky,

Sitting by water,

But especially the ocean,

Swinging in my hammock,

After a dip in the river.

The beach is my happy place.

In my work,

I just do and no thought enters in.

Sunsets and sunrises,

Looking up at a full moon,

Mantra,

In moments of silent affection,

Walking in nature,

Close to a lake or the ocean.

Nature photography.

Isn't this amazing?

To think that we live in this perpetual state of coming into the duality,

The ego,

Who we are,

And then we merge with the oneness.

And then we return and we go have dinner.

And then we go back into the oneness.

This is our all day.

Love you and your beautiful insights.

I try to connect that blissful good energy as much as possible.

Miss ecstatic dancing.

Mine is the ocean too,

And certain works of art.

Out in nature,

Staring up at stars at night.

Polishing shiny surfaces to sparkly.

Just listening to you,

Awesome,

Elma.

So I want to read something to you.

And this is something that was written by someone else about this.

And it's a little wordy,

But.

Worship consists in the unification of the different streams of sense experiences,

Like form,

Color,

Taste,

Etc.

With the infinite,

Free,

Immaculate consciousness of Bhairava,

Which is above the limitation of space,

Time,

Etc.

What they're saying,

Worship consists in bringing together the different streams of sensory experiences,

Sight,

Sound,

Hearing,

Taste.

What happens in all the things you guys just mentioned?

Even sitting by the ocean.

What is it that brings us to the state of thoughtlessness?

The sound of the ocean.

The smell of the ocean.

The sight of the vastness.

It's all sensory perceptions that quiet the mind and let me hear nothingness.

Walking in the woods.

What is it?

The sounds of the birds.

The sounds of the feet stepping on sticks.

The smell of the earth.

The sight.

The light.

The movement of water.

All sensory perceptions.

And when these all come together and we allow ourselves to be immersed in them,

We experience oneness.

This is a truly tantric life.

This is what it means to live a tantric life.

To allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by our senses,

By the sunshine,

By rain,

By blue skies,

By pleasure,

By pain,

By connection,

By love,

By taste.

In the springtime as I walk down the street and I smell lilacs,

My whole being is overwhelmed by the smell of lilacs and I am in total bliss.

Doesn't that seem crazy?

That the way to transcend duality is through the senses of duality?

Like it's not sitting in meditation.

Tantra is not.

I mean,

Meditation can help heal and clear our mind and do all kinds of great things.

But the true ascension or the true experience of oneness is by having a lovely cup of coffee,

Gazing at a beautiful tree with your favorite candle lit.

And then to imagine that this is worship.

Because you are one with all things.

Like you are literally like,

It's not even like you are all these things.

Like in sports,

Being in the zone,

Everything is so heightened and focused that you become it as opposed to doing it.

Yes.

And yet you do,

You become one with it by doing it.

Exactly,

Exactly.

Right?

You have to do in order to release to it,

Release to the being through doing.

So I'd like to do a little meditation.

So let's just release all that and close our eyes.

I'd love us to breathe deeply,

Expand the belly as you inhale,

Contracting as you exhale.

I'd like for you to imagine a place in nature that you love.

It's the perfect place.

Maybe there's trees all around,

Or maybe there's blue sky that you can see.

Maybe it's a meadow.

Maybe there's a little running river.

Or maybe you're by the ocean.

Or maybe you're on a mountaintop.

Wherever you are,

Envision this beautiful place in nature.

And imagine there's a little bench there,

Perfect for you.

And you sit on the bench,

And you close your eyes,

And you listen to the sounds.

And as you listen to the sounds,

Your heart opens.

Because you love this sound.

To even hear these thoughts,

I love these sounds.

And this heart energy emanates out into the world around you,

Connecting you deeper with the sounds around you.

And then the smell of your surroundings fills your nose.

And you think,

Oh,

I love that smell.

And you breathe a little bit deeper.

And this smell fills your whole body,

As it's delivered to every cell of your being.

And your heart opens even more,

And this love is beaming out from you.

Because you love this smell.

You love the sounds.

And then you open your eyes,

Still hearing and smelling,

And you look around you.

And it nearly brings you to tears,

The beauty,

The majesty,

The colors,

The light,

The sunshine.

And your heart opens even more,

As you love everything you see.

And then all thought dissolves,

As you are filled with this love,

Within,

Outside of you,

And you just breathe deeply,

Being.

Adarat laya.

Worship does not mean offering flowers.

It means offering your heart to the vast mystery of the universe.

It means letting your heart pulse with the life of the universe,

Without thought and without reservation.

It means being so in love,

That you are willing to dissolve,

And be recreated in every moment.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

We'll see you later.

Reviews

So magnificent 🥰 Thank you for these wonderful discussions, Katrina ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

What a verse!!! It reminds me of when I was a Christian and the preacher read and discussed a verse in the Bible that spoke to me dearly! 😂 Being in the doing summarizes so well the wonderful duality we live and experience in our human experience. Weeding my garden, harvesting veggies and fruit, picking flowers, painting, jumping into a lake! So much worship!!!! So grateful discovering this book through your doing-being Katarina.