Times Of Absorption: Radiance Sutras Verse 51

During this session, we discuss Verse 51 of the Yukti Verses from the 'Radiance Sutras', a translation of the Vijanana Bhairava Tantra by Lorin Loche. A meditation follows our discussion.
These sessions are recorded on a weekly basis and all are welcome.

Transcript

So today we are reading from the Radiant Sutras, Which is a beautiful translation, Adaptation of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, Which is a scripture from the Kashmir Shaivism line of Tantra. And it's my favorite, This is my favorite, Not only my favorite scripture, But it's my favorite, It's not really scripture, But it's my favorite sacred book of Tantra. And this one specifically, Lauren Roche, Is this awesome guy who I was blessed to meet years ago in California. And he went deep into meditation and study and Sanskrit study and everything. And he brought this very esoteric, Plain sutra series to life. It's almost like if you try to describe a transcendental state, The best thing you can do is actually write a poem, Because you can't directly describe it. Our brains aren't designed to actually describe transcendental states. Our brain is designed to interpret what we can experience through the senses. Ah, Look, That is a computer. Ah, This is a book. Oh, Look, That tastes salty. That's my brain interpreting the world around me. That's what our brain is made for. So as soon as I want to describe something beyond that, Words fall apart. And so the ancient mystics, Rumi, Hafiz, All these wonderful people, They would write poetry. And in the poetry, You would listen to the poetry, And another part of you would wake up, A part of you beyond the senses, Beyond the creation of our mind. And that's the point, That when we listen to the sutra we're going to read today, That we listen with our eternal self. We don't listen with our brain. We listen with our being. All right, Let's close our eyes. Let's breathe deeply. Relax your shoulders. If you're lying in bed somewhere happily, Then just stay lying in bed. Release your body into the bed. Feel your belly expand as you inhale, And relax as you exhale. What this does is it relaxes our nervous system, It relaxes our busy mind, Allows us to enter the heart center, The oneness, Who we truly are, Wherever, Whenever you feel carried away, Rejoicing in every breath, There, There is your meditation hall. Cherish these times of absorption, Rocking the baby in the silence of the night, Pouring water into a crystal glass, Tending the logs in a crackling fire, Sharing a meal with a circle of friends. Embrace these pleasures and know, This is my true body. Nowhere is more holy than this. Right here is the sacred pilgrimage. Live in alertness for such a moment, My beloved, As if it were your one meeting with the creator. How does that make you feel? The words come to the surface when you hear that, Connected, Gratitude, Softness, Living in the moment, Warm, Finding the divine in the simple things, Awareness of divinity, Present, Joyous connection. I had a Christmas like that, Utter simplicity and beauty, Awe, Dig into life, Tranquility, In beauty and love every moment, Celebrating life. I love how it said the hallway of meditation, Presence of mind, Solitude and grace, Presence. I'm curious what is meant by absorption. Yeah, That's a great question. In the eight limbs of yoga, There is pranayama, Asana, These all, You know, The different ways we live and all that. Two of the eight limbs are dharana and dhyana. Dharana is single pointed focus. Now the eight limbs of yoga all work together to bring us bliss. So dharana is the joy of focus, The joy of concentration. You know, When you get to do something, It's like me studying tantra and I 100% focus and I am not interrupted by my phone beeping or someone walking in or anything. I get to 100% focus. There is such a bliss in total focus. It's like riding your bike really, Really, Really fast. You have to 100% focus and you can enter a bliss state by the simple fact that you are 100% focused. It can be meditation. It can be lovemaking. It can be anything that takes your 100% focus and you almost become timeless. When we have this 100% focus, What happens is we become absorbed in the experience, Full absorption and this is dhyana and that can be anything. That can be eating tiramisu in Florence for the first time and you go, Oh, And your whole being just like is lost in time. It can be seeing a sunrise that takes your breath away, But because you are so completely focused on it, The world fell away. You become absorbed in the sunrise. You become one with it and this is a bliss state, Like a flow state, Totally. This is my true body. So what I'd like to share with you about, It's partly about this sutra, But it's almost like the background for why this meditation is so important because what this is saying is when you have a moment of complete contentment, Complete contentment, This is your meditation hall, Whatever it is. It could be coming home after a long day at work and sitting on your favorite chair and closing your eyes and saying, It doesn't have to be deep, But it's a moment of total contentment. In this moment, You are connected with your true self. You are connected with your true being. This is my true body. This is my meditation hall. In this moment, I can experience God. I can experience the infinity of the universe in this moment of contentment and it seems so simple. It's like going for a walk and the sun is shining and the birds are singing and your body feels good and you're walking down the street and you allow yourself to lose yourself in the walk and you might not even know where you end up because you will literally transcend space and time in total bliss. We all can do this. Every single one of us can enjoy this. It can be whatever you love to do. So one of the foundations of Tantric thought, Especially in Kashmir Shaivism, Is that because we are incarnate here on earth, We are actually fettered souls. So a fetter, For anyone who English isn't your first language, These are like the chains that you would bind a prisoner with, Shackles, That's a fetter. So they consider us fettered souls here on earth and this is what keeps us from experiencing the grandeur of the divine. Like we talk about, Well I want to be fully divine, Fully physical, But we're fettered here on earth and there's five main fetters. The first is what they call Kala and this is limited power, That our divine self can do anything. It can do anything. It's capable of infinite things, But that's not really useful as an incarnate individual being here on earth. It's actually more interesting, It's a more interesting life when we have limited power, That we can't do everything because all of a sudden when you can do everything, Nothing really matters. So we're actually born with this veil of limitation in terms of what we can do. And you can even imagine in your own life how much this frustrates you. It could be illness or injury or disability in the body. It could be financial. It could be how we were raised, That maybe we believe we are not powerful, We're not able to do things. So you can feel this fetter in our life and the challenges it brings up. But how important are those challenges? This is really living. There are a lot of people in the world that are very bored and don't have a lot to think about. When we have this limitation on what we can do, It creates a human experience. This isn't a bad thing, It's not a punishment or something. It's just a fetter of being alive and we will talk about how to also transcend them, Right? But this is part of the human experience. And they have something called Vidya. And these words aren't important, They're just Sanskrit. But what this is, Is limited knowledge. We are capable of literally knowing everything, But that also isn't interesting. It's not helpful. Each one of us, If you consider your third chakra, Who are you? And not in an ego way, But in a, We were all designed with very different paths to take for some reason. So in many ways, How much we could know is limited. You know, We only know this much, And then we learn all about this, And then we learn all about this. So because we don't know everything, It allows us to know something. This is a funny example, But so I teach Tantra. My journey of Tantra began 15 years ago, Maybe 20 years ago now, When I was married and I was frustrated and I just knew there was more to life. And the word Tantra came to me, This kind of pre-internet, The way we know it now. And I started reading books and I started doing all these things to try to find what it was that was calling me. And I began to study and I began to learn various things and all that kind of thing. And then one day, My husband and I were in Jamaica, We were making love, We were exploring Tantric intimacy. And I had this moment where this energy shot up through my body and I sort of hovered almost. When it was finished, I knew what Tantra was. I knew it. But what was weird about it was that it was a oneness. It was just a way of being. It was just, There was nothing specific I knew. I just knew. And so when I read these books and I go through the magic bookshelf, I can't exactly tell you what I'm looking for, But I know what it is when I see it. And then when I see it in the book, I say, Aha, That's part of what I know. And I write it down. But I can't know what it is in completeness. If you know everything, You can't know individual things. So there's a magic in the limiting of our knowledge because it allows us to know things. So then all of a sudden, By limiting my knowledge to what I've read in the books, I can actually say something interesting. It's kind of like having children or something. Until you've had children, You don't really know what that's all about. Or until you've cared for an aging parent, You don't really know what it's all about. And you can't even explain it because everything is interwoven. Everything is together. You can't pull out a single thing. Or if you've been married for 20 or 30 years, You can't explain it to someone who's never been married because it's too big. Even if you tried to pull out one thing and they sort of jumped on it, You say, Yeah, But there's all these other things. It's such an expansive thing. It's hard to discern. So this idea of vidya, This idea of limited knowledge, It is a fetter because it's also a challenge in life. We wish we knew more. We wish we understood everything. We think we wish we understood everything. But there's actually a limitation to how much we can know. Kaala is time. Our connection with time is a fetter. Because inherently, In who we are, There's no such thing as time. We are timeless beings. But here on Earth, We live in a space-time continuum. And there is suddenly now past, Future, Moment to moment, What I'm going to do in two hours. And we can cause a lot of grief about time, Thinking about things in the past, Thinking about the future, Worrying about the future, Replaying the past. But it's all an illusion, This idea of past, Present, And future. It's actually not true. But that is part of the game here, That we live according to time. But it is a fetter that keeps us from being free. Then there is Niyati, Which is, They call it causality. And causality is like karma, That we believe that this happened, Which caused that to happen. This caused this, Caused this, Caused this. Which is how our karmic patterns continue in our life. But what's interesting is, How do we overcome that? How do we overcome this causality, This karmic thing? In this moment, We release the outcome of our actions. Why do they teach that? Why do they teach that in the Bhagavad Gita and all these places? Why are you supposed to just do something and trust that whatever happens is meant to happen, To have no attachment to outcome? I remember there was a saying, I don't know whether it came out of the book of Thomas or where it came from, But it said something like, He who plows and looks behind to see how he's doing or something, Isn't ready for the kingdom of God or something like that. And that's always struck me, Like the ability to just simply act in faith and trust and keep walking forward. Like don't look back and see how many likes you got on that Facebook post, You know. Just keep walking forward. Don't be attached to the outcome. And that's how we break the chains of causality. And then another one that's called Raga. And Raga is desire. Of course, Raga means the fetter is the belief that we are imperfect, Incomplete. Because of course we aren't. In our soul, In our divinity, In our connection to all things, We are complete. But that doesn't make for a very interesting life. Like I am complete. I need nothing. Well, Then what are you going to do? Why are you incarnate? Why are you here on earth? You are one with all, Right? But what if you were incomplete? What if you felt that you were imperfect? Well, This would create a desire in you to go and have experiences that will maybe fulfill you, That will maybe cause you to feel content. So desires actually draw us out into the world. I want to hear that music. I want to eat that food. I want to experience dancing with that person. I want to go and go to Spain. Because that desire to fulfill something inside of us propels us in life. So to understand that these fetters aren't bad, This is just what makes us human. You know, We have limited knowledge. We have limited things that we can do. We feel limited in ourselves, So we desire things. We are bound by time and we're bound by causality. It just sort of defines the human experience. So the key is that once we know this, Once we understand this part of us, We are able to see beyond it as well. This is how we learn to live in the world, But not of the world. We can be bound by time, But what is the number one way to transcend time? Living in the now, Knowing that the future or the past, That really all we're doing is living in a perpetual flow of the present. There's no such thing as the past and the future. There is only now. So imagine if you disciplined yourself to say, What if I only talked about what's happening right now? What if I never went back? I'm not talking about ignoring trauma that needs to be healed and stuff like that. But if you've already told the story 20 times, What if it's time to be in the now? This is how we transcend it. How do we transcend causality? By acting in faith and walking forward, Releasing all cause and effect and just acting in faith. How do we transcend the limited knowledge? Perhaps it's by having faith that we will learn whatever it is we need to learn for what we need to do and being fully content in that, That I don't have to know everything. I'm actually having an experience here as this person, I only need to know what I need to know and then I'm content. Do I need to be able to do everything? Does limited power actually bother me? Well, No. I just need to be able to do what I need to be able to do. And then suddenly there's a peace within it, But it no longer binds me, It no longer frustrates me. And that's where this sutra is really interesting. I'm going to read a different version of it. This comes out of the Sri Vijnana Bharata Tantra, The Ascent, And this book is a direct translation. So Lauren's book is a poetic version of it that speaks to our hearts. This is a direct translation. Whenever there is a satisfaction of mind and the mind is held there alone, The nature of supreme bliss manifests. So think of how this is unfettering us. Whenever there is satisfaction of mind, So I am complete, I'm not worrying about the future or the past, And the mind is held there alone. I am a hundred percent present in this moment. There is no causality. There is no time. There is no limitation. The nature of supreme bliss manifests. I'm going to read this other translation, Which is very similar, But sometimes it's just slightly different. Wherever the mind of the individual finds satisfaction, Let it be concentrated on that. In every such case, The true nature of the highest bliss will manifest itself. So you imagine every time in life, You have a moment of satisfaction, Genuine contentedness, And it doesn't necessarily mean happiness. It means that exhale, And it could just be watching dogs at the dog park or watching humanity go by, But in that space, You get to experience the true self, The true bliss of humanity, The true bliss of being alive, The unfettered state. It's so easy. So often we meditate, And meditation is awesome, But imagining finding these moments in life, Simple moments, You might have four of these moments today, Four moments that you're actually happy, Content, And you just close your eyes and you feel what that feels like. Because what's interesting, I think it was that, What's his name, Matteo Stefano? He sees different dimensions, And he's a very, Very interesting man, And he talked about how our brain can only take us as far as it already knows, As far as it's already experienced and understands, But our body and our feelings can take us beyond that. So if you can have a visceral experience of something, What will happen is that will become part of who you are, And then later, Your brain will catch up, But it actually begins with an experience within you. So when we use these content moments as our meditation hall, We create an experience within, And then slowly, Our mind, Our brain catch up. It's so powerful, And it's easy for all of us. I remember watching and listening to the rain on the window in car rides as a kid and feeling that total sense of contentment and absorption. I would love for us to share that. I feel like that's more important than a meditation right now. What are moments for you where you have felt or you often feel content, Like in that way? Sometimes it may remind all of us of the ways that we feel content, Driving through a snowstorm, Riding in a car, Being immersed in nature, Skiing down a mountain, Riding my bicycle, Sitting on my porch watching birds. It could even be memories as a child that you love to do, A walk on the beach, Sitting at the dock on the cottage, Floating in the sea, Floating in the ocean, Looking at my kids while they're sleeping, Sitting in my sunroom while it's raining with a cup of tea and a good book, Being relaxed outside, Sitting outside and drinking tea, Stand up paddleboarding, Reading, Watching dogs play, The warmth of chocolate in a fresh baked cookie, Sharing my heart with a like-minded friend, Feeling the wind blowing on my face, Having a talk with a good friend, Snowshoeing, My kitties sleeping on my lap, Going to the beach with my son and traveling, Watching raindrops hit the surface of a still pond, When I'm out driving the universe always shows me doggos enjoying their car rides, Reminds me to laugh and enjoy the ride, Loving my cat sleeping on my lap, Watching butterflies flying about, The feeling of a baby running into my arms, Playing with babies, Watering my plants, Out in nature listening to the birds singing, Cooking, Making bread, Waiting in the ice-cold creek of my backyard, A good stretch, Walking in the rain, Listening to music on my AM radio when I was a child, This very moment you know now, A rainbow, The smell after a heavy rain, My dogs receiving me when I get home, Looking at the clouds after a beautiful rainfall, Golden hour light, Slicing vegetables I've grown in my garden to cook, Tending my garden, Sitting quietly as the day dawns, Playing in the sandbox as a kid, Ascending the summit, A huge embrace from my two-year-old, Birthing my healing sculptures, Experiencing flow state while writing fiction, Walking around the art gallery, Going out in the middle of the night to see the moon, The first day of spring, The light, The smell, The feel, Reading by a window as it turns to twilight, Breathing in the fresh smell, Breathing in the smell of fresh rain, Playing with my circus props, A newborn baby, Having a nostalgic talk with my brothers, Sitting quietly and watching and listening to the birds and insects busy in a bountiful garden, Surfing, The beauty of an arrangement of flowers. Let's all close our eyes for a moment. Thank you so much for these. And let's just feel into all of those and all of your own points of content. And let's just breathe for a moment in silence. And I'm going to read this again in Sanskrit and then in English. Yatra Yatra Manas Tushti, Manas Tatra Eva Dharayat, Tatra Tatra Para Ananda, Svarupam Sam Pravartate. Wherever, Whenever you feel carried away, Rejoicing in every breath, There, There is your meditation hall. Cherish these times of absorption, Rocking the baby in the silence of the night, Pouring water into a crystal glass, Tending the logs in a crackling fire, Sharing a meal with a circle of friends. Embrace these pleasures and know this is my true body. Nowhere is more holy than this. Right here is the sacred pilgrimage. Live in alertness for such a moment, My beloved, As if it were your one meeting with the Creator. Thank you so much for being here. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Reviews

Love love love✨ The sweet spot between not knowing and learning, between being lost and understanding. To be comfortable there… a stretching of our limitations. This talk brought me more space in the in between🙏 Experiences of sacred pilgrimage were a joy to listen to, thank you so so much for making these tracks available to us, they’re so very valuable🙏💘

I had verse 51 bookmarked to read next when I saw your recording! Love diving timing and the deeper contemplation 🙏