Unlimited Splendour In Her: Radiance Sutras Verse 72

During this session, we discuss Verse 72 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. This is a translation of the Vijnana by Rava Tantra. It's really interesting, Especially like in today's reading, It really is almost a poetic interpretation of the Sanskrit, Because very often the Sanskrit to our ears is very dry because we don't understand the depths and nuances of Sanskrit. And so what we'll do is we're going to read verse number 72 and we'll read it out of that and we'll also read a direct translation and we'll have a conversation and then we'll do a little meditation. So are you guys ready? All right, So even if you have the book, So we're reading verse 72, Let's just close our eyes and breathe, Kind of feel inside to that part of you that is eternal. The universe is here to reveal unlimited splendor, Infinite diversity of expression. No one can withstand her allure, Adore the colors and shapes of her enchantment and know the one who permeates it all is a great lover, Deeply relating above and below, Mortal and immortal, Transient and eternal, Perceive the terrifying beauty, Be free to suffer and to be thrilled, To tolerate intolerable ravishment. What comes up for you when you hear that? Or how does it make you feel or what words float through your mind? Sensual earth flows. It's a funny one. I'm outside picking nettles and it kind of vibes, Embrace and dance with all the universe offers. Like I have nothing to worry on, Worry is an illusion and that God is always, The feeling is bigger, Infinite, But I felt connected to earth energies as you read. It helps me understand why I feel so good when in nature and in awe when in nature. Yeah, I'm going to read a literal translation of it, Which is actually quite different. This is actually the literal translation of it. Maya is the delusive principle residing in manifest existence. This is why we use Lauren Roche, Causing name and limited activity, Considering thus the nature or functions of the various elements. One realizes that he is not separate from the supreme reality. So that's super, Super wordy, But what they're saying is that, So in this tradition, And we've talked a little bit about this previously, Maya is this, We call it an illusion, But in Tantra, Just because it's an illusion doesn't mean it isn't real, Because again, What does it mean that it's an illusion? So what if we're made up of energy? Why does that suddenly make it not real? Why can't matter be made of energy? But Maya is this space that we live within, This construct that was created for us to have this experience. So it begins with Shiva Shakti, And Shiva Shakti is the oneness, Divine consciousness. Shiva Shakti splits, And then from here, All kinds of interesting constructs are created in order, Not only for there to be manifest reality, But for each one of us to have an individual experience. So if you imagine what has to happen when you begin with this oneness energy, This pure consciousness, This pure light, That's all it is, Is pure light. There's no manifest physicality. How many different levels have to happen from this pure light down to that there's Gretchen, Donna, Kristi, Katrina, Katie? What has to happen? So first, Shiva Shakti splits into energy and matter, And then this splits into this, And then this splits into this, And then they give us will, Knowledge, The ability to act. They have all these different things. And then they create this maya, And they say, Well, The consciousness of Shiva has to somehow be a part of each one of us. But we can't be omnipotent. We can't be all powerful. We can't be all knowing. We can't live in all time and space at the same time, Or else we're not going to have a human experience. So they created these five fetters. And I did an entire talk about this on Insight Timer. There's a whole talk about the fetters. And the five fetters, Or limitations, Are kala, Which is limited power. So imagine, Right? You have Shiva Shakti, Pure energy, Pure consciousness. How do they have a human experience? Well, First, We can't be able to do everything. We can't have that God-like ability, That God-omnipotence. Avidya, We get rid of our ability to know every single thing. You know, That I don't know your thoughts, And I don't know what's going on over there, And I don't know what's going to happen in the future, And I don't know every language on the planet. And then they have raja. And this is all about being incomplete, That we're not everything. We are not everything all at once. We actually are just a portion of that. But of course, This sets up something inside of us as a human, That I feel incomplete, I don't feel enough, There's something wrong with me, I need to improve myself, And all that kind of thing. And then the final two are kala, Which is time. This entire illusion that there's such a thing as past, Present, And future, That doesn't exist in infinite space. And then the idea of space, That I am here, And you are there, And there's causality, That if I do this to you, You do this, That also exists. And so these are sort of the defining aspects of being human versus being Shiva-Shakti. And so in many ways, As we walk through our lives, This is what we experience, This sort of limited world. Now that all being said, That's sort of one way we look at it, Is sort of a negative, Like something is limited, Like we don't have enough power, Or we don't have enough knowledge, And all that kind of thing, Which is what causes a lot of suffering. But if you go back even further in tantric teachings in history, The story actually went that Shiva-Shakti brought themselves down to a point of nothingness, And then added back a little power, A little knowledge. They introduced time, They introduced space, And they introduced a portion of a sense of self, And that the idea was that life was about reestablishing oneness, That every single day we accumulate a little bit more power, And a little bit more knowledge, And a little more sense of self, And we start to understand, Wow, Time really isn't as important as we used to think it was. Things like that. The funny thing is about space. Look at us all here, All over the world, Talking, As if we're all in the same room. What's that all about? How is that possible? There's something like, Is space really so important? What's really going on here? It's almost like we're practicing for understanding that space also is an illusion, The same way that time is. But we're just practicing. That's sort of what they're talking about in that literal translation of this, That through the experience of the limitations of being human, We realize that we are one with divine consciousness. So what does that mean? Well, It means that, And I really hope I can explain this properly, Because I can feel it, But I don't know that I can say it out loud in English. The consciousness within us is the same consciousness that created the limitations. It's one consciousness, The Shiva Shakti consciousness, That then expanded itself into all of the constructs, And then all of the elements, And then all of the people. So within each one of us, We hold all of those levels of constructs, Because it's all Shiva Shakti consciousness. So the very fact that we experience these limitations connects us to the divine. Through our experience here on earth, Through, And not only just the limitations, Some of the constructs are the elements, That there is something that is water, There is something that is air, There is something that is fire. This is all created for our experience. So every time we see the color red, We're connecting with the construct that's created us. But the construct that created us is God, Is Shiva Shakti, Is pure consciousness. So, Through experiencing our life, We intrinsically feel the divine connection. We experience consciousness via the human form, Shiva Shakti, Exactly. I feel a pull to live life without hesitation, To feel it all, Ecstasy and suffering. One might enhance the other, But our lives are the experience on all levels, Don't miss it. Vibration matters. So here's another translation, And again, If English isn't your first language, This is very confusing language in English, Just so you know. Maya is delusive, Delusive is like misleading, Kind of. Maya is delusive, The function of Kala is limited activity, Of Vidya is limited knowledge. Considering the functions of the various tattwas, In this way one does not remain separate any longer. Does that make sense? Does that ring true? You know that the idea of our experience of the world is exactly what connects us to the source. I am that. Yeah. It's something that makes sense inside of me more than I can describe in words, Which is why I'm intrigued to know how it lands with you. I'm going to reread. So there's three parts of the sutra. The first one is, The universe is here to reveal unlimited splendor, Infinite diversity of expression. No one can withstand her allure. I'm just going to repeat that. The universe is here to reveal unlimited splendor, Infinite diversity of expression. No one can withstand her allure. So when you think of that from the tantric perspective, That we begin as this dot, And we're given a little bit of power, A little bit of knowledge, A little bit of self-awareness, We all feel that, Right? Every time we discover something new about ourselves, The world becomes a little bit more interesting. As soon as we realize that we can do more, The world expands a bit more. It's like every time we increase in our abilities, The world expands with us. Adore the colors and shapes of her enchantment and know the one who permeates it all is a great lover. In a lot of mystical traditions, They consider God the beloved, Because they see the masculine-feminine aspect, The Shiva-Shakti aspect, Where again, When God, Shiva-Shakti, However you understand it, Splits, The human is Shakti, All gender. Shiva is this energy. Or in the mystic traditions, This is the human and this is God. And the this is a love affair. And to understand that God is not gendered. Even Shiva-Shakti isn't gendered. It's just energy. And so it's just like the masculine principle, Not man, Not a dude. And so Rumi would speak in his poems all of his joy of being with his beloved. And that's a very interesting feeling to actually feel connected to the divine this way. To feel that you are always in this beautiful love affair with creation. You can kind of imagine it when I was in Florence years ago, Italy. And I had the first tiramisu, Like real tiramisu. I had had tiramisu in Canada, But it was just at some restaurant somewhere. So I was expecting something kind of chocolatey and whipped creamy and coffee-like kind of thing. And I'm sitting in this restaurant completely not ready for what's going to happen. And this tiramisu comes and I'm sitting there by myself in this restaurant. I'm sitting there and I put the fork in and I put this tiramisu in my mouth. It's like the whole world just stopped. Just stopped. Nothing mattered. The taste of this in my mouth was like the greatest sex you could ever have. It was just, You were one. Like even if I think about it, It was the most incredible divine merging of me and my environment I could have ever had. This is the mystic's perception of experiencing God and experiencing creation. That you can be in a constant love affair with everything around you. It's actually sunny and warm here in Canada. And it'd be like, You know, We're hopefully, Today's actually a holiday here in Canada. And we're going to go to the beach after. And maybe just lie there and make love with the sun. Just allow the sun to penetrate. That's what I felt when my kid made gluten-free cream puffs. Even that alone, To imagine that every single thing we see here is created from consciousness. We were watching this show last night and they were talking about how everything's energy and blah, Blah, Blah. And if you could, You know, There's a wall there. And if I could match the frequency of the wall, If I could match the frequency of my hand with the wall, I could put my hand right through the wall. I don't really fully understand that, To be honest. But there's something about it that's right. That it actually is all within us. We just don't know how yet. I feel like this is the potential of experiencing life when we don't block everything with fear at every turn. Fear of self, Others, Etc. It's a great point. So then, The last part says, Deeply relating, Above and below, Mortal and immortal, Transient and eternal, Perceive the terrifying beauty. Be free to suffer and to be thrilled, To tolerate intolerable ravishment. What does that mean to you? What does that little piece feel like? We co-create. As creation evolves, We experience love, Divine bliss as the co-creator. Deeply relating, Above and below, Mortal and immortal, Transient and eternal, Perceive the terrifying beauty. Be free to suffer and to be thrilled, To tolerate intolerable ravishment. What does that feel like? Be open, Yes. Embrace it all, Surrender to experience. Be alive, To trust that we are capable of receiving it all. It feels like flowing through life with no resistance to anything. Be honest. Yes, Embrace even the rough and move through. So in the back of the book, Lauren has this wonderful kind of meditation. And he says, This is a declaration of independence meditation. Let the world turn. Let the illusion spin. Let everyone else believe the scripts they are playing out. Party on, All you people. And then he wrote down here, He said, This being Sanskrit, There are always jokes embedded in the statement. In the context of all the other sutras, This one is saying, You all can believe in the reality of Maya. But I am standing here on the firm ground of absolutely nothing. I will just stand here in midair for a while and enjoy the show. He's so funny. Three beautiful people helped me out of the grocery store as I hugged and appreciated them with deep gratitude. One said to me, Take the help. Say thank you. At the end, He said, Your dad is smiling down on you. We all are. I'm taking that with me. Let the illusion spin. Let the illusion spin. Party on. It's so funny. All right. Let's do a little meditation with this. So wherever you are, Let's close our eyes. Maybe you're sitting. Maybe you're lying down. Let's just come into our breath. Expanding the belly as we inhale, Contracting as we exhale. Let's imagine deep space. And within that deep space is this huge pulsing star. This beautiful light that is all-knowing. That is truly aware of all things. And this bright light, This bright energy, Decides to create Earth. And it creates something called space that is separate from itself. So this Earth over there, It decides it's going to put itself into Earth somehow. How can it do that? Well, It can make itself different. It can make itself smaller. It can make itself separate from itself, Almost like it's separating into two, And then into four, And then into sixteen. It's going to keep separating. And it fills the Earth with all of these different bits. With trees, With water, With fire, With mountains, With animals, With people. And the people are walking around this Earth quite enthralled with everything. Right? Isn't this cool? This is a lovely creation. Because every person is still fully conscious that they are that omnipotent divinity energy. So they're walking around and they see water and they go over and they scoop the water up and they feel this wonderful feeling of fluid, Of water. Isn't this incredible? And then over there, Someone's figured out that they can actually make fire. They're like, That's incredible. You feel the heat and the colors and the flame. That's amazing. And who knows, Maybe they find interesting berries to eat and they experience taste. You know, Isn't that interesting? The taste of this versus the taste of that. It's fascinating. But then they realize, Collectively, That what if we didn't know that we were divine? What if we were just living here and we thought that this was all that there was? That'd be interesting. So they limited the knowledge, They limited the power, They limited their understanding that all things are happening at all times and all these kinds of things. But they left a spark of divinity within themselves that no matter what they forgot, No matter what they didn't know, There was always this little spark inside that they would come back to. And now in your mind's eye, Imagine yourself sitting on a park bench, Looking at a lake. And you can see the sun, And you can see the birds, And you can see the trees, And you can see the water. Maybe there's a duck swimming on the lake. And you can see all this, And you feel something. Like somehow you know that there's more. And you hear a beautiful bird, And you listen to the bird, And you think, Oh, What a beautiful sound. Then you come back to your thoughts, And you wonder, What's really going on in this world? I don't quite understand. And then all of a sudden, An otter pops its head out of the water, And you're so surprised, And it's so adorable. And you're like, Oh, That's cool. And then you come back into yourself again, And you start to wonder. Then you close your eyes, And you start to breathe, And you start to meditate. And then you start to feel that divine spark inside. And it's like your body remembers something. It remembers that all of this is so glorious. Like we created this. We created this beauty. We created this splendor. I don't know how we did it, But somehow we are actually a part of all of this. So you open your eyes, And you look around, And you just drink it all in. You don't even know why you love the color green so much, Or why the sight of birds flying together is so magical and beautiful. But it is. It stirs you deep inside. So we sit, And we just gaze upon the earth with this divine spark of memory inside of us, Remembering who we truly are, And almost remembering that the whole point was to enjoy this, Whether we understand it or not. Maya vimohini nama kalaya kalanam sthitam iti adi dharmam tatvanam kalayan nipritak bhavet The universe is here to reveal unlimited splendor, Infinite diversity of expression. No one can withstand her allure. Adore the colors and shapes of her enchantment and know the one who permeates it all is a great lover. Deeply relating above and below, Mortal and immortal, Transient and eternal, Perceive the terrifying beauty. Be free to suffer and to be thrilled, To tolerate intolerable ravishment. Let's just breathe deeply together. Awesome. Let's slowly come back together. So thank you so much for being here, And I hope you have a wonderful day.

Reviews

Beautiful as always. Thank you for sharing your love and appreciation for these sutras. I am in awe for how you accessibly describe these texts.