Swagatham – Welcome to the Journey

Adapted from Dr. Mark Dyczkowski’s workshop delivered at Slovenia during September 2013

In the way of speaking of Anuttara Trika Kula, we are little tiny infinitely small pin-pricks of consciousness. This is like a tiny light shining in immense darkness. Hidden within the depths of our being,  in the very core of the essence of who we are, shines God. We can experience that to certain extent very faintly when we pay attention. That core, that center we call it “Hrudayam- the heart”. That heart we say is very vast that contains the whole universe.  Now at the core of the heart, a wonderful thing is taking place – God, infinite being is coming and communing with the whole universe. Out of his infinite light, pouring infinite forms of energy shining everywhere all around us within us, even in every tiny part he is shining. This is how god is present in everything through his energies. Even this little tiny energy in ourselves contains entire God. The Trika masters are teaching that we have forgotten that inner light and looking away elsewhere, suffering. Our agenda then is a journey into core of our hearts where the lord is uniting joyfully with all his energies and end our sufferings once for all.

There are many different kinds of revealed scriptures called tantras or agamas belonging to many different schools and traditions – Buddhist tantras, Jain tantras Hindu tantras. Even within Hindu tantras, there are different schools according to deities they worship. Some worship Lord Vishnu as their supreme deity, some Lord Shiva and some Goddesses. Even among those who worship the same deity there are different traditions and lineage of masters associated with them.

In the process of understanding these traditions and what they teach, our life will change, our behavior will change, our morals will develop and our experience will expand. There are thousands of tantras. The great masters of tantric traditions explain what is most essential in the tantras of their tradition in relation to the other tantric traditions. One way is to view them as set in an order of precedence with respect to their own in such a way that the preceding ones support the ones that follow. So we can enter one tradition and as we develop spiritually we would take initiations into the higher one. The higher ones are not seen to be denying the lower ones, rather as completing them. In this way, there is a sequence beginning with the Atimarga of the Pasupatas, who just preceded the Tantras, followed by the Siddhanta Agamas, the Bhairava tantras of the Left, those of the Right, Mata, Kula, Kaula, and Trika. This sequence of traditions are accompanied by tantras belonging to those traditions.

Some tantric traditions are more centered on ritual, others on Yoga or developing insight through reason, reflection and meditation. For example, Tibetan Buddhism considers tantras to be the supreme revelation of teachings of Buddha. The lamas perform many rituals and practice many forms of yoga.  So it may come as a surprise to know that the course of study in most Tibetan monasteries stresses heavily the study of logic. It is more surprising that these great logicians were discussing what is beyond reason. One of the recurring themes is the relationship between what is directly known and how it is conceived to be.  This is the way of knowledge. This is linked to the practice of concentration because as that develops so does intelligence and insight, two aspects of wisdom nurtures compassion. The way of yoga requires the knowledge of the subtle body and the movement of the breath through the subtle body. Great tantric traditions are transmitted and grow through great teachers who were silent masters with profound knowledge of the scriptures as well. These traditions are based on the tremendous spiritual power transmitted from one individual to another both of whom were in states of perfect purity. They would look at their disciples who are ready and the disciples will have vision of energies, voids and transform the reality around them.

 In this way the greatest teachers combined these two aspects, insight and yoga.

Several matters are taught in the tantras, – rituals, mantras, Yogic practices etc. Some of these matters are more important in certain schools compared to other schools. From the perspective of Trika Shaivism, these matters are understood in higher perspectives. As we rise through the other traditions, consciousness becomes progressively  more encompassing, more free. For the earnest Trika student, the purpose of all the tantras is to achieve liberation, possess the perfect freedom of fully expanded all-encompassing consciousness. Liberation is a state of knowledge.  We are subject to all these sufferings, frustrations, physical illness, madness, inner problems, quarrels with each other, wars and in the end we die. All great Indian traditions agree that this is because we are ignorant. By ignorance, we don’t simply mean absence of intellectual knowledge alone. Our ignorance is spiritual ignorance.  Thus  the goal and purpose of every study is to gain that spiritual knowledge.

The experience of knowledge is the experience of God. When we are experiencing and knowing God this is called knowledge, this is true love because this what we experience, this is what we know.  How much experience of God do we have in our lives? How much love? This is the main question. The understanding of the depth and importance this question only comes through a transformation of ourselves that takes place through the power of grace Lord Shiva gives us.

As we go on penetrating into the teachings, we will go an penetrating into the fundamental essence of who we are most fundamentally. As we travel this path, we discover a growing sense within us that much needs to be done that we cannot do, only Lord Shiva can do it for us by the power of His grace.

 

OM SAUH PARAYAI NAMAHA