Tantraloka Program Overview

The Tantraloka is a most profoundly unique work. Written in eleventh century Kashmir by the great Abhinavagupta, in it he expounds Anuttara Trika, the ‘most excellent’ form of Trika Shaivism.

 

 

Despite its length, every word is saturated with meaning. Every concept illumines a profound aspect of the Trika Shaivism it teaches. Abhinavagupta reveals an amazingly rich Trika Tantric vision of the oneness of the Great Light of Shiva consciousness overflowing with the astonishingly beautiful effulgence of its radiant manifestation. Here we penetrate and are penetrated into the Heart of non-dualist Kashmiri Shaivism, taught by the greatest of all Kashmiri masters.

The Tantraloka Program is an ambitious and most humbling contribution to the presentation of the Tantraloka to the English speaking world. From here we draw the divine life-giving nectar of the teachings of Kashmiri Shaivism directly from their source.

Abhinavagupta presents his Tantraloka as an explanation of the teachings of the Malinivijayottara, the Trika Tantra he considers to be the most authoritative. Abhinava thus intends his Anuttara Trika to be understood not as something new, but as the final development of the Trika school of Shaivism—which is one of the oldest of the Bhairava current of Shaivite scriptural traditions—and the most explicit and detailed presentation of its essential teachings.

“These teachings have always been an inspiration for the great masters of Tantrism who followed Abhinavagupta, as his words have been the means through which the masters have understood their own tradition” – Dr. Mark Dyczkowski

Abhinavagupta’s two great works on Anuttara Trika are full of references to Shaiva Tantras—and it was the need to understand these works that made it necessary for us to discover/uncover as many of these Shaiva Tantras as possible. And it then became evident that we also had to do some historical studies, because Anuttara Trika comes at the end of the development of some centuries of Shaivism. We looked into both the original scriptural sources, the revelation, and at the development of Shaivism as it spread throughout India. To that end, we were inspired to identify those manuscripts that were worth editing because of their historical importance and their content.

And so this is where we begin – the recognition that accompanies us on the journey of our inner spiritual life, that travels through all the levels of our being.

How It Works:

Tantrāloka Home Study Program includes audio and video lectures, electronic reading materials, practices, discussion sessions and guidance, making it suitable for students of any level who wish to approach this magnificent and profound work.

• Hundred of hours of streaming video, downloadable audio.
• Downloadable PDFs containing Sanskrit to English translation.

All lectures are by world-renowned expert on Kashmir Shaivism and Tantra, Dr. Mark Dyczkowski.

The difficulty and profundity of the text calls for in-depth cumulative study, as each verse and chapter of the text builds on the previous.

Free introductory lesson:

As an introductory offering, Lesson One on the “Maṅgala Stuti,” or the opening verse of Tantrāloka (1.1), a 2.5 hour lesson with all supporting materials, will be offered for free to all students.  You can access it under Tantraloka Chapter 1 – Mangala Stuti.

 OM SAUH PARAAYAI NAMAH