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Kashmiri Shaivism & Expanded O...
Astonishment, Wonder, and Delight The Time-Honored Tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism and the Foundational Principles of Expanded Orgasm and Expanded Lovemaking Introduction The Practice of Expanded Orgasm and Expanded Lovemaking have been an integral part of my life for almost 20 years. For me, it has always been a practice that goes much deeper than just sensuality and sexuality. Rather it has been a full-being, full bodied practice that involves expanding my awareness of the present moment. I get to experience feeling my body, heart, mind, and spirit fully, as well as my consciousness, on many levels of my being. Truly, these practices are what I call ones of “full-body” and “full engagement”. I can practice alone, with a partner, and even in the presence of a group, through our beautiful energetic group practices that often heighten and deepen experiences that I might feel on my own. In my travels I have uncovered the rich tradition that underlies my work, that of Kashmiri Shaivism. Its beautiful and profound texts can easily apply to us today, just as they did to the practitioners in the 6th through 10th centuries AD, when Kashmiri Shaivist Tantra flourished in Kashmir, (in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent), considered a cultural “Mecca”, or melting pot, of its day. The Kashmiri Poet-Saints of their time wrote and taught prolifically on how to expand ones consciousness to reach states of enlightenment using their bodies as a vehicle. To the Kashmiri Shaivists, the Divine exists on both on the energetic and physical planes. The Divine, therefore, manifests into the bodies of everything material – including the bodies of men and women. The Divine includes everything, so a man or a woman is Divine, in heart, body, mind, spirit, and energy, at one and the same time. These brilliant Poet-Saints left detailed maps for guidance, known as “transmissions”, which tell us exactly how we can use both our awareness and our bodies - as men and women - to reach enlightenment, just as they did. Everything they did, from the simplest touch to the most profound lovemaking, could be used as a pathway to transcendence of consciousness, and to blissful, enlightened states. As I teach my ever-growing body of material on Expanded Lovemaking. the connections between my work and Kashmiri Shaivism become ever more evident. My work relies heavily on intention, attention, AND living in the ever-present, vibrant, fully alive ‘now’. I have combined the sacred Kashmiri Shaivist transmissions with my own experience, because the Kashmiri Shaivist path has always valued both experience and practice, just as I do. This is a living tradition, alive and available to all who wish to partake of the messages that sparkle within the sacred verses. I find in Kashmiri Shaivism great power, inspiration, and creative energy that furthers my own research - much more than I could have ever sourced from my own separate intelligence. In this article I will discuss my favorite principles from Kashmiri Shaivism and share some of the rich history of this tradition. In what might seem like abstract concepts I will interweave the profound connections to Expanded Orgasm and Expanded Lovemaking, and to our day-to-day lives. At the end I will share highlights of my personal journey from humble roots into this very alive tradition. A Taste of Kashmiri Shaivist History This set of practices brewed in the region of the Himalayas between India and China. While the oppressive Dark Ages ruled most of European thought, a rich blending of Tantric, Taoist, and Buddhist traditions infused many peoples’ minds as they crisscrossed the region, gathering to discuss and research both ancient and contemporary practices in this land of fertile human exploration. Sometimes these practices involved chanting and meditation, at other times philosophical debate, and yet at other times group ceremonies (often referred to as pujas). Seekers found many schools and approaches to the expansion of consciousness, great tolerance, and open-mindedness. Some seekers sought enlightenment by doing almost nothing at all - just opening to the presence of the Divine - while others engaged in elaborate rituals. And many Poet-Saints did exactly what they suggested to their followers, experimenting with all sorts of possible means to expand consciousness from a wealth of traditions. Some of the early and most prolific Shaivists include Vasagupta, Somananda, Utpaladeva, Abhinavagupta, Ksemaraja, Jayaratha, and many more. Abhinavagupta, perhaps the most famous Poet-Saint, wrote massive multi-volume set called the Tantriloka, (at least 29 volumes long), and devoted the first three volumes strictly to the Poet-Saints that came before him. His documents how these enlightened beings go back to the beginning of time, and that there has always been an enlightened presence on earth Some of the most well know texts containing transmissions include the Siva Sutras, the Vijnana Bhairava, the SpandaKarika, and the Tantriloka. Fortunately, many of these ancient texts have been passed down through the ages, and have even been translated and made available in English and other modern languages. Thus, we have direct access to the transmissions of these enlightened Poet-Saints available for our own understanding and practice. While the outward manifestations of the lineage of the Kashmiri Shaivist Tantricas have ebbed and flowed throughout history, as they revealed themselves into larger groups, then smaller groups, or even just lone individuals - depending on the political and cultural acceptability and safety - the tradition have always remained alive. The energy of the “kundalini”, or “shaktipat”, which is the sacred energy that infuses these transmissions with their special magic and power to change and enlighten us, has never died out. It is as vibrant now as ever, and can be considered an expression of the force of universal unconditional love that has never died… and will always express itself. The kundalini, the power of enlightenment, love, and evolutionary consciousness change, wants to live and to spread. Below I discuss specific Kashmiri Shaivist Tantric Principles. As an additional guide, I have listed some books and websites at the end of this article for those interested in further study. Five Favorite Principles from Kashmiri Shaivism Here is a list of my top five Kashmiri Principles – at least my top five in this moment. For each one, I included a quote from the Vijnana Bhairava (See reference at the end of this article) that will allow us to examine this principle more fully and experience it first hand. For those who are new to reading transmissions, I suggest that you simply relax and read it without trying to understand. Just ‘let them in” to work their magic. With each verse, I give an example of how I might use the principle. 1. There is only now In life we usually get what the mind gives us… a small window into the now, for survival purposes... an arbitrary construct. When we can open that window into this moment and climb through it, what do we find? We discover astonishment, wonder, and delight, those “aha” moments of enlightenment in the here and now. How often have you been touched, and sighed in wonder or astonishment? Can you let in that you just experienced a moment of pure enlightenment? V. 33, p. 30 : In this way, successively, wherever there is mindfulness, on whether void, or wall, or on some excellent person, that mindfulness is absorbed by itself in the Supreme and offers the highest benefaction. This is a good time to practice noticing what is going on around you allowing yourself to experience astonishment, wonder, and delight. In my classes, I like to share what it takes to get present to lovemaking, and what I do when we are about to begin. I invite the participants to begin to notice where they feel nervous energy, or gratitude, or anything else. We start to focus on our own body, and if they have come with someone, that of their partner. When you take your attention totally into noticing an open heart, attention is fully here, and away from all other distractions. Energy surges, and bliss can emerge. 2. It is but a subtle shift of attention that opens the door to the great Tantric secrets You need a paradigm shift that includes the mind… and also includes pleasure. We cannot go into bliss … from pain. We must start from pleasure if we are to go into exalted and expanded states. It is very simple to do this by “toggling”, or changing our frame of reference. Toggling is our ability to shift or choose where we put our attention. When we can toggle into the “now” as we did in the last section, or open our minds and bodies to have experiences that our beyond our physical limits, or find something to be in gratitude about in this moment of your life, then we’ve begun our journey. It is our ability to shift or transition away from our survival mode into “loverspace” that is this ‘subtle shift’ of which we speak. Verse 29, P26: Meditate on that very lightning-like Shakti that is kundalini moving upward successively from one center of energy to another. At the end one can experience the magnificent rise of Siva. I invite lovers to breathe with me before we start being sensual or sexual. I want us all to feel totally connected in our own bodies, and have our energy flowing from toe to head, and head to toe first. This really changes how we feel to ourselves and to each other. 3. Now is perfect, and so are we This is a path of no past and no future, other than what we create in the now; we choose what we hold on to and what we let go of, just as we choose what to focus on. In lovemaking, we let go of the concepts of right and wrong, and learn to trust our feelings; Spongy: Verse 48, p44: The yogi should contemplate on the skin part of his body, like a wall, or a dividing line, “there is nothing substantial inside it”. Meditating like this, he reaches a state transcending all things meditatable. As the sense of a separate, limited, experiencer disappears, there is no object for him to meditate on, and the yogi obtains cosmic consciousness. I often encourage clients to imagine that their skin extends outside of themselves, for example, about 3 inches, and so does the skin on their partner. When they touch, they touch beginning from a distance and when they land on their partner’s skin they experience going in to about 3 inches deep. Clearly they are using their imagination and energy awareness as part of this practice. I invite them to notice how this touch profoundly changes the way they feel both to themselves and their partner. A touch is not just a touch when it’s a spongy touch… it’s a whole new dimension of experience! 4. This is a path of gratitude You can choose pleasure over pain, even if in the last moment you chose pain, Why? Because it has to be good first before it can get better. We can embrace all our lives, including the pain, as part of what has gotten us to where we are now; this very moment. This choosing is not something we do once or from time to time. It is an ever-renewing moment by moment living in gratitude for the life you are experiencing and creating. Verse 74, Page70: Whenever 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. In my classes I often have students touch one another to give themselves permission to feel as much joy, bliss, and even rapture as they possibly can. We have exercises that enable us to bless even our problems without judging them - as part of setting ourselves free. We invite our higher selves to decide whether to let our troubles go, or to reintegrate them if they serve us. We “toggle” back into wholeness, and let go of having to decide how to judge our issues. What freedom! What joy we get from this! 5. This is a path of divine grace Divine grace will take us farther and faster than we could ever go on our own. Those who are drawn to this path have usually been blessed by awakenings at some point in their lives, and then having further awakenings as they pursue this path ever further. And it's true that in our lovemaking we start with the vibration, AND the good feeling we already have, and learn to expand upon it. In our evolution, we go into the vibration more deeply, surrounding ourselves with others also on the path, so that we may evolve together faster. We invite in the sensation of divine grace through this vibration, so that we can feel that unifying, ultimate, supreme bliss that takes us beyond the sense of separateness and into the ultimate connection. I often have my students participate in a group vibration together, at the end of a class. Receiving Sacred Energies It seems to me that just about every line of Kashmiri Shaivism texts can transmit some nugget of wisdom or inspiration about the nature of consciousness, or how to transcend it to go into higher levels of awareness, bliss, and enlightenment. Similarly, every stroke in Expanded orgasm can inspire me to get more present. Some people have a hard time understanding Kashmiri Shaivist texts, because they're very terse, or compact. This is intentional. When you pass something down orally for many centuries, you learn to be very concise. Also, when the teachings are secret, for obvious political and social reasons, the teachings must be understandable only to those who have been awakened. I believe that people who come to these teaching are awake, at some level already, and can use these teachings to become ever more awake, each and every time they connect with them. As an example, if you have ever had even a sense that you are more than just your body, or that you are connected to the whole of the universe, then that is simply a moment of awakening. And, of course, many people have had profound experiences of awakening that build on this simple example. The Kashmiri Shaivism Masters are the presence that lives on. You can access them only if and when you are energetically open enough. They are always here, showing you the way, transmitting that vibration. We pick it up, and, we can vibrate too. We can use that vibration and get into alignment with them and go there and be there with them in the highest of all blissful states, as they have done since the beginning of time. Please, don't take my word for it: feel the effects of these transmissions for yourself. These Masters have been here since the beginning of history, and will be here forever, for their real vibration is that of unconditional love. They offer us their transmissions on the power of orgasmic energy to reach enlightenment. Truly they -- as once ancient Masters in those bodies – are alive today, in spirit. These sacred energies *do* transcend time -- they are that powerful – and they live in our hearts if we Invite them in. When you decide it’s time to invite them in, and we can do so, it helps if you ground yourself first. By grounding I mean to toggle into the here and now, and let go of survival thinking. One way to accomplish this is to take a fully conscious breath. Relax and let the breath fill you and notice how energy is moving through your body – up from the earth through your spine, up to the sky, and back again. Now don't try and interpret and understand what these texts are saying by using your mind. Just listen and receive their words in their pure form. Ask yourself: Can you let the energy of these messages speak to you on their own? Can you feel the vibration of unconditional love, and of the kundalini, as it passes through the words? We can all ask these questions. Can we allow this sacred vibration to fill our heartbeats? It sparkles as the sun on the sidewalk, sings inside of diamonds, and dances upon the rainbows in crystals in the window. And of course, can we open to the sacred vibration as it blesses every orgasm? May we especially open to those that are expanded, extended, and fully, lovingly invited in and received! More Kashmiri Shaivism Principles Here are a few more of the tenets:
In all my teaching I stress that physical technique is only 25% of a great date. I do teach technique. I have written a book, Expanded Orgasm: Soar to Ecstasy at Your Lover's Every Touch, and have created a video, Expand Her Orgasm Tonight: a Pleasurable Program for Partners. And, my website, www.ExpandedLovemaking.com, has several other articles, podcasts, and videos devoted to achieving bliss through the body, heart, mind and spirit. These learning guides are full of technique. However, you will find that these techniques will be dramatically informed and enhanced by the application of some of the above principles. In addition, I cover the relevance of these Kashmiri Shaivist principles in great detail in some of my classes on Expanded Orgasm in Expanded Lovemaking. I hope you have the privilege of attending one or more of these classes. They will give you the benefit of direct experience with masters, and will ground your technique and awareness in powerful and profound principles. Not only will they enhance your lovemaking skills, they will enable your entire life to open to bliss and enlightenment. Suggested Resources for Further Studies Note: These are not in any suggested order, and they are all amazing books. However, the first books listed may be simpler and easier reading starting out. Also, you may follow the links from these books on Amazon to other books by the same authors. This is a partial list and there are many other great books on the subject.
Websites http://www.ShivaShakti.com http://kheper.net/topics/Trika/Trika.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_Shaivism Dr. Patricia Taylor www.ExpandedLovemaking.com © Patricia H. Taylor, PhD 2007 All rights reserved | |