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Kundalini Shakta (Yoga)
From: "jagbir singh" <adishakti_org@...>
Date: Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:12 pm
Subject: Kundalini Shakta (Yoga)
> —- In adishakti_sahaja_yoga@yahoogroups.com, "jagbir
singh"
<adishakti_org@y...> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Dear Semira,
> >
> > Definitely and without question the Divine Message will
triumph
> > over the organization itself. In future more and more
people
> > will embrace its central message of evolving into the
eternal
> > spirit that all religions, holy scriptures and prophets
have
> > since time immemorial upheld. The Divine Message is a
spiritual
> > sanctuary, a beacon of hope, joy, peace of eternal life
to all
> > humans. The Shakti/Holy Spirit/Ruh/Aykaa Mayee is the
Divine
> > Feminine that gives Self-realization/Birth of
Spirit/Baptism of
> > Allah/Opens Dasam Dwar for humanity to enter the
Sahasrara/
> > Kingdom of God/Niche of lights/Inner Sanctuary within
where
> > Brahman/God Almighty/Allah/ Waheguru resides as THE
LIGHT.
> > Semira, not only the current Sahaja Yoga organisation
but all
> > religious organizations as well have merely been
intended as
> > temporary vehicles and starting points for the Divine
Message.
> >
> > jagbir
> >
> >
> > —- In adishakti_sahaja_yoga@yahoogroups.com, "jagbir
singh"
<adishakti_org@y...> wrote:
>
> By the way things are moving the Adi Shakti will
eventually
> triumph. All we need to do as Her bhaktas is to stand our
ground
> and not yield an inch because Truth always triumphs. Years
of
> silence from religious regimes is the sure sign that the
Devi and
> Her Divine Message to all humanity cannot be challenged,
and will
> eventually be victorious in Her battle against the evil
forces.
> All we need to do is to fearlessly announce the Truth.
Shanti,
> Shanti, Shanti.
>
Kundalini Shakta (Yoga)
The word "Yoga" comes from the root "yuj" which means "to
join" and,
in its spiritual sense, it is that process by which the
human spirit
is brought into near and conscious communion with, or is
merged in,
the Divine Spirit, according as the nature of the human
spirit is
held to be separate from (Dvaita, Vishishtadvaita) or one
with
(Advaita) the Divine Spirit. As, according to Shakta
doctrine, with
which alone we are concerned, the latter proposition is
affirmed,
Yoga is that process by which the identity of the two (Jivatma
and
Paramatma),— which identity ever in fact exists,— is
realized by
the Yogi or practitioner of Yoga. It is so realized because
the
Spirit has then pierced through the veil of Maya which as
mind and
matter obscures this knowledge from itself. The means by
which this
is achieved is the Yoga process which liberates from Maya.
So the
Gheranda Samhita, a Hathayoga treatise of the Tantrik
school, says
(Chap. 5): "There is no bond equal in strength to Maya, and
no power
greater to destroy that bond than Yoga." From an Advaita or
Monistic
standpoint, Yoga in the sense of a final union is
inapplicable, for
union implies a dualism of the Divine and Human spirit. In
such a
case, it denotes the process rather than the result. When
the two
are regarded as distinct, Yoga may apply to both. A person
who
practices Yoga is called a "Yogi." According to Indian
notions all
are not competent (Adhikari) to attempt Yoga; only a very
few are.
One must, in this or in other lives, have first gone through
Karma
or ritual, and Upasana or devotional worship and obtained
the fruit
thereof, namely, a pure mind (Citta-shuddhi). This Sanskrit
term
does not merely mean a mind free from sexual impurity, as an
English
reader might suppose. The attainment of this and other good
qualities is the A B C of Sadhana. A person may have a pure
mind in
this sense and yet be wholly incapable of Yoga.
Citta-shuddhi
consists not merely in moral purity of every kind, but in
knowledge,
detachment, capacity for pure intellectual functioning,
attention,
meditation and so forth. When, by Karma and Upasana, the
mind is
brought to this point and when, in the case of Vedantik
Yoga, there
is dispassion and detachment from the world and its desires,
then
the Yoga path is open for the realization of Tattva-j—ana,
that is
ultimate Truth. Very few persons indeed are competent for
Yoga in
its higher forms. The majority should seek their advancement
along
the path of ritual and devotion.
There are four main forms of Yoga, according to a common
computation, namely, Mantrayoga, Hathayoga, Layayoga, and
Rajayoga,
the general characteristics of which have been described in
The
Serpent Power. It is only necessary here to note that
Kundali-yoga
is Layayoga. The Eighth Chapter of the Sammohana Tantra,
however,
speaks of five kinds, namely, J—ana, Raja, Laya, Hatha, and
Mantra,
and mentions as five aspects of the spiritual life, Dharma,
Kriya,
Bhava, J—ana, and Yoga; Mantrayoga being said to be of two
kinds,
according as it is pursued along the path of Kriya or Bhava.
Many
forms of Yoga are in fact mentioned in the books. There are
seven
Sadhanas of Yoga, namely, Sat-karma, Asana, Mudra,
Pratyahara,
Pranayama, Dhyana, and Samadhi, which are cleansing of the
body,
seat, postures for gymnastic and Yoga purposes, the
abstraction of
the senses from their objects, breath control (the
celebrated
Pranayama), meditation, and ecstasy, which is of two kinds,
imperfect (Savikalpa) in which dualism is no'. wholly
overcome, and
perfect (Nirvikalpa) which is complete Monistic experience
—"Aham
Brahmasmi", "I am the Brahman"—a knowledge in the sense
of
realization which, it is to be observed, does not produce
Liberation
(Moksha) but is Liberation itself. The Samadhi of Laya-yoga
is said
to be Savikalpa-Samadhi, and that of complete Raja-yoga is
said to
be Nirvikalpasamadhi. The first four processes are physical
and the
last three mental and supramental (see Gheranda Samhita,
Upadesha,
I). By these seven processes respectively certain qualities
are
gained, namely, purity (Shodhana), firmness and strength (Dridhata),
fortitude (Sthirata), steadiness (Dhairya), lightness (Laghava),
realization (Pratyaksha), and detachment leading to
Liberation
(Nirliptattva).
What is known as the eight-limbed Yoga (Ashtanga-yoga)
contains five
of the above Sadhanas (Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dhyana,
and
Samadhi) and three others, namely, Yama or self-control by
way of
chastity, temperance, avoidance of harm (Ahimasa) and their
virtues,
Niyama or religious observances, charity and so forth, with
Devotion
to the Lord (Ishvara-pranidhana), and Dharana, the fixing of
the
internal organ on its subject as directed in the Yoga
practice. For
further details, I refer the reader to my introduction to
the work
entitled The Serpent Power. Here I will only deal shortly
with Laya-
yoga or the arousing of Kundalini Shakti, a subject of the
highest
importance in the Tantra Shastra, and without some knowledge
of
which much of its ritual will not be understood. I cannot
enter into
all the details which demand a lengthy exposition, and which
I have
given in the Introduction to the two Sanskrit works called
Satcakranirupana, and Padukapa—caka translated in the
volume, The
Serpent Power which deals with kundalini Shakti and the
piercing by
Her of the six bodily centers or Cakras. The general
principle and
meaning of this Yoga has never yet been published, and the
present
Chapter is devoted to a short summary of these two points
only.
All the world (I speak, of course, of those interested in
such
subjects) is beginning to speak of Kundalini Shakti, "cette
femeuse
Kundalini" as a French friend of mine calls Her. There is
considerable talk about the Cakras and the Serpent Power but
lack of
understanding as to what they mean. This, as usual, is
sought to be
covered by an air of mystery, mystical mists, and sometimes
the
attitude: "I should much like to tell you if only I were
allowed to
give it out." A silly Indian boast of which I lately read
is, "I
have the key and I keep it." Those who really have the key
to
anything are superior men, above boasting. "Mysticism,"
which is
often confused thinking, is also a fertile soil of humbug. I
do not,
of course, speak of true Mysticism. Like all other matters
in this
Indian Shastra the basis of this Yoga is essentially
rational. Its
thought, like that of the ancients generally, whether of
East or
West, has in general the form and brilliance of a cut gem.
It is
this quality which makes it so dear to some of those who
have had to
wade through the slush of much modern thought and
literature. No
attempt has hitherto been made to explain the general
principles
which underlie it. This form of Yoga is an application of
the
general principles relating to Shakti with which I have
already
dealt. The subject has both a theoretical and a practical
aspect.
The latter is concerned with the teaching of the method in
such a
way that the aspirant may give effect to it. This cannot be
learnt
from books but only from the Guru who has himself
successfully
practiced this Yoga. Apart from difficulties, inherent in
written
explanations, it cannot be practically learnt from books,
because
the carrying out of the method is affected by the nature and
capacity of the Sadhaka and what takes place during his
Sadhana.
Further, though some general features of the method have
been
explained to me, I have had no practical experience myself
of this
Power. I am not speaking as a Yogi in this method, which I
am not;
but as one who has read and studied the Shastra on this
matter, and
has had the further advantage of some oral explanations
which have
enabled me to better understand it. I have dealt with this
practical
side, so far as it is possible to me, in my work, The
Serpent Power.
Even so far as the matter can be dealt with in writing, I
cannot,
within the limits of such a paper as this, deal with it in
any way
fully. A detailed description of the Cakras and their
significance
cannot be attempted here. I refer the reader to the work
entitled
The Serpent Power. What I wish to do is to treat the subject
on the
broadest lines possible and to explain the fundamental
principles
which underlie this Yoga method. It is because these are not
understood that there is much confused thinking and misty,
if not
mystical, talk upon the subject. How many persons, for
instance, can
correctly answer the question, "What is Kundalini Shakti?"
One may
be told that it is a Power or Shakti; that it is coiled like
a
serpent in the Muladhara; and that it is wakened and goes up
through
the Cakras to the Sahasrara. But what Shakti is it? Why,
again, is
it coiled like a serpent? What is the meaning of this? What
is the
nature of the Power? Why is it in the Muladhara? What is the
meaning
of "awakening" the power? Why if awakened should it go up?
What are
the Cakras? It is easy to say that they are regions or
lotuses. What
are they in themselves? Why have each of the lotuses a
different
number of petals? What is a petal? What and why are the
"Letters" on
them? What is the effect of going to the Sahasrara: and how
does
that effect come about? These and other similar questions
require an
answer before this form of Yoga can be understood. I have
said
something as to the Letters in the chapters on Shakti as
Mantra and
Varnamala. With these and with other general questions,
rather than
with the details of the six Cakras, set forth in The Serpent
Power I
will here deal.
In the first place, it is necessary to remember the
fundamental
principle of the Tantra Shastra to which I have already
referred,
viz., that man is a microcosm (Kshudrabrahmanda). Whatever
exists in
the outer universe exists in him. All the Tattvas and the
worlds are
within him and so are the supreme Shiva-Shakti.
The body may be divided into two main parts, namely, the
head and
trunk on one hand, and the legs on the other. In man, the
center of
the body is between these two, at the base of the spine
where the
legs begin. Supporting the trunk and throughout the whole
body there
is the spinal cord. This is the axis of the body, just as
Mount Meru
is the axis of the earth. Hence man's spine is called
Merudanda, the
Meru or axis-staff. The legs and feet are gross matter which
show
less signs of consciousness than the trunk with its spinal
white and
gray matter; which trunk itself is greatly subordinate in
this
respect to the head containing the organ of mind, or
physical brain,
with its white and gray matter. The position of the white
and gray
matter in the head and spinal column respectively are
reversed. The
body and legs below the center are the seven lower or nether
worlds
upheld by the sustaining Shaktis of the universe. From the
center
upwards, consciousness more freely manifests through the
spinal and
cerebral centers. Here there are the seven upper regions or
Lokas, a
term which Satyananda in his commentary on Isha Upanishad
says,
means "what are seen" (Lokyante), that is, experienced and
are hence
the fruits of Karma in the form of particular re-birth.
These
regions, namely, Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah, Tapah, Jana, Mahah, and
Satya
Lokas correspond with the six centers; five in the trunk,
the sixth
in the lower cerebral center; and the seventh in the upper
Brain or
Satya-loka, the abode of the supreme Shiva-Shakti.
The six centers are the Muladhara or root-support situated
at the
base of the spinal column in a position midway in the
perineum
between the root of the genitals and the anus. Above it, in
the
region of the genitals, abdomen, heart, chest or throat and
in the
forehead between the two eyes (Bhrumadhye) are the
Svadhisthana,
Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha and Aj—a Cakras or lotuses (Padma)
respectively. These are the chief centers, though the books
speak of
others such as the Lalana and Manas and Soma Cakras. In
fact, in the
Advaita Martanda, a modern Sanskrit book by the late Guru of
the
Maharaja of Kashmir, some fifty Cakras and Adharas are
mentioned:
though the six stated are the chief upon which all accounts
agree.
And so it is said. "How can there be any Siddhi for him who
knows
not the six Cakras, the sixteen Adharas, the five Ethers and
the
three Lingas in his own body?" The seventh region beyond the
Cakras
is the upper brain, the highest center of manifestation of
Consciousness in the body and therefore the abode of the
supreme
Shiva-Shakti. When "abode" is said, it is not meant, of
course, that
the Supreme is there placed in the sense of our "placing,"
namely,
it is there and not elsewhere. The Supreme is never
localized whilst
its manifestations are. It is everywhere both within and
without the
body, but it is said to be in the Sahasrara, because it is
there
that the Supreme Shiva-Shakti is realized. And this must be
so,
because consciousness is realized by entering in and passing
through
the highest manifestation of mind, the Sattvamayi Buddhi,
above and
beyond which is Cit and Cidrupini Shakti themselves. From
their
Shiva-Shakti Tattva aspect are evolved Mind in its form as
Buddhi,
Ahamkara, Manas and associated senses (Indriyas) the center
of which
is in and above the Aj—a Cakra and below the Sahasrara. From
Ahamkara proceed the Tanmatras or generals of the
sense-particulars
which evolve the five forms of sensible matter (Bhuta),
namely,
Akasha ("Ether"), Vayu ("Air"), Agni ("Fire"), Apas
("Water"), and
Prithivi ("Earth"). The English translations given of these
terms do
not imply that the Bhutas are the same as the English
elements of
air, fire, water, earth. The terms indicate varying degrees
of
matter from the ethereal to the solid. Thus Prithivi or
earth is any
matter in the Prithivi state; that is, which may be sensed
by the
Indriya of smell. Mind and matter pervade the whole body.
But there
are centers therein in which they are predominant. Thus Aj—a
is a
center of mind, and the five lower Cakras are centers of the
five
Bhutas; Vishuddha of Akasha, Anahata of Vayu, Manipura of
Agni,
Svadhisthana of Apas, and Muladhara of Prithivi.
In short, man as a microcosm is the all-pervading Spirit
(which most
purely manifests in the Sahasrara) vehicled by Shakti in the
form of
Mind and Matter the centers of which are the sixth and
following
five Cakras respectively.
The six Cakras have been identified with the following
plexuses
commencing from the lowest, the Muladhara: The
Sacrococcygeal
plexus, the Sacral plexus, the Solar plexus (which forms the
great
junction of the right and left sympathetic chains Ida and
Pingala
with the cerebro-spinal axis.) Connected with this is the
Lumbar
plexus. Then follows the Cardiac plexus (Anahata), Laryngeal
plexus,
and lastly the Aj—a or cerebellum with its two lobes, and
above this
the Manas Cakra or sensorium with its six lobes, the Soma-cakra
or
middle Cerebrum, and lastly the Sahasrara or upper Cerebrum.
To some
extent these localizations are yet tentative. This statement
may
involve an erroneous view of what the Cakras really are, and
is
likely to produce wrong notions concerning them in others.
The six
Cakras themselves are vital centers within the spinal column
in the
white and gray matter there. They may, however, and probably
do,
influence and govern the gross tract outside the spine in
the bodily
region lateral to, and co-extensive with, the section of the
spinal
column in which a particular center is situated. The Cakras
are
centers of Shakti as vital force. In other words they are
centers of
Pranashakti manifested by Pranavayu in the living body, the
presiding Devatas of which are names for the Universal
Consciousness
as It manifests in the form of those centers. The Cakras are
not
perceptible to the gross senses, whatever may be a Yogi's
powers to
observe what is beyond the senses (Atindriya). Even if they
were
perceptible in the living body which they help to organize,
they
disappear with the disintegration of organism at death.
In an article on the Physical Errors of Hinduism, (Calcutta
Review,
XI, 436-440) it was said: "It would' indeed excite the
surprise of
our readers to hear that the Hindus, who would not even
touch a dead
body, much less dissect it (which is incorrect), should
possess any
anatomical knowledge at all.......It is the Tantras that
furnish us
with some extraordinary pieces of information concerning the
human
body ......But of all the Hindus Shastras extant, the
Tantras lie in
the greatest obscurity...... The Tantrik theory, on which
the well-
known Yoga called 'Shatcakrabheda' is founded, supposes the
existence of six main internal organs, called Cakras or
Padmas, all
bearing a special resemblance to that famous flower, the
lotus.
These are placed one above the other, and connected by three
imaginary chains, the emblems of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and
the
Sarasvati......Such is the obstinacy with which the Hindus
adhere to
these erroneous notions, that, even when we show them by
actual
dissection the nonexistence of the imaginary Cakras in the
human
body, they will rather have recourse to excuses revolting to
common-
sense than acknowledge the evidence of their own eyes. They
say,
with a shamelessness unparalleled, that these Padmas exist
as long
as a man lives, but disappear the moment he dies." This
alleged "shamelessness" reminds me of the story of a doctor
who told
my father "that he had performed many postmortems and had
never yet
discovered a soul."
The petals of the lotuses vary being 4, 6, 10, 12, 16 and 2
respectively, commencing from the Muladhara and ending with
Aj—a.
There are 50 in all, as are the letters of the alphabet
which are in
the petals; that is, the Matrikas are associated with the
Tattvas
since both are products of the same creative Cosmic Process
manifesting either as physiological or psychological
function. It is
noteworthy that the number of the petals is that of the
letters
leaving out either Ksha or the Second La, and that these 50
multiplied by 20 are in the 1,000 petals of the Sahasrara, a
number
which is probably only indicative of multitude and
magnitude.
But why, it may be asked, do the petals vary in number? Why,
for
instance, are there 4 in the Muladhara and 6 in the
Svadhisthana?
The answer given is that the number of petals in any Cakra
is
determined by the number and position of the Nadis or Yoga
"nerves"
around that Cakra. Thus, four Nadis surrounding and passing
through
the vital movements of the Muladhara Cakra give it the
appearance of
a lotus of four petals. The petals are thus configurations
made by
the position of Nadis at any particular center. These Nadis
are not
those which are known to the Vaidya of Medical Shastras. The
latter
are gross physical nerves. Rut the former here spoken of are
called
Yoga-Nadis and are subtle channels (Vivara) along which the
Pranik
currents flow. The term Nadi comes from the root "Nad" which
means
motion. The body is filled with an uncountable number of
Nadis. If
they were revealed to the eye the body would present the
appearance
of a highly complicated chart of ocean currents.
Superficially the
water seems one and the same. But examination shows that it
is
moving with varying degrees of force in all directions. All
these
lotuses exist in the spinal column.
An Indian physician and Sanskritist has, in the Guy's
Hospital
Gazette, expressed the opinion that better anatomy is given
in the
Tantras than in the purely medical works of the Hindus. I
have
attempted elsewhere to co-relate present and ancient anatomy
and
physiology. I can, however, only mention here some salient
points,
first pointing out that the Shivasvarodaya Shastra gives
prominence
to nerve centers and nerve currents (Vayu) and their
control, such
teaching being for the purpose of worship (Upasana) and
Yoga. The
aims and object of the two Shastras are not the same.
The Merudanda is the vertebral column. Western Anatomy
divides it
into five regions; and it is to be noted in corroboration of
the
theory here exposed that these correspond with the regions
in which
the five Cakras are situate. The central spinal system
comprises the
brain or encephalon contained within the skull (in which are
the
Lalana, Aj—a, Manas, Soma Cakras and the Sahasrara); as also
the
spinal cord extending from the upper border of the Atlas
below the
cerebellum and descending to the second lumbar vertebra
where it
tapers to a point called the filum terminale. within the
spine is
the cord, a compound of gray and white brain matter, in
which are
the five lower Cakras. It is noteworthy that the filum
terminale was
formerly thought to be a mere fibrous cord, an unsuitable
vehicle,
one might think, for the Muladhara Cakra and Kundali Shakti.
Recent
microscopic investigations have, however, disclosed the
existence of
highly sensitive gray matter in the filum terminale which
represents
the position of the Muladhara. According to Western science,
the
spinal cord is not merely a conductor between the periphery
and the
centers of sensation and volition, but is also an
independent center
or group of centers. The Sushumna is a Nadi in the center of
the
spinal column. Its base is called the Brahmadvara or Gate of
Brahman. As regards the physiological relations of the
Cakras all
that can be said with any degree of certainty is that the
four above
the Muladhara have relation to the genito-excretory,
digestive,
cardiac and respiratory functions, and that the two upper
centers,
the Aj—a (with associated Cakras) and the Sahasrara denote
various
forms of its cerebral activity ending in the response of
Pure
Consciousness therein gained through Yoga. The Nadis on each
side
called Ida and Pingala are the left and right sympathetic
cords
crossing the central column from one side to the other,
making at
the Aj—a with the Sushumna a threefold knot called Triveni;
which is
the spot in the Medulla where the sympathetic cords join
together
and whence they take their origin—these Nadis together
with the
two-lobed Aj—a and the Sushumna forming the figure of the
Caduceus
of the God Mercury which is said by some to represent them.
How then does this Yoga compare with others?
It will now be asked what are the general principles which
underlie
the Yoga practice above described. How is it that the
rousing of
Kundalini Shakti and Her union with Shiva effect the state
of
ecstatic union (Samadhi) and spiritual experience which is
alleged.
The reader who has understood the general principles
recorded in the
previous essays should, if he has not already divined it,
readily
appreciate the answer here given.
In the first place, there are two main lines of Yoga,
namely, Dhyana
or Bhavana Yoga and Kundali Yoga, the subject of this work;
and
there is a marked difference between the two. The first
class of
Yoga is that in which ecstasy (Samadhi) is attained by
intellective
processes (Kriya-j—ana) of meditation and the like, with the
aid, it
may be, of auxiliary processes of Mantra or Hatha Yoga
(other than
the rousing of Kundalini Shakti) and by detachment from the
world;
the second stands apart as that portion of Hatha Yoga in
which,
though intellective processes are not neglected, the
creative and
sustaining Shakti of the whole body is actually and truly
united
with the Lord Consciousness. The yogi makes Her introduce
him to Her
Lord, and enjoys the bliss of union through Her. Though it
is he who
arouses Her, it is She who gives J—ana, for She is Herself
that. The
Dhyanayogi gains what acquaintance with the supreme state
his own
meditative powers can given him and knows not the enjoyment
of union
with Shiva in and through his fundamental Body-Power. The
two forms
of Yoga differ both as to method and result. The Hathayoga
regards
his Yoga and its fruit as the highest. The J—anayogi may
think
similarly of his own. Kundalini is so renowned that many
seek to
know Her. Having studied the theory of this Yoga, I have
been often
asked: "Whether one can get on without it." 'the answer is:
"It
depends upon what you are looking for." If you want to rouse
Kundalini Shakti to enjoy the bliss of union of Shiva and
Shakti
through Her and to gain the accompanying Powers (Siddhi) it
is
obvious that this end can only, if at all, be achieved by
the Yoga
here described. But if Liberation is sought without desire
for union
through Kundali then such Yoga is not necessary; for
Liberation may
be obtained by pure J—anayoga through detachment, the
exercise, and
then the stilling of the mind, without any reference to the
central
Body-Power at all. Instead of setting out in and from the
world to
unite with Shiva, the J—anayogi, to attain this result,
detaches
himself from the world. The one is the path of enjoyment and
the
other of asceticism. Samadhi may also be obtained on the
path of
devotion (Bhakti) as on that of knowledge. Indeed, the
highest
devotion (Parabhakti) is not different from knowledge. Both
are
realization. But, whilst Liberation (Mukti) is attainable by
either
method, there are other marked differences between the two.
A
Dhyanayogi should not neglect his body knowing that as he is
both
mind and matter each reacts, the one upon the other. Neglect
or mere
mortification of the body is more apt to produce disordered
imagination than a true spiritual experience. He is not
concerned,
however, with the body in the sense that the Hathayogi is.
It is
possible to be a successful Dhyanayogi and yet to be weak in
body
and health, sick, and short-lived. His body and not he
himself
determines when he shall die. He cannot die at will. When he
is in
Samadhi, Kundali Shakti is still sleeping in the Muladhara
and none
of the physical symptoms and psychical bliss, or powers (Siddhi)
described as accompanying Her rousing are observed in his
case. The
Ecstasis which he calls "Liberation while yet living" (Jivanmukti)
is not a state like that of real Liberation. He may be still
subject
to a suffering body from which he escapes only at death,
when, if at
all, he is liberated. His ecstasy is in the nature of a
meditation
which passes into the Void (Bhavanasamadhi) effected through
negation of all thought-form (Citta-vritti) and detachment
from the
world; a comparatively negative process in which the
positive act of
raising the central power of the body takes no part. By his
effort
the mind, which is a product of Kundalini as Prakriti
Shakti,
together with its worldly desires is stilled so that the
veil
produced by mental functioning is removed from
Consciousness. In
Layayoga, Kundalini Herself, when roused by the Yogi (for
such
rousing is his act and part), achieves for him this
illumination.
But why, it may be asked, should, one trouble over the body
and its
Central Power, the more particularly as there are unusual
risks and
difficulties involved? The answer has been already given—
alleged
completeness and certainty of realization through the agency
of the
Power which is knowledge itself (J—anarupa Shakti), an
intermediate
acquisition or Powers (Siddhi), and intermediate and final
enjoyment. This answer may, however, be usefully developed
as a
fundamental principle of the Shakta Tantra.
The Shakta Tantra claims to give both Enjoyment (Bhukti) in
the
world and Liberation (Mukti) from all worlds. This claim is
based on
a profoundly true principle, given Advaitavada as a basis.
If the
ultimate reality is the One which exists in two aspects of
quiescent
enjoyment of the Self, in liberation from all form and
active
enjoyment of objects, that is, as pure spirit and spirit in
matter,
then a complete union with Reality demands such unity in
both of Its
aspects. It must be known both "here" (Iha) and "there" (Amutra).
When rightly apprehended and practiced, there is truth in
the
doctrine which teaches that man should make the best of both
worlds.
There is no real incompatibility between the two, provided
action is
taken in conformity with the universal law of manifestation.
It is
held to be false teaching that happiness hereafter can only
be had
by absence of enjoyment now, or in deliberately sought-for
suffering
and mortification. It is the one Shiva who is the Supreme
Blissful
Experience and who appears in the form of man with a life of
mingled
pleasure and pain. Both happiness here and the bliss of
Liberation
here and hereafter may be attained, if the identity of these
Shivas
be realized in every human act. This will be achieved by
making
every human function, without exception, a religious act of
sacrifice and worship (Yaj—a). In the ancient Vaidik ritual,
enjoyment by way of food and drink, was preceded and
accompanied by
ceremonial sacrifice and ritual. Such enjoyment was the
fruit of the
sacrifice and the gift of the Devas. At a higher stage in
the life
of a Sadhaka, it is offered to the One from whom all gifts
come and
of whom the Devatas are inferior limited forms. But this
offering
also involves a dualism from which the highest Monistic (Advaita)
Sadhana of the Shakta Tantra is free. Here the individual
life and
the world-life are known as one. And so the Tantrik Sadhaka,
when
eating or drinking or fulfilling any other of the natural
functions
of the body does so, saying and believing, Shivo'ham, "I am
Shiva",
Bhairavo'ham, "I am Bhairava", "Sa'ham", "I am She". It is
not
merely the separate individual who thus acts and enjoys. It
is Shiva
who does so in and through him. Such an one recognizes, as
has been
well said, that his life and the play of all its activities
are not
a thing apart, to be held and pursued egotistically for its
and his
own separate sake, as though enjoyment was something to be
filched
from life by his own unaided strength and with a sense of
separatedness; but his life and all its activities are
conceived as
part of the Divine action in nature—Shakti manifesting
and
operating in the form of man. He realizes in the pulsing
beat of his
heart the rhythm which throbs through and is the sign of the
Universal Life. To neglect or to deny the needs of the body,
to
think of it as something not divine, is to neglect and deny
the
greater life of which it is a part; and to falsify the great
doctrine of the unity of all and of the ultimate identity of
Matter
and Spirit. Governed by such a concept, even the lowliest
physical
needs take on a cosmic significance. The body is Shakti. Its
needs
are Sakti's needs; when man enjoys, it is Shakti who enjoys
through
him. In all he sees and does, it is The Mother who looks and
acts.
His eyes and hands are Hers. The whole body and all its
functions
are Her manifestation. To fully realize Her as such is to
perfect
this particular manifestation of Hers which is himself. Man
when
seeking to be the master of himself, seeks so on all the
planes to
be physical, mental and spiritual; nor can they be severed,
for they
are all related, being but differing aspects of the one all-
pervading Consciousness. Who is the more divine: he who
neglects and
spurns the body or mind that he may attain some fancied
spiritual
superiority, or he who rightly cherishes both as forms of
the one
Spirit which they clothe? Realization is more speedily and
truly
attained by discerning Spirit in and as all being and its
activities, than by fleeing from and casting these aside as
being
either unspiritual or illusory and impediments in the path.
If not
rightly conceived, they map be impediments and the cause of
fall;
otherwise they become instruments of attainment; and what
others are
there to hand? And so the Kularnava Tantra says, "By what
men fall
by that they rise." When acts are done in the right feeling
and
frame of mind (Bhava), those acts give enjoyment (Bhukti),
and the
repeated and prolonged Bhava produces at length that divine
experience (Tattvaj—ana) which is liberation. When the
Mother is
seen in all things, She is at length realized as She who is
beyond
them all.
These general principles have their more frequent
application in the
life of the world before entrance on the path of Yoga
proper. The
Yoga here described is, however, also an application of
these same
principles, in so far as it is claimed that thereby both
Bhukti and
Mukti are attained. Ordinarily, it is said, that where there
is Yoga
there is no Bhoga (enjoyment); but in Kaula teaching, Yoga
is Bhoga,
and Bhoga is Yoga, and the world itself becomes the seat of
Liberation (Yogo bhogayate, mokshayate samsarah).
By the lower processes of Hathayoga it is sought to attain
a perfect physical body which will also be a wholly fit
instrument
by which the mind may function. A perfect mind, again,
approaches,
and in Samadhi passes into, Pure Consciousness itself. The
Hathayogi
thus seeks a body which shall be as strong as steel,
healthy, free
from suffering and therefore long-lived. Master of the body
he is,
master of both life and death. His lustrous form enjoys the
vitality
of youth. He lives as long as he has the will to live and
enjoy in
the world of forms. His death is the "death at will" (Iccha-mrityu);
when making the great and wonderfully expressive gesture of
dissolution (Samhara-mudra) he grandly departs. But it may
be said,
the Hatha-yogis do get sick and die. In the first place, the
full
discipline is one of difficulty and risk, and can only be
pursued
under the guidance of a skilled Guru. As the Goraksha
Samhita says,
unaided and unsuccessful practice may lead not only to
disease but
death. He who seeks to conquer the Lord of Death incurs the
risk, on
failure, of a more speedy conquest by Him. All who attempt
this Yoga
do not of course succeed or meet with the same measure of
success.
Those who fail not only incur the infirmities of ordinary
men, but
also others brought on by practices which have been ill
pursued or
for which they are not fit. Those again who do succeed, do
so in
varying degrees. One may prolong his life to the sacred age
of 84,
others to 100, others yet further. In theory at least those
who are
perfected (Siddha) go from this plane when they will. All
have not
the same capacity or opportunity, through want of will,
bodily
strength, or circumstance. All may not be willing or able to
follow
the strict rules necessary for success. Nor does modern life
offer
in general the opportunities for so complete a physical
culture. All
men may not desire such a life or may think the attainment
of it not
worth the trouble involved. Some may wish to be rid of their
body
and that as speedily as possible. It is therefore said that
it is
easier to gain Liberation than Deathlessness. The former may
be had
by unselfishness, detachment from the world, moral and
mental
discipline. But to conquer death is harder than this, for
these
qualities and acts will not alone avail. He who does so
conquer
holds life in the hollow of one hand, and if he be a
successful
(Siddha) Yogi, Liberation in the other. He has Enjoyment and
Liberation. He is the Emperor who is Master of the World and
the
Possessor of the Bliss which is beyond all worlds. Therefore
it is
claimed by the Hathayogi that every Sadhana is inferior to
Hathayoga.
The Hathayoga who works for Liberation does so through the
Yoga
Sadhana here described which gives both Enjoyment and
Liberation. At
every center to which he rouses Kundalini he experiences a
special
form of bliss (Ananda) and gains special powers (Siddhi).
Carrying
Her to the Shiva of his cerebral center he enjoys Supreme
Bliss
which in its nature is Liberation, and which when
established in
permanence is Liberation itself on the loosening of Spirit
and Body.
She who "shines like a chain of lights", a lightning flash
—in the
center of his body is the "Inner Woman" to whom reference
was made
when it was said, "What need have I of any outer woman? I
have an
Inner Woman within myself." The Vira (heroic) Sadhaka,
knowing
himself as the embodiment of Shiva (Shivo'ham), unites with
woman as
the embodiment of Shakti on the physical plane. The Divya
(Divine)
Sadhaka or Yogi unites within himself his own Principles,
female and
male, which are the "Heart of the Lord" (Hridayam
Parameshituh) or
Shakti and Her Lord Consciousness or Shiva. It is their
union which
is the mystic coition (Maithuna) of the Tantras. There are
two forms
of union (Samarasya), namely, the first which is the gross (Sthula),
or the union of the physical embodiments of the Supreme
Consciousness; and the second which is the subtle (Sukshma),
or the
union of the quiescent and active principles in
Consciousness
itself. It is the latter which is Liberation.
Lastly, what, in a philosophical sense, is the nature of the
process
here described? Shortly stated, Energy (Shakti) polarizes
itself
into two forms. namely, static or potential (Kundalini) and
dynamic
(the working forces of the body as Prana). Behind all
activity there
is a static background. This static center in the human body
is the
central Serpent Power in the Muladhara (Root-support). It is
the
Power which is the static support (Adhara) of the whole body
and all
its moving Pranik forces. This Center (Kendra) of Power is a
gross
form of Cit or Consciousness; that is, in itself (Svarupa),
it is
Consciousness; and by appearance it is a Power which, as the
highest
form of Force, is a manifestation of it. Just as there is a
distinction (though identical at base) between the supreme
quiescent
Consciousness and Its active Power (Shakti), so when
Consciousness
manifests as Energy (Shakti), it possesses the twin aspects
of
potential and kinetic Energy. There can be no partition in
fact of
Reality. To the perfect eye of the Siddha the process of
Becoming is
an ascription (Adhyasa). To the imperfect eye of the Sadhaka,
that
is, the aspirant for Siddhi (perfected accomplishment), to
the
spirit which is still toiling through the lower planes and
variously
identifying itself with them, Becoming is tending to appear
and
appearance is real. The Shakta Tantra is a rendering of
Vedantik
Truth from this practical point of view, and represents the
world-
process as a polarization in Consciousness itself. This
polarity as
it exists in, and as, the body is destroyed by Yoga which
disturbs
the equilibrium of bodily consciousness, which consciousness
is the
result of the maintenance of these two poles. In the human
body the
potential pole of Energy which is the Supreme Power is
stirred to
action, on which the moving forces (dynamic Shakti)
supported by it
are drawn thereto, and the whole dynamism thus engendered
moves
upward to unite with the quiescent Consciousness in the
Highest
Lotus.
There is a polarization of Shakti into two forms—static
and
dynamic. In a correspondence I had with Professor Pramatha
Natha
Mukhyopadhyaya, on this subject, he very well developed this
point
and brought forward some suitable illustrations of it, which
I am
glad to avail myself of. He pointed out that, in the first
place, in
the mind or experience this polarization or polarity is
patent to
reflection: namely, the polarity between pure Cit and the
Stress
which is involved in it. This Stress or Shakti develops the
mind
through an infinity of forms and changes, themselves
involved in the
pure unbounded Ether of Consciousness, the Cidakasha. This
analysis
exhibits the primordial Shakti in the same two polar forms
as
before, static and dynamic. Here the polarity is most
fundamental
and approaches absoluteness, though of course, it is to be
remembered that there is no absolute rest except in pure
Cit. Cosmic
energy is in an equilibrium which is relative and not
absolute.
Passing from mind, let us take matter. The atom of modern
science
has, as I have already pointed out, ceased to be an atom in
the
sense of an indivisible unit of matter. According to the
electron
theory, the so-called atom is a miniature universe
resembling our
solar system. At the center of this atomic system we have a
charge
of positive electricity round which a cloud of negative
charges
called Electrons revolve. The positive and negative charges
hold
each other in check so that the atom is in a condition of
equilibrated energy and does not ordinarily break up, though
it may
do so on the dissociation which is the characteristic of all
matter,
but which is so clearly manifest in radioactivity of radium.
We have
thus here again a positive charge at rest at the center, and
negative charges in motion round about the center. What is
thus said
about the atom applies to the whole cosmic system and
universe. In
the world-system, the planets revolve round the Sun, and
that system
itself is probably (taken as a whole) a moving mass around
some
other relatively static center, until we arrive at the
Brahma-bindu
which is the point of Absolute Rest, round which all forms
revolve
and by which all are maintained. He has aptly suggested
other
illustrations of the same process. Thus, in the tissues of
the
living body, the operative energy is polarized into two
forms of
energy—anabolic and catabolic, the one tending to change
and the
other to conserve the tissues; the actual condition of the
tissues
being simply the resultant of these two co-existent or
concurrent
activities. In the case, again, of the impregnated ovum,
Shakti is
already presented in its two polar aspects, namely, the ovum
(possibly the static) and the spermatozoon, the dynamic. The
germ
cell does not cease to be such. It splits into two, one
half, the
somatic cell gradually developing itself into the body of
the
animal, the other half remaining encased within the body
practically
unchanged and as the germ-plasma is transmitted in the
process of
reproduction to the offspring.
In short, Shakti, when manifesting, divides itself into two
polar
aspects—static and dynamic—which implies that you
cannot have
it in a dynamic form without at the same time having it in a
static
form, much like the poles of a magnet. In any given sphere
of
activity of force, we must have, according to the cosmic
principle,
a static background—Shakti at rest or "coiled" as the
Tantras
say. This scientific truth is illustrated in the figure of
the
Tantrik Kali. The Divine Mother moves as the Kinetic Shakti
on the
breast of Sadashiva who is the static background of pure Cit
which
is actionless (Nishkriya); the Gunamayi Mother being all
activity.
The Cosmic Shakti is the collectivity (Samashti) in relation
to which the Kundali in particular bodies is the Vyasti
(individual)
Shakti. The body is, as I have stated, a microcosm
(Kshudrabrahmanda). In the living body there is, therefore,
the same
polarization of which I have spoken. From the Mahakundali
the
universe has sprung. In Her supreme form She is at rest,
coiled
round and one (as Cidrupini) with the Shivabindu. She is
then at
rest. She next uncoils Herself to manifest. Here the three
coils of
which the Tantras speak are the three Gunas, and the three
and a
half coils to which the Kubjika Tantra alludes are Prakriti
and its
three Gunas together with the Vikritis. Her 50 coils are the
letters
of the alphabet. As She goes on uncoiling, the Tattvas and
the
Matrikas, The Mothers of the Varnas, issue from Her. She is
thus
moving, and continues even after creation to move in the
Tattvas so
created. For as they are born of movement, they continue to
move.
The whole world (Jagat) as the Sanskrit term implies, is
moving. She
thus continues creatively active until She has evolved
Prithivi, the
last of the Tattvas. First She creates mind and then matter.
This
latter becomes more and more dense. It has been suggested
that the
Mahabhutas are the Densities of modern science: Air density
associated with the maximum velocity of gravity; Fire
density
associated with the velocity of light; Water or fluid
density
associated with molecular velocity and the equatorial
velocity of
the Earth's rotation; and Earth density, that of basalt
associated
with the Newtonian velocity of sound. However this be, it is
plain
that the Bhutas represent an increasing density of matter
until it
reaches its three-dimensional solid form. When Shakti has
created
this last or Prithivi Tattva, what is there further for Her
to do?
Nothing. She, therefore, then again rests. She is again
coiled,
which means that She is at rest. "At rest," again, means
that She
assumes a static form. Shakti, however, is never exhausted,
that is,
emptied into any of its forms. Therefore, Kundali Shakti at
this
point is, as it were, the Shakti left over (though yet a
plenum)
after the Prithivi, the last of the Bhutas has been created.
We have
thus Mahakundali at rest as Cidrupini Shakti in the
Sahasrara, the
point of absolute rest; and then the body in which the
relative
static center is Kundali at rest, and round this center the
whole of
the bodily forces move. They are Shakti, and so is Kundali
Shakti.
The difference between the two is that they are Shakti in
specific
differentiated forms in movement; and Kundali Shakti is un-
differentiated, residual Shakti at rest, that is, coiled.
She is
coiled in the Muladhara, which means fundamental support,
and which
is at the same time the seat of the Prithivi or last solid
Tattva
and of the residual Shakti or Kundalini. The body may,
therefore, be
compared to a magnet with two poles. The Muladhara, in so
far as it
is the seat of Kundali Shakti, a comparatively gross form of
Cit
(being Cit-Shakti and Maya-Shakti) is the static pole in
relation to
the rest of the body which is dynamic. The "working" that is
the
body necessarily presupposes and finds such a static
support; hence
the name Muladhara. In one sense the static Shakti at the
Mula-dhara
is necessarily co-existent with the creating and evolving
Shakti of
the body; because the dynamic aspect or pole can never be
without
its static counterpart. In another sense, it is the residual
Shakti
left over after such operation.
What, then, happens in the accomplishment of this Yoga? This
static
Shakti is affected by Pranayama and other Yogic processes
and
becomes dynamic. Thus, when completely dynamic, that is,
when
Kundali unites with Shiva in the Sahasrara, the polarization
of the
body gives way. The two poles are united in one and there is
the
state of consciousness called Samadhi. The polarization, of
course,
takes place in consciousness. The body actually continues to
exist
as an object of observation to others. It continues its
organic
life. But man's consciousness of his body and all other
objects is
withdrawn because the mind has ceased, so far as his
consciousness
is concerned, the function, having been withdrawn into its
ground
which is consciousness.
How is the body sustained? In the first place, though
Kundali Shakti
is the static center of the whole body as a complete
conscious
organism, yet each of the parts of the body and their
constituent
cells have their own static centers which uphold such parts
or
cells. Next, the theory of the Tantriks themselves is that
Kundali
ascends, and that the body, as a complete organism, is
maintained by
the "nectar" which flows from the union of Shiva and Shakti
in the
Sahasrara. This nectar is an ejection of power generated by
their
union. My friend, however, whom I have cited, is of opinion
(and for
this grounds may be urged) that the potential Kundali Shakti
becomes
only partly and not wholly converted into kinetic Shakti;
and yet
since Shakti—even as given in the Mula center—is an
infinitude, it is not depleted, the potential store always
remaining
unexhausted. In this case, the dynamic equivalent is a
partial
conversion of one mode of energy into another. If, however,
the
coiled power at the Mula became absolutely uncoiled, there
would
result the dissolution of the three bodies, gross, subtle
and
causal, and consequently Videha-Mukti—because the static
background in relation to a particular form of existence
would,
according to this hypothesis, have wholly given way. He
would
explain the fact that the body becomes cold as a corpse as
the
Shakti leaves it, as being due, not to the depletion or
privation of
the static power at the Muladhara, but to the concentration
or
convergence of the dynamic power ordinarily diffused over
the whole
body, so that the dynamic equivalent which is set up against
the
static background of Kundali Shakti is only the diffused
five-fold
Prana gathered home—withdrawn from the other tissues of
the body
and concentrated along the axis. Thus, ordinarily, the
dynamic
equivalent is the Prana diffused over all the tissues: in
Yoga, it
is converged along the axis, the static equivalent of
Kundali Shakti
enduring in both cases. Some part of the already available
dynamic
Prana is made to act at the base of the axis in a suitable
manner,
by which means the basal center or Muladhara becomes, as it
were,
over-saturated and reacts on the whole diffused dynamic
power (or
Prana) of the body by withdrawing it from the tissues and
converging
it along the line of the axis. In this way the diffused
dynamic
equivalent becomes the converged dynamic equivalent along
the axis.
What, according to this view, ascends, is not the whole
Shakti but
an eject like condensed lightning, which at length reaches
the
Parama-Shivasthana. There, the Central Power which up-holds
the
individual world-consciousness is merged in the Supreme
Consciousness. The limited consciousness, transcending the
passing
concepts of worldly life, directly intuits the unchanging
Reality
which underlies the whole phenomenal flow. When Kundali
Shakti
sleeps in the Muladhara, man is awake to the world; when she
awakes
to unite, and does unite, with the supreme static
Consciousness
which is Shiva, then consciousness is asleep to the world
and is one
with the Light of all things.
Putting aside detail, the main principle appears to be that,
when "wakened", Kundali Shakti either Herself (or as my
friend
suggests in Her eject) ceases to be a static Power which
sustains
the world-consciousness, the content of which is held only
so long
as She "sleeps": and when once set in movement is drawn to
that
other static center in the Thousand-petalled Lotus (Sahasrara)
which
is Herself in union with the Shiva-consciousness or the
consciousness of ecstasy beyond the world of forms. When
Kundali "sleeps" man is awake to this world. When She
"awakes" he
sleeps, that is loses all consciousness of the world and
enters his
causal body. In Yoga he passes beyond to formless
Consciousness.
I have only to add, without further discussion of the point,
that
practitioners of this Yoga claim that it is higher than any
other
and that the Samadhi (ecstasy) attained thereby is more
perfect. The
reason which they allege is this. In Dhyanayoga, ecstasy
takes place
through detachment from the world, and mental concentration
leading
to vacuity of mental operation (Vritti) or the uprising of
pure
Consciousness unhindered by the limitations of the mind. The
degree
to which this unveiling of consciousness is effected depends
upon
the meditative powers (J—anashakti) of the Sadhaka and the
extent of
his detachment from the world. On the other hand, Kundali
who is all
Shakti and who is therefore J—anashakti Herself produces,
when
awakened by the Yogi, full J—ana for him. Secondly, in the
Samadhi
of Dhyanayoga there is no rousing and union of Kundali
Shakti with
the accompanying bliss and acquisition of special Powers (Siddhi).
Further, in Kundali Yoga there is not merely a Samadhi
through
meditation, but through the central power of the Jiva a
power which
carries with it the forces of both body and mind. The union
in that
sense is claimed to be more complete than that enacted
through
mental methods only. Though in both cases bodily
consciousness is
lost, in Kundalini-Yoga not only the mind, but the body, in
so far
as it is represented by its central power (or may be its
eject) is
actually united with Shiva. This union produces an enjoyment
(Bhukti) which the Dhyanayogi does not possess. Whilst both
the
Divya Yogi and the Vira Sadhaka have enjoyment (Bhukti),
that of the
former is said to be infinitely more intense, being an
experience of
Bliss itself. The enjoyment of the Vira Sadhaka is but a
reflection
of it on the physical plane, a welling up of the true Bliss
through
the deadening coverings and trammels of matter. Again,
whilst it is
said that both have Liberation (Mukti), this word is used in
Vira
Sadhana in a figurative sense only, indicating a bliss which
is the
nearest approach on the physical plane to that of Mukti, and
a Bhava
or feeling of momentary union of Shiva and Shakti which
ripens in
the higher Yoga Sadhana into the literal liberation of the
Yogi. He
has both Enjoyment (Bhukti) and Liberation (Mukti) in the
fullest
and literal sense. Hence its claim to be the Emperor of all
Yogas.
However this may be, I leave the subject at this point, with
the
hope that others will continue the esquire I have here
initiated. It
and other matters in the Tantra Shastra seem to me (whatever
be
their inherent value) worthy of an investigation which they
have not
yet received.
Kundalini Shakta (Yoga)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas29.htm
SHAKTI AND SHAKTA
by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), [1918]
Chapter 1: Indian Religion As Bharata Dharma
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas01.htm
Chapter 2: Shakti: The World as Power
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas02.htm
Chapter 3: What Are the Tantras and Their Significance?
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas03.htm
Chapter 4: Tantra Shastra and Veda
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas04.htm
Chapter 5: The Tantras and Religion of the Shaktas
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas05.htm
Chapter 6: Shakti and Shakta
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas06.htm
Chapter 7: Is Shakti Force?
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas07.htm
Chapter 8: Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas08.htm
Chapter 9: The Tantra Shastras in China
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas09.htm
Chapter 10: A Tibetan Tantra
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas10.htm
Chapter 11: Shakti in Taoism
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas11.htm
Chapter 12: Alleged Conflict of Shastras
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas12.htm
Chapter 13: Sarvanandanatha
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas13.htm
Chapter 14: Cit-Shakti (The Consciousness Aspect of the
Universe)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas14.htm
Chapter 15: Maya-Shakti (The Psycho-Physical Aspect of the
Universe)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas15.htm
Chapter 16: Matter and Consciousness
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas16.htm
Chapter 17: Shakti and Maya
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas17.htm
Chapter 18: Shakta Advaitavada
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas18.htm
Chapter 19: Creation as Explained in the Non-dualist Tantras
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas19.htm
Chapter 20: The Indian Magna Mater
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas20.htm
Chapter 21: Hindu Ritual
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas21.htm
Chapter 22: Vedanta and Tantra Shastra
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas22.htm
Chapter 23: The Psychology of Hindu Religious Ritual
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas23.htm
Chapter 24: Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi Shakti)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas24.htm
Chapter 25: Varnamala (The Garland of Letters)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas25.htm
Chapter 26: Shakta Sadhana (The Ordinary Ritual)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas26.htm
Chapter 27: The Pa—catattva (The Secret Ritual)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas27.htm
Chapter 28: Matam Rutra (The Right and Wrong Interpretation)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas28.htm
Chapter 29: Kundalini Shakta (Yoga)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas29.htm
Chapter 30: Conclusions
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas30.htm
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