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Thread: Practical Wisdom of Vijnana Bhairava

  1. #31
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    Re: Practical Wisdom of Vijnana Bhairava

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~
    Namaste sunyatisunya

    Before answering I'd like to ask a few questions if I may... this will help I think with the starting point.

    Today do you practice a technique ? Do you meditate ? Do you do japa or ajapā. What are your experiences? Do you have a teacher or instructor?

    I ask this to see how your practice is going. Are you transcending? Have you experienced this?
    Thank you for responding.

    I have been practicing various techniques throughout the past few months. Recently my overall understanding has crystallized to some extent and I have experienced some few "results" which have assured me that the time is ripe to dive into the practice wholeheartedly.

    The nature of the experiential "results" is the cessation of thought-constructs ("vikalpas") and the isolation of consciousness from its involvement-identification-attachment with mind, body, ego, etc. This happened through various techniques - the 2nd
    dharana, the 64th dharana, and various others etc.

    I'm not sure what ajapa means (I am from a non-religious, Western background with no understanding of Sanskrit other than what I have picked up from books) but for japa - recitation, right? - I have playfully experimented with the recitation of a-u-m, Bhairava, etc., as recommended in various dharanas.

    I have no teacher.

    The question, "Are you transcending?" is somewhat vague to me. I could interpret it in numerous ways which might not be in accordance with the actual sense in which you meant it. I have had moments where pure consciousness transcended the mind, at which time I "knew" intuitively (not through any thought process related to gathered language) that "I" (as consciousness) am separate from the mind, which in turn implied separate and distinct from the ego, limited self, whatever you wish to call it.

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    I mention this because it is not only choosing which kārikā to begin with i.e. which upāya or dhāraṇā to consider, but also the things that accompany one's practice e.g. when to practice and where.

    Pending your experience there are 3 entry points:
    • śāmbhavopāya
    • śāktopāya
    • āṇavopāya
    Previous posts within this subject of Vijāna Bhairava outline these three approaches.

    Hence knowing a little more will help. But that said, If you are new to this approach and wish to start, I would recommend the 24th
    kārikā. It is one of my favorites. It's simple, effective and it is the first one that Śrī Bhairava mentions to Śrī Devī.
    This would be considered
    an āṇavopāya approach. It is so simple , that it is elegant. I think this 24th kārikā is reviewed in the prior posts. I will look and check. If not called out I will post it.

    pranams

    Yes, the 24th dharana immediately attracted me.

    I hope I provided enough information regarding my practice for you to assess. I have a tendency to write too much, so maybe that's also the case.



  2. #32
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    Re: Practical Wisdom of Vijnana Bhairava

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    Namaste sunyatisunya

    you mention

    I'm not sure what ajapa means (I am from a non-religious, Western background with no understanding of Sanskrit other than what I have picked up from books) but for japa - recitation, right? - I have playfully experimented with the recitation of a-u-m, Bhairava, etc., as recommended in various dharanas.
    Ajapa is mental practice, done consciously in the mind/awareness and not out loud.

    you say
    I have had moments where pure consciousness
    very good - this is a indication of transcending.

    you also mention
    This happened through various techniques - the 2nd dharana, the 64th dharana, and various others etc

    I will assume the 2nd kārikā ( verse or sūtra) means the 25th kārikā.
    If so, fine. If you are having success with it that too is good.

    Here is my recommendations for your consideration...
    1. Choosing a proper time for practice. please consider this post.
    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=622
    • Choosing the time of the day supports and helps with the technique. Two favorable times
      Morning is Brahma Muhurta Sandhya
      Sunset called Mahesha Sandhya
    • The post recommended in point 1 will review these times and their meaning/benefits.
    2. Choosing the amount of time
    • In the beginning chose the amount of time that you can be consistent with, day-in-day-out. Perhaps 10 min to 15 min. per sitting? You will need to decide - but avoid 5 min one day, 15 min the next, 3 min the 5th day... this is not the approach.
    • If you plan on dabbling in this (as a sport, or amusement) , then I would avoid any serious time commitment. Yet if you now feel it is your time to begin sādhana, then consistency with time and place will be some fundamental keys for progress.
    3. Well begun is half done - my teacher has said this many times. That is, choose one technique and stick with it for some time. What is some time? Months and when you see results.
    • Now with breathing (prana) techniques, these are the 24th 25th, 26th and 27th kārikā-s as a family. IMHO we stay with 24th and I think you said the 26th you are doing today? Stay with these one or two until they bear fruit for you. If you started with the 26th and are steady in that, stay with it for some time. That is, you see progress. Progress is measured inside and outside of the practice. More on this later.
    • I recommend not jumping all over the place with the kārikā-s; Svāmi Śivānanda and well as my teacher has said we only dig one well at a time. That is, we stay with the practice till we get water (results). Śrī Bhairava mentions in the 140th kārikā ' If one is established in only of them (dhāraṇā-s) , one becomes Bhairava Himself.'
    4. We take it easy
    • That is, very simple. That is it, the recommendation of simplicity. Expect nothing. Just be innocent about the practice. Why so? Innocent Consciousness is closer to pure consciousness. Avoid ' I hope, I wish, I can't wait to see' approaches to the techniques. Just be innocent and stay with the practice. Such a simple instruction that many miss. Again this is innocence when you sit down to practice - not when you are dynamic in the activity of work, school or play.
    you mention
    I have no teacher.
    It would be good to find one. Having some one with personal interest in your progress. This is a blessing.

    We can answer some of your questions here on HDF, but a teacher, instructor, or guru is the blessing.



    Let's stop there. Please ask questions as you see fit about the information offered above.


    pranams
    Last edited by yajvan; 03 September 2009 at 08:58 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  3. #33
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    Re: Practical Wisdom of Vijnana Bhairava

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post

    2. Choosing the amount of time
    • In the beginning chose the amount of time that you can be consistent with, day-in-day-out. Perhaps 10 min to 15 min. per sitting? You will need to decide - but avoid 5 min one day, 15 min the next, 3 min the 5th day... this is not the approach.
    • If you plan on dabbling in this (as a sport, or amusement) , then I would avoid any serious time commitment. Yet if you now feel it is your time to begin sādhana, then consistency with time and place will be some fundamental keys for progress.

    I have been, in a very general sense, practicing watchfulness as much as possible throughout all my days. It is my feeling that one cannot devote 15 minutes to seated meditation and then spend the other 23hrs and 45mins in a state of careless unconsciousness. Also, I quite literally have the entire day, every day, to practice any given meditation. Being so devoted to the "Goal", fifteen minutes seems child's play and by no means enough time. I regularly spend hours at a time sitting in contemplation after reading various translations and commentaries on the Vijnanabhairava. My practice of the "dark night" dharana (64th, verse 87 as per Jaideva Singh's translation) a few weeks ago was about an hour. I'm considering stretching that to two hours and making it a nightly thing as I feel very drawn to it.

    Please allow me some time to respond to the rest of your post and to also read the other thread for which you provided a link.


  4. #34
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    Re: Practical Wisdom of Vijnana Bhairava

    Hi guys,

    Sorry I haven't posted in a while.

    I haven't re-read any of my old posts but I'm going to share what's been going on since we're all interested in this stuff.

    I purchased Swami Lakshmanjoo's Vijnana Bhairava - The Manual for Self-Realization which is a seven disc audio set and complete manuscript of the talks. It's easily the best practical exposition of the text for actual practitioners. I highly recommend it to all those here who have the $125 (plus shipping) to pay for it.

    My one complaint is that John Hughes, who I had spoken to via email about the discs/book in order to make sure it wasn't a rip-off, has since not replied to any of my other emails. I had sent a few after purchasing to share how excited and pleased I was with the purchase and never received a reply. I consider this bad business and rude, although I understand that he has better things to do than chat with me online. Has anyone else spoken to anyone at the Universal Shaiva Fellowship?

    Anyway - I stopped practicing that darkness technique. In Lakshmanjoo's exposition he mentions constant, pouring rain as an integral component of this technique, which is something that isn't given much emphasis in other translations. Also, I was starting to feel like I was living in a womb with heavy sheets over my windows blocking out all the light.

    At the moment I have a full grasp over the Three Means - anavopaya, saktopaya, sambhavopaya - something which I have become aware of as being INTEGRAL to Kashmir Shaivism and the Vijnana Bhairava text. So I've played around with techniques from all three means. I'm going to relate a few experiences which come to mind:

    1) a few miles from home, in the woods. Sitting cross-legged, although not in any particular external asana - just the cross-legged position I have been sitting in naturally since a child. Back leaning against a large tree. This was a few months ago so it was fairly cold - wore many layers. Where I was sitting was on a little hill overlooking a large field/swamp with trees at the other end. I got comfortable and locked my gaze on one of the distant trees. I did not blink or swerve my eyes. Totally fixed on that point, unmoving. This is Bhairavi Mudra - eyes fixed outwardly with the attention and intensity of awareness situated internally in subjective consciousness. After a few minutes a stiffening feeling came over the body and face, sort of like a rigormortis type of thing to a lesser extent. As I continued staring, mind stopped inasmuch as no thought or feeling occured. It is hard to explain but my consciousness was like a space or voidness. There was the image of the external world still present to the eyes but I did not feel a part of it, as if isolated from it and situated in a sort of emptiness. I think that if I held this dharana in this way successfully for more time significant "things" would happen. It seemed as if I was on the threshold, at the door waiting to go in, so to speak. As I left the area I was floating, in a way. My movement was entirely fluid, no stress on the body, just gliding. My mind was so quiet that I felt newly born and fresh. There was a buzz, like a bliss, throughout my whole body and mind. This was a technique in the Vijnana Bhairava.

    2) Numerous short experiences of crossing, with awareness, from wakefulness to the dreaming state and close to the deep sleep state. Each time I got to the end of the dreaming state and was about to enter the deep sleep state I felt a strong pull, very much like water being drained down a hole. The sensation of this pull startled me and I would move back into the dreaming state, only with more lively awareness. I am not sure whether that pull would be the entry into Turya - sometimes it seemed as if the pull was that of unawareness - during the dreaming state my awareness would slowly start dimming and the pull seemed like a final warning - "This is it, total unawareness now..." and so I pulled back. Resulting from these sessions was the same feeling of an electric bliss permeating the body and mind. A very peaceful and amused state. Amused, as in, if someone came to me with a "problem" I would laugh at the absurdity of the idea that we experience "problems" in life. These experiences came from using the hamsah mantra - the first dharana.

    3) more experiences with staring techniques. One from the other day comes to mind - was sitting with my dog outside on the lawn at sunset, the moment was perfect. Cool air on our skin, the last warmth of the evening sun, birds chirping, etc. I felt "this, right now, is Paradise". Then my mind became very still and deeply contemplative, I fixed my gaze and went inwards. At this point the moment I was experiencing went from ordinary and lovely to sacred and lovely. At first I was just experiencing the grass, the sunset, the birds, the air, and my companionship with the dog, but after fixing my gaze for several minutes a change occured in my consciousness as mind stilled. It was as if the moment was captured in a sort of jewel-like perfection, that I was aware of yet separate from. I felt entirely one with nature, as if I was the birds in the trees and the trees themselves, and the setting sun was more of this. It was beautiful. For hours after I could not be brought down - amused at everything, once again, and situated in deep peace when not involved in other things.

    I am right on the threshold of really devoting myself to these practices to really go deep. I understand how my unconscious tendencies are directing my life, and that meditation is removing these impressions.

    Anyone any thoughts on all this? Similar experiences?



  5. #35
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    Re: Practical Wisdom : Starting the Karikas

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    Hari Om


    1. Vijnana Bhairava - The Practice of Centering Awareness - this is the notes and teachings of Svami Laksmanjoo given to his sisya Prabha Devi in 1991; Then turned into publication in 2002 [ISBN 81-86569-35-9]; I am a better person for finding this book.

    yajvan, do you have the following: http://www.universalshaivafellowship...tegory_Code=SS ?

    In the introduction, John Hughes mentions that the book you mentioned is an incomplete and rushed (and stolen, I think - it seems someone got a hold of a manuscript Mr. Hughes was working on and published it early). Anyway, after reading through both books I've found it to be fairly true. The author of the book you mentioned cuts out a lot of the discussion between Lakshmanjoo and his disciples who asked fairly important questions regarding the practices or the translation of words. There's also bits of incorrect information littered throughout the book. If you have $125 I strongly suggest you get the seven disc audio set and manuscript. I have it if you have any questions about it.

  6. #36
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    Re: Practical Wisdom : Starting the Karikas

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~


    Namaste sunyatisunya

    Quote Originally Posted by sunyatisunya View Post
    . If you have $125 I strongly suggest you get the seven disc audio set and manuscript. I have it if you have any questions about it.
    I am saving $$ to purchase the 7 disc CD.

    praām
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  7. #37
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    Re: Practical Wisdom : Starting the Karikas

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~


    Namaste sunyatisunya



    I am saving $$ to purchase the 7 disc CD.

    praām
    I had to save for a while as well. Definitely one of my most rewarding purchases, considering the subject matter.

  8. #38
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    Re: Vijnana Bhairava: kumbaka

    hari o
    ~~~~~~

    Namast

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    Part of a triad of breathing i.e. pūraka (to take the breath inside), kumbhaka (to retain it), and recaka (to discharge it) - this is a pranayam technique [prāāyām प्राणायाम].

    This kumbhaka - is that of a pot that holds or 'potting up' . In this method what it holds is the full breath as we breathe in -hold- then release or pūraka -> kumbhaka -> recaka. But it also holds nothing, emptiness, or shUnya from sarabhanga's post above.

    So the whole process is pūraka -> kumbhaka -> recaka-> kumbhaka.
    This pranayam pūraka (to take the breath inside), kumbhaka (to retain it), and recaka (to discharge it) and once discharged kumbhaka or shUnya of emptiness, vacancy of breath is done. So sometimes the pot [a.k.a your lungs] is full and sometimes the pot is empty.

    The karika reads like this:
    Kumbhita recita vapi purita va yada bhavet |
    Tadante santranamasau saya shanta prakashate ||

    Svāmī Lakman-jū's suggest the following:
    When [the energy of breath or prana] is retained or kumbhita, either outside or inside [ that is the recaka or discharging of air, or pūraka , the intake of air] at the end [of this practice] the peaceful state is revealed by means of Shakti.

    So the question is how long does one hold the breath on the inward stroke pūraka + kumbhaka and outward stoke recaka + kumbhaka? The answer is what is comfortableSwami Laksmanjoo says ' as long as one can do so easily'.

    What then is brought to the aspirant?...shAnta or peace. He also says shAntanAma means SadAshiva. The state of SadAshiva is sAnta, absolutely peaceful and calm.
    ॐनमःिशवाय
    A visitor (to Mahaṛṣi 's āśram) asked how to realise oneself in accordance with Śrī Rāmana Mahaṛṣi's instructions...The difficulty was in controlling the mind.

    Mahaṛṣi : It is to be done by controlling the breath. If you practise it by yourself without other help, then the mind is controlled. Otherwise the mind comes under control spontaneously in the presence of a superior power. Such is the greatness of association with the wise (satsanga).

    from Talks with Śrī Rāmana Mahaṛṣi - These Talks covered a period of four years, 1935-1939.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  9. #39
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    Re: Practical Wisdom of Vijnana Bhairava

    hari o
    ~~~~~~

    Namasté

    It is said in the 130th kārikā of the Vijñāna Bhairava 'he who utters this word 'bhairava' unceasingly becomes śiva'.

    This word as the collection of syllables (akara -syllable) must be of great import and value to understand, so let's take a look.

    bhairava - lets disassemble - bha + i+ ra +va
    bha is the aspirated form of ba ; with long a bhā means light or a beam of light , lustre , splendor.

    i - is an interjection of anger that many associate with bhairava , yet it is also defined as and interjection of compassion. We must keep this in mind. See this HDF post for a more deeper discussion of this compassion: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=17892&postcount=52

    This 'i' is quite versatile and has many definitions, yet let me offer a few that will apply here- to spread out, to flow, to undertake anything, etc.
    ra is fire or heat; ra as a noun is brightness, splendor ; this ra as a bīja (seed) sound, bīja akṣara, is associated with the moon. The ra is found inside of other mantra-s themselves. It's heat, brightness and splendor associates itself with agni, the one that carries offerings/sounds to the devatā. This ra is also rooted( √ ) in rā which means acquiring , possessing.

    va is auspiciousness ( we find this in śiva); this va means strong, powerful - we know bhairava is known for this. In his name another way to view it is bhayā + rava + yati as it is called out in the 130 kārikā of the Vijñāna Bhairava¹ - bhayā ravayati. We can look at it this way: bhayā + rava +yati
    • bhayā = is rooted ( √) in bhī - fear , alarm dread apprehension
    • rava - to roar or howl. The strength 'va' comes in the energy of roaring. This rava also has a lighter side, as it also means singing or song. Yet we can see how 'va' and energy plays a role in both views of this word rava.
    • Note too that this 'va' is interchanged with the consonant 'ba'. So we can make the firm connection back to ba and the alignment again to light, luster and splendor.

    Yet let's go one step deeper - this 'va' is a noun of varua. And what does this word varuṇa mean? In its masculine gender it means 'all enveloping sky' - infinite. Another name ( hence a noun) of varuṇa is āditya.
    Āditya means belonging to or coming from aditi. So if we know the definition of aditi we know āditya and another quality of varuṇa and hence the connection back to 'rava' in bhairava's name ( simple eh?).

    This aditi is a most wonderful name made of a+diti. It means 'a' not + 'diti' splitting, dividing. So a+diti is one that is not split, not divided, hence wholeness, fullness, with no splits or divisions hence is pūrṇa - fullness; Some like to say (that would be me ) bhūman or abundance , plenty. Others would say samasta which is 'inherent in or pervading the whole of anything' - hence no division, or fraction.

    yati यति is a giver; yati is 'a striver ', an ascetic , devotee , one who has restrained one's passions; a noun of śiva

    Hence when assembled (piṇḍaya¹) this word bhairava carries piṇḍa¹, expressed at each level. Here is my humble POV on this word ; bhairava is He that :
    bha - is light and splendor ( pure consciousness) + i which is full of compassion + ra and purifies via the heat (tapas) and splendor (ra) of agni + that brings auspiciousness va, and the expanse of the infinite (va varuṇa) i.e. fullness of Being, Divine Awareness of one's Infinite nature.

    In my opinion it is only ignorance that shutters with fear (bhayā) at the sound of His name - for those with a pure heart, there is no fear; only auspiciousness (va) that is sung (rava) by the Great One, showering (i) those (yati) that are open to this fullness (aditi). Each of these qualities (IMHO) are stimulated, influenced by the sound of bhairava.

    And what occurs? bhairavaṃ vapur-āpnuyāt (bhairavaṃ = bhairava + vapur= beautiful form, + āp = obtains + nu = surely + yā = attains or yāt = in as much ) - One surely attains bhairava's beautiful form i.e. one attains Divine Consciousness.

    praṇām

    words
    • piṇḍaya - rolled together; united, rolled into one.
    • piṇḍa - this is a single tone , of one phoneme or ~ 1 akṣara in length. Piṇḍa is also defined as 'power, force' , as well as 'tone, sound'. It is also defined as 'sum, total amount'. That is, a single sound, that carries within it the 'force' of 'the sum total amount'.
    Last edited by yajvan; 06 August 2016 at 07:46 PM. Reason: edited for clarity
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  10. #40

    Re: Practical Wisdom of Vijnana Bhairava

    hi


    this is vinod good work boss .kindly post all 112 sutras or slokas of vijnana bairava tantra in english or sanskrit if possible. great work keep going my wishes are with you .i once again request you to send the slokas. thanks and bye
    vinod

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