#146 Christopher Wallis - Non-dual Classical Tantra

Christopher “Hareesh” Wallis – Non-dual Classical Tantra or The Teacher Drinks Bourbon? (www.hareesh.org | @hareeshwallis | YouTube )

First yoga for householders | True Holistic Experience | Digesting the remnants to incomplete experiences from the past | Scholar & practitioner | Eastern spirituality upbringing Siddha yoga | Powerful experience during meditation | Exploring psychedelics | Classical Tantra teachings | Seeking in various ways | Nondual tantra provided the context for everything in one | Discipline is required for meaning | Paul Muller-Ortega | Adyashanti | Unpacking transmissions | Tibetan Buddhism v Classical Tantra v modern yoga | Revivalism of the Yoga Sutras | Reincarnation and the soul | Connecting to the subtle body during asana | Feeling the pain | Digesting our experiences to resolve them

His new book Near Enemies of the Truth comes out on November 14 and is available for pre-orders now.

Christopher Wallis, also known as Hareesh, is a Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner of Classical Tantra with thirty years of experience. He was initiated by a traditional Indian guru at the age of sixteen, and received education at yoga āshrams in India and the West. 

Hareesh teaches classical Tantric philosophy and Tantric practices, meditation, Sanskrit, and mantra-science to an engaged online community of practitioners. He is the Founder of Tantra Illuminated Online, an online learning portal where all his courses and teachings are available. He also offers workshops, retreats and classes in person in Portugal and around the world.

He combines his practice of more than 25 years with a rigorous inquiry into the original Sanskrit sources to accurately translate and bring this ancient nondual wisdom to modern practitioners. The practices aim to facilitate both spiritual awakening and enhanced well-being for people in all walks of life. His community of students frequently praise his deep love for the tradition and the clarity of thought and expression.

His teachers, mentors, and gurus, in chronological order, include: Gurumayī Chidvilāsānandā (root-guru), Paul Muller-Ortega (Śaiva Tantra and Classical Yoga); Alexis Sanderson (Śaiva and Śākta Tantra and Sanskrit); Marshall Rosenberg (Nonviolent Communication); Somadeva Vasudeva (Śaiva Tantra), Adyashanti (Meditation), and others who wish to remain anonymous.

 His degrees include a B.A. in Religion and Classics from the University of Rochester, an M.A. in South Asian Studies from U.C. Berkeley, an M.Phil. in Classical Indian Religions from Oxford, and a Ph.D. in Sanskrit from U.C. Berkeley.

Hareesh is the author of Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition, the first comprehensive and accessible introduction to Classical Tantra in English (also available in Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian), and of The Recognition Sutras, a translation and commentary on a 1000-year-old masterpiece on experiential recognition of oneself as a direct expression of universal divine Consciousness.

Tantra Illuminated: https://www.amazon.com/Tantra-Illuminated-Philosophy-Practice-Tradition/dp/0989761304/ 

‘Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice by Mark Singleton https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Body-Origins-Posture-Practice/dp/0195395344 

‘The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A Biography’ by David Gordon White: https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Sutra-Patanjali-Biography-2014-05-25/dp/B01FGMV5S2/ 

Hamsamitthu: "Pātañjalayoga is Nonsense" by Somdev Vasudeva: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23884110

The Recognition Sūtras; https://www.amazon.com/Recognition-Sutras-Illuminating-000-Year-Old-Masterpiece/dp/098976138X/ 

The Vātūlanātha-Sūtras: https://hareesh.org/blog/2023/7/30/the-sutras-of-the-intoxicated-lord-vatula-natha 

Christopher Wallis YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@christopherwallis751 

Christopher Wallis Blog: https://hareesh.org/blogpage 

Tantra Illuminated Online: https://www.tantrailluminated.org/