Tantra scholar and teacher Christopher Wallis discusses enlightenment and its translation from Sanskrit, the spectrum of awakening, the misconception of non-dual awakening hindering engagement in the real world, and the importance of mental purification and tantric practices for understanding reality.
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insights INSIGHT
Enlightenment as a Spectrum
"Enlightenment" is a Western term, not accurately reflecting the original Sanskrit words bodha or bodhi, meaning "awakening".
Awakening is a spectrum, not a binary switch, with accessible phases for everyone.
insights INSIGHT
Liberation: Integrating Awakening
Moksha (liberation) is distinct from awakening but interconnected.
Liberation results from integrating awakening into your psyche, body, and life.
insights INSIGHT
Embodied Awakening
The body is not separate from the mind; they are one entity.
Embodiment is awareness permeating the body, not just physical fitness or appearance.
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Host Michael W. Taft speaks with Tantra scholar and teacher Christopher Wallis about the word “enlightenment” in English and the words in Sanskrit it is typically the translation for; the differences between awakening and liberation; karma, samskara, and the deep unconscious; Shiva-oriented practice and the importance of including Shakti, the teachings of Abhinavagupta, and the centrality of embodied awakening.
Christopher Wallis, also known as Hareesh, is a Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner of Classical Tantra with thirty years experience. He was initiated by a traditional Indian guru at the age of sixteen, and received education at yoga āshrams, both in India and the West. He holds several degrees including an M.Phil. in Classical Indian Religions from Oxford, and a Ph.D. in Sanskrit from U.C. Berkeley. Hareesh is the author of several books including The Recognition Sutras, and a new book entitled Near Enemies of the Truth.
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