For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

This discussion is a long time coming: Who is Mary of Magdala and what is she to the Christ? Is simply Christ's foremost and most advanced disciple? Is she fallen woman who was redeemed through the Christ as Pope Gregory claimed in the late 6th CE? Or was she much, much more? I want to make the case in this lecture for Mary as being the Shakti of Christ, the power by which the Incarnation and His holy Gospel was properly understood and spread, the power by which he is able to do what he does. I'll claim that she is to him what Sarada Devī is to Ramakrishna, Nitayananda is to Chaitanya, what Radha is to Krishna, Seeta to Rama etc. I'll do this by appealing to the philosophical principle of the Divine Feminine as first articulated by the Sāmkhya school and then refined by the Non-Dual Tāntrikas. Next week, we can perhaps have a more historical discussion about Mary Devī but today, I want to stick to the overarching philosophical principles of the Avatar and the Avatar's śakti! PS: I mentioned a book on Mary and said that it was written by Karen Armstrong but I was mistaken. It was actually the book "Mary Magdalene: Women, the Church, and the Great Deception" by Adriana Valerio that I was referencing. Forgive me! Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Today on Sārada Devī Jayanti, the auspicious emergence of Holy Mother, I'd like to offer this recitation of the four hymns of the Candi at your feet, you who are Mā embodied. Before each hymn is chanted in Sanskrit and translation, we make a few preliminary remarks about the hymn to contextualize it in the wider narrative of the Candi or Devi Māhātmyam.  These hymns are very powerful. They are charged with unimaginable mantric force! To even listen to them is to affect a profound transformation of our entire being. I pray you will feel the power and poetry of these mantras and be absorbed in the ecstasy of devotion to Mother who is in truth your very own essence. I can't help thinking that is the most wonderful way to start the year. There could not be a better subject to start the year of podcasting off with than this! Jai MāMā Sārada is the total embodiment of the creative energy, śakti, inseperable from non-dual consciousness, śiva. The same snake when wriggling and moving about and hissing is called śakti and when it is still it is called śiva. It is one and the same snake, one and the same reality, and she is That!  She is the Divine Mother of the Universe in every sense of that word. All that Sri Ramakrishna is able to do, she does through him for she is the inseparable power of Ramakrishna, as heat is the inseparable power of fire. I consider her worship the very highest worship! And the most exalted form of that worship is to worship her in the temples of every being, sentient and insentient in this world, as Swami Vivekananda taught. To worship Mā as she is embodied as other people…ah, there is no finer worship than that. But aside from the exalted and refined form of worshipping the Vishvarūpa of Mā in everyone as everyone, the can also do the equally exalted and refined form of worship of Mā in the image as per the injunctions of the Tantras.  I pray to Mā Sarada Devī that She may, through her unconditional grace and limitless mercy, deepen our absorption in worship both inside and outside the temple. May her living presence imbue the image and may that same presence reveal itself in everyone, everywhere! May we feel her in every circumstance and situation in life!  Mā, our play is done! We want to come home and play our heads upon thy lap! Take us in. Remove all our worldly cravings that keep us running about in Thy maya. In vain do we wander thy three worldly! O sorceress and confounder of the universe, by your magic alone is all this play going on! Thou art the one who holds the keys to both liberated and bondage! Therefore, be thou gracious and grant us pure love for thee! May I drink deeply from the cup of thy love’s wine that I may come to regard this entire universe and all that live in it as verily my own, as indeed it is. Jai Mā!PS: Although I typically use the Swami Jagadishwaranandaji translations in our talks, in this one I use the Devadatta Kali translation from his excellent book, "In Praise of the Goddess." PSS: We chanted this after a formal worship of Holy Mother and Mā Kālī which you can watch on our Patreon here https://patreon.com/yogawithnish?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkLectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

As you know, a tantra is often divided into four parts:1. jñāna-pada, the philosophical transmission,2. Yoga-pada, the section of esoteric practices like meditation and mantra repetition3. Kriyā-pada, the manual for pūjā or ritualistic worship4. Cārya-pada, the section on how to live your life in the world as a practitioner!Having discussed the first three parts quite extensively it’s now time to turn the next question: “how do we move about in this world as a genuine spiritual aspirant?”How do we set up boundaries against those who might do us harm in a skillful and yogic way? How are we to make a living? Etc.What I intend to do tonight is read to you from some sections of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna where the Master offers some very profound cārya-pada-esque instructions for how to be in the world as an aspirant, especially as householders with families and jobs without losing your spiritual momentum and depth of practice!Here's what we derived:The Master would say: bhakti shār: Bhakti, devotion, is the essence. The purpose of life is to cultivate love for the Divine. As such, for creating this kind of spiritual intoxication, the following is suggested: Cārya-Pada (Code of Spiritual Conduct)/  The Ten Commandments of Ramakrishna:1.Revere everyone, especially all women as the living embodiment of the Divine Mother.2. Pray to God fervently and constantly with a yearning heart for faith, devotion, knowledge and renunciation.3. Go into solitude often and think of God.4. Do you duties but keep your mind on God (through repeating the mantra, chanting/singing God's glories etc. and above all by remembering that the person you are serving is none othert than God, i.e Karma Yoga in the Vivekananda sense.)5. Love everyone intensely even as you renounce them fully knowing they belong not you but to God. (i.e live in the world like the maidservant in the rich man's house)6. Practice discrimination. Ask: "did I get from this experience what I wanted? Did this really fulfill me?“ i.e "Education through Experience". The more you think of worldly things, the more you will be attached to them. Shake off impermanent objects from your mind by practicing discrimination.7. Regularly spend time In holy company (sadhu sangha)8. When dealing with the "tiger God" (worldly people), "bow from a distance". That is to say, have love and respect for them but do not have further dealings with them. Avoid their company as far as possible.9. Remember the Mahut God: be practical in worldly dealings.10. Don't be like the snake: you can hiss to set boundaries and protect yourself without injuring others.Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

God is inscrutable and mysterious for the most part. What then to say of the Incarnation, that is, the appearance of God as a specific person in history?! Perhaps the mystery of the Avatar, the Incarnation of God is one of the deepest mysteries of religion and it is by no means unique to Christianity. Long before the Christ, we find in the Bhagavad Gita the following, which represents the first articulation of the notion of Divine Incarnations by Sri Krishna, one of the first Incarnations to leave us with a teaching:यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत |अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् || 7||yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārataabhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛijāmyahamWhenever there is a disturbance in Dharma, and an increase in Adharma, I incarnate on this Earth, O Arjuna! The idea here is that if an Incarnation comes to teach us the right way, then the Incarnation most likely most come more than once and give us the teaching in different ways each time suited to that particular culture with its unique needs and problems. Naturally, since Hindus are already familiar with Rama and Krishna as Incarnations, it's easy for them to accept Buddha and Jesus as Incarnations too. But hang on a moment. What makes an Incarnation an Incarnation? What stops a person from, in their very valid guru bhakti (devotion to their personal teacher), attributing "avatar-hood" to their respective teachers if indeed there are many avatars? In this lecture, we attempt to triangulate on the profound mystery of the Avatar from a non-dual point of view. How can a truly non-dual philosophy which holds that God is Consciousness (i.e You) and as such is non-different from the world accommodate an Avatar doctrine? In the course of doing that , we take a tour down the annals of history to pick out a few key teachings from a few avatars to implement in our own spiritual lives. The central thrust of this lecture is that the most important thing about an Avatar is not necessarily the avatar but the message! Merry Christmas!Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Usually when we think of prayer, we picture kneeling by the bedside with hands clasped and being thoroughly disappointed. Usually, we feel prayer as some kind of contrived, forced, inauthentic attempt to connect with a barely articulated idea of "God" and often to be met with silence and a feeling of being kind of silly. Is prayer talking to God? What do you even say in a conversation that often feels so one-sided? What do you pray "for", if anything? How does prayer compare to other spiritual practices like japa, meditation, ritual worship etc? In this lecture we take up all of these questions in honor of Ramakrishna and Christ this Christmas season, both of whom valued prayer as the central features of their message. Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMIf you'd like to support us, you can do so here:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jaimakaliSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

At last week’s satsangh we had a wonderful conversation about the Tantrik principles in Christianity: guru paramparā (lineage based transmission), dīksha (initiation rituals), mantra japa (repetition of sacred words), pūjā (ritual worship) and vigraha (the immanent and embodied aspect of God).In this lecture, I intend to discuss the relations up between Mother Mary and Mā Kālī not just in matters of iconography and history (I.e Sara La Kali/Black Madonna etc.) but also with regards of practice and philosophical principles!Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In this lecture, we discuss “Tantrik Christianity”, that is, elements of Tantra like1. guruparamparā (lineage based transmission), 2. ritual worship (pūjā)3. emphasis on mantra repetition (japa)4. profileration of deities/icons5. emphasis on direct, personal experience of the Divine6. the Immanence of God etc. that are also present in Christianity to make the case that Tantra is a spiritual approach not exclusive to any one cultural but is founded upon universal spiritual principles that are equally present in every tradition! I also want to point out how Jesus Christ as an Incarntion is murti/vigraha, the Tantrik term for the embodied, immanent aspect of the Transcendent Divine which can be used as a doorway to the Absolute, who is in-and-of-itsef, that same Absolute manifest. Since December is a time when in our community we turn or fervor towards Shakti in the form of Christ and Mother Mary, I pray this lecture will delight you! Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMOM Tat SatSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In this lecture, we take a comparative look at the Divine Feminine as it is worshipped in the Mesopotamian, Aztec, Spanish, Celtic, Gaelic and Hellenistic cultures to show that Mā Kālī is not confined to any one culture or religion. Though Her worship and veneration is perhaps most articulated and most visibly extant in Hinduism, She is indeed the Primordial Power that was worshipped by all peoples in all places as perhaps the first religious intuition/revelation of the human race in all its diverse civilizations.Before we make these anthropological points though, we will first feel into Mā Kālī’s non dual aspect as Pure Consciousness, the Formless Brahman who certain transcends all name and form what to say culture and creed! Upon this philosophical basis of Kālī as non dual consciousness (supported by a few verses from the Chandi), we will make the case that Kālī is more than a Goddess in a pantheon; She is the One Reality, Consciousness-Bliss, who alone exists and who is worshipped by all people!Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Last month, we celebrated my favorite time of the year, Kālī Pūjā! The pūjā itself was on Sunday the 12th of November, the new moon night but on the Friday just before I couldn't at all contain my excitement and felt inspired to do a special class on Ramprasad, the great mystic and saint of Mother Kālī. His story is a truly remarkable tale of the highest devotion, of the most reckless absorption, of the most unparalleled intoxication in Mā, replete with wonderful legends of mystical visions and encounters with the Goddess in myriad forms. No wonder Sri Ramakrishna loved his songs so much, perhaps more than any other poet-saint. In many ways, to understand Ramprasad is to get a glimpse into Ramakrishna, because the two were so alike! So please do come to this class and learn about this Kālī mystic! Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

We start our evening's Q&A with some book recommendations for the study and practice of Tantrik Shaktism, that is, devotion to the Divine Mother. (00:00-07:00)Then we discuss some precautions around the Devī Māhātmyam sādhanā with regards to "fierce grace" with an excursus on the Power of Mantra/the Power of the Written Word. (07:00-16:00)But to soften that, we then talk about Mā's non-dual nature as ultimately compassionate, even towards supposed "demons"! At 19:00 we discuss the importance of Guru and Lineage in Tantrik practice.At 20:36 we talk about a "doxographic hierarchy": Samkhya then Advaita Vedanta then Non-Dual Shaiva Tantra which might roughly correspond to Sri Ramakrishna's "ajnana (ignorance)" to "jnana"(knowledge) to "vijnana". In the course of this discussion (20:36- 37:00) we talk about some of the risks and dangers that can come from improper sequencing of philosophy and practice (i.e narcissism, hedonism, complacency etc.) and how we might guard against that. At 28:00 minutes we discuss the attitude of Mathura Bhava, "god as my Lover" in the context of Shaivism and then at 30:00 I argue against that in favor of the parivatsalya bhava, the attitude of "god is my Mother" with an emphasis on strong, demand, self-assured devotion as opposed to a self-effacing devotion. This discussion is particularly valuable since devotion is at the heart of this community's approach to spiritual life.At 37:00, we reflect on the seeming paradox of how the Mother of the Universe (signifying mind-blowing transcendence and abstraction) can be my very own mother (in a very real, immediate and immanent sense). How to reconcile God's grandeur against Gods immediacy? We talk about Yashoda, Krishna's Mother, Swami Vivekananda and Anuradha Paudwal, the famous sangeet singer to explore various modes of devotion towards the Divine, as possible answers to the aforementioned question, so central to the devotee's life. At 44:20, we talk about the playful, "little girl" aspect of the Divine Mother before reviewing all the different modes of devotion (handmaid, parent, servant, child, awe/fear etc.) before closing out what I feel was one of our most inspired discussions yet. Thank you for the stimulating conversation Ishānt-ji and thank you Jess Devī for the excellent question!Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lectures. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM