For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

Perhaps one of our finest discussions so far! We cover quite a lot of ground here: "If there is a God, I must see him. If I have a soul, I must feel myself as that." This was Swami Vivekananda's intuition about spirituality: it is about direct, personal experience and not belief! While tangible experience of God is the best proof for God, there are some other proofs offered by our Tantra to(a) define God and (b) prove God's existence on logical grounds!We take up some responses from the materialist an evolutionary biologists and make a defense for theism in light of those!Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/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

Recently we've been giving a series of talks on some foundational Tantrik concepts starting with the concept of the "self". Is there such a thing and if so, what is its nature? We asked What is the Self in Tantra? and then we looked at the The 6 Layers of the Self in Tantra of the virūpāska-pancāśika, a foundational Tantrik model for nested embodiment. Now, we continue the discussion, recapping some of the stuff we uncovered in those previous classes and concluding with a verse from the Vijñāna-Bhairava Tantra:चिद्धर्मा सर्वदेहेषु विशेषो नास्ति कुत्रचित्।अतश्च तन्मयं सर्वम् भावयन् भवजिज् जनः॥ १००॥ciddharmā sarvadeheṣu viśeṣo nāsti kutracit|ataśca tanmayaṁ sarvam bhāvayan bhavajij janaḥ || 100 ||“There is [One Reality] whose essential nature is Consciousness and this is in every body; there is no special consciousness anywhere!” And thus, a person who contemplates that the entire world is pervaded [by that Reality, consciousness] conquers the world!"Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/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 is the holy day of Bagalāmukhī Jayanti, celebrating one of the fierce forms of Mā! We've been discussing the Mahāvidyās quite a lot over the years (here's a playlist of talks on them) but we haven't yet looked at the tantras together that prescribe their method of worship. As such, in this class, we look over the Bagalā Tantra from the Bengali compilation, Shaktapramodah (The Delight of Shaktas). But first, since this talk was given on May 1st, the anniversary day when Belur Math was founded at Balaram Bose's house in 1897, we first say a few things about that and talk about our mission to make that which is only known to a few available to all for the upliftment of all humanity! Here is the document we referenced in the class. It's a work in progress! Much editing and proof-reading awaits!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

 On the fifth day of the waxing fortnight of the month Vaiśakh, we celebrated one of India's greatest and most celebrated philosopher-mystics of all time, Adi Shankaracharya. While many feel that Advaita Vedanta is juxtaposed to Tantrik philosophy since it features a "Brahman only without Shakti" model. However, there are at least 4 things that make Shankara an out and out Shakta Tantrika in my book. In this talk, as an offering at the lotus feet of the great master, we go over these four "Tantrik" elements in Sri Sri Shankaracharya's life and teaching!May this be an offering to Sri Shankara and the lineage. May it be an offering to Mā Ganga (today is Ganga Saptami) and the unceasing stream of wisdom that has flowed in India sine time immemorial!Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/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 talk, we discuss the Matangī meditation mantra and present a simple worship of Matangi since the day before yesterday was her Jayanti (birthday).We were all of us recovering from our Atlanta adventure so I didn't get to write to you yesterday and wish you all a happy Akshaya Trititya; you were all in my heart!Akshaya Trititya is such an auspicious day combining so many important events that I think I'll say a few things about it in class today also before our practice.On this day:1. The day the first naga sadhu, Rishabha was fed2. Treta Yuga began3. Parashurama, the axe-wielding, angry avatar of Vishnu was born4. Ganga Mā first flowed down from heaven5. Shiva appointed Kubera the ruler of material prosperity6. Vyāsa begin composing the Mahabharata (with Ganesh taking dictation)7. Yudishtira received the Infinite Bowl (Akshaya patra)8. Parvati took the form of AnnapurnaAnd of course it's also the auspicious Jayanti of Matangī Mā! Worship of MātangīDraw a red downward pointing triangle in the North-East and then chant the Matangī meditation mantra:śavopari–samāsīnāṁ raktāmbaraparicchadām।raktālaṅkāra saṁyuktāṁ guñjāhāra vibhūṣitāma॥ṣoḍaśābdāṁ ca yuvatīṁ pīnonnatapayodharām।kapālakartṛkāhastāṁ paramajyotirūpiṇīm॥vāmadakṣiṇa yogena dhyāyenmantraviduttamam।īṣathāsya samāyuktāṁ nīlamegha samaprabhām॥Translation:The highest knower of the mantra (i.e the Tantrik adept) should meditate on this Goddess through the yoga of the Left and Right as follows:Seated on a corpse, dressed in red, adorned with red ornaments, garlanded in poisonous flowers/seeds, a young woman of sixteen with comely breasts, holding a sword and skull-bowl, whose form is the supreme light (of consciousness), endowed with a subtle smile, radiant like a storm cloud.Meditate on Mā, perform mental worship and then offer an already offered flower saying,OM jyeṣṭhamātaṅgi namāmi ucchiṣṭacaṇḍālini trailokyavaśaṅkari svāhāidaṁ nirmālyapuṣpādikam ucchiṣṭacaṇḍālinyai namaḥ ।Translation:To the eldest Mātaṅgī, I bow.To the fierce Ucchiṣṭa Caṇḍālinī—the outcaste goddess who sanctifies impurity,who enchants and subjugates the three worlds—I offer myself with these leftover flowers and all their fragrance.Svāhā!All this is offered to You, O Ucchiṣṭa Caṇḍālinī—salutations!"and then place some offered food on mandala saying:oṁ lehyacoṣyānnapānādi tāmbūlamanulepanam।nirmālyaṁ bhojanaṁ tubhyaṁ dadāmi śrīśivājñayā॥These foods and drinks as well as the tambulam and fragrant pastes that have already been touched by the tongue, this leftover (sullied) food I offer to you by the command of Lord Shiva!Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/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 week, to celebrate Easter, we gave a special talk on the Sermon of the Mount from a Tantrik point of view. Not only is the Sermon on the Mount an excellent piece of spiritual literature which like the Gītā essentializes and makes practical the highest spiritual teachings of all time but also, there is a beautiful book by a similar title: "The Sermon on the Mount according to Vedanta" by Swami Prabhavananda. As such, in this talk, we reference some profound insights from that book, give them a Tantrik spin and also make a few broad points about the Avatara in Tantrik theology. It is a wonderful talk to put out around Akshaya Tritiya because it covers the most fundamental and yet deepest and most profound of spiritual ideas in both theory and practice. I pray the ideas in this discussion will ground you and remind you of what is most important in spiritual life and inspire you to live according to the highest of ideals!Jai Mā! Jai Christ ji Ki Jai! PS: You'll find our talks on Tantrik Christianity here. Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/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

On behalf of this most auspicious occasion of Easter Sunday, celebrating the resurrection of Christ and the upsurge of spring-time energy in nature, we reflect a little bit on Christ as Solar Deity. Importantly, I wanted to compare the Christ's resurrection to the resurrection of Osiris in Egyptian mythology and how that might mirror not only the Tantrik understanding of Shakta Peethas (i.e the natural world as a metaphor for spiritual themes in the soul's journey) but also the reverence for the Sun that we see in Vedic and Saurya-Tantrik context! This lecture follows closely on the heels of the discussion had earlier this week on Why We Worship the SunIt is after all Easter Sun-day!Mainly though, we spend some time reflecting on the Christ's innovation on spiritiuality: that of learning to regard God as your very own, your intimate Master, Friend, Parent, Child and Lover.Christ expressly stressed the first three relationships with a strong emphasis on the third. In this class, using Swami Vivekananda's Bhakti Yoga book, we say a few words about "God as Divine Child" having already discussed "God as Master" and "God as Friend" in the How To be God's Friendand How To Be Powerful Like Hanumanlectures respectively. Jai Christ ji! May this be an offering at the lotus feet of that great master, embodiment of purity and incarnation of love. May he arise in all our hearts today! May we all become Christ-like by his grace!Here is a playlist on all things Tantrik Christianity. Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/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 is Good Friday and since the Christ is a solar deity in a sense (the "sun" of God moving through the 12 disciples who are the 12 zodiac signs), I thought it would be nice to discuss the worship of the Sun of the Vedic and Tantrik context. In this class, which is part of our How To Do Tantrik Puja Series, we explore the sandhya vandana, the ancient practice of worshipping the sun with water at dawn/twilight and show how this ritual has been adapted into a Tantrik context. We discuss the significance of the sun as symbol for Brahman, the Unchanging Absolute of the Vedas, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. We also make a few points about the Tantrik cult of the sun known as the Saurya Marga! It was a fun class! Thank you all for coming. Next, we'll go into more detail about the "arghya-dānam", the offering to the Sun and Mā willing, we'll cover the dhyāna-mantras and offering mantras for the Sun worship section of our ritual manual. oṁ namo vivasvate brahman bhāsvate viṣṇutejase। jagatsavitre śucaye savitre karmadāyine॥ eṣo’rghyaḥ oṁ hrīṁ haṁsaḥ mārtaṇḍabhairavāya prakāśaśaktisahitāya oṁ śrīsūryāya svāhā। "Salutations to Vivasvān, who is Brahman, the Absolute Reality, The Effulgent One (Consciousness) who is God's brilliance, the world-mover, the pure Sun who is the giver of all action we make you this offering, O Bhairava of the Setting Sun, you who are radiance (prakāśa) and self-reflection (vimarśa)! Salutations to Śrī Sūrya, the Sun!"oṁ raktāmbujāsanam aśeṣa-guṇaika-sindhuṁ bhānuṁ samasta-jagatām-adhipaṁ bhajāmi padma-dvayābhaya-varān dadhataṁ karābjaiḥ māṇikya-mauli-maruṇa-aṅga-ruciṁ trinetram OM seated on a red lotus, a single ocean of endless qualities the shining one, lord of all the world, I praise you, O three eyed one, Holding two lotuses and offering the gestures of fearlessness and boon-giving in your lotus like hands, Adorned with a ruby crown, your body glows red! oṁ javākusumasaṅkāśaṁ kāśyapeyaṁ mahādyutim dhvāntāriṁ sarvapāpaghnaṁ praṇato’smi divākaram OM deep red like a hibiscus glower, the descendent of Kāśyapa, supremely radiant, the enemy of darkness and the destroy of all sin, I bow before you, the maker of the day! oṁ namaḥ savitre jagadekacakṣuṣe jagatprasūtisthitināśahetave trayīmayāya triguṇātmakāriṇe viriñcinārāyaṇaśaṅkarātmane Salutations to Savitre, the single eye of the world, the non-dual witness of all things, the source of the world's creation, maintenaince and dissolution, the embodiment of the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep, the maker of the three qualities of the Self, the very essence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva!You'll find a complete playlist of lectures on Tantra in both theory and practice here.Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/U8zKP8yMrMJai Mā!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

In the profound Trika text virūpākṣapañcāśikā, we learn:vimatipadamaṅga sarvaṃ mama caitanyamātmanaḥ śarīramidam |śūnyapadādīlāvadhi dṛśyatvāt piṇḍavat siddham || 2 ||O dear one, all this from the void state to the play of the Divine including even that which is heretical (i.e impure), since it appears in Consciousness, is verily established as my own body for I myself am Consciousness!sampanno'smi kṛśo'smi snihyatkaraṇo'smi modamāno'smi |prāṇimi śūnyo'smīti ca ṣaṭsu padeṣvasmitā dṛṣṭā || 3 ||“I am rich”, “I am feeble”, “I am affectionate”, “I am happy”, “I am living”, “I am the void”: the self is seen in these six states!From this we can understand that the "Self" is quite elastic! It can identify with possessions, with the body, with the thoughts and emotions in the mind, with the vitality or flow of energy and also with the void! Even saying "no-self" is a kind of self-identification! Notice: the objects, the physical body, the mental body, the energy body and the void body...these are all ways the Self can identify itself. But what exactly is the Self? It is Pure Consciousness, with the ability to expand outward or contract inward. The Self is essentially elastic in nature. Ego is not an illusory thing to be renounced with a Shakti, a power to be reclaimed and properly channelled. This is a class in our Paramārthasāra series, commenting on Verse 32:देहप्राणविमर्शनधीज्ञाननभःप्रपञ्चयोगेन।आत्मानं वेष्टयते चित्रं जालेन जालकार इव॥३२॥Dehaprāṇavimarśanadhījñānanabhaḥprapañcayogena|Ātmānaṁ veṣṭayate citraṁ jālena jālakāra iva ||32||How strange is it that the Self wraps Itself up by considering itself to be the body, prāna, intellectual concepts, and even the universe of ideas regarding the Void, just like a silkworm!You'll find a complete playlist of lectures on Tantra in both theory and practice here.Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/U8zKP8yMrMJai Mā!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

This is perhaps one of my favorite lectures yet and one of the most foundational. In this talk, we track the idea of the "self", the most immediate reality through various different schools of philosophy: first we sketch out scientific materialism (physicalism) and use the ancient ideas of Sāmkhya philosophy to refute it. Then, we refute Sāmkhya before moving on to sketch out the Buddhist idea of no-self. Having refuted the Buddhists, we then sketch out the Shaiva Siddhānta (Tantrik Dualism) view on the Self which we then develop into the non-dual Tantrik view of the One Consciousness in all beings as all beings. 00:00:00 Opening Invocations00:00:47 5 Forms of the Self 00:08:24 The Buddhist Idea of "No Self" 00:10:41 The Vijñāna-Bhairava Tantra on the Self00:15:30 The Self in Sāmkhya vs the Self in Materialism00:42:00 An Argument Against Sāmkhya: There is Only One Consciousness00:52:38 The Buddhist Idea of No-Self 00:59:43 Refuting the Buddhist View of No-Self01:05:30 The Self in Shaiva Siddhanta, Tantrik Dualism01:19:45 The Non-Dual Tantrik Idea of the One SelfYou'll find a complete playlist of lectures on Tantra in both theory and practice here.Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm 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/U8zKP8yMrMJai Mā!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