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Tantra Illuminated with Dr. Christopher Wallis — Religion & Spirituality
Tantra Illuminated with Dr. Christopher Wallis

Tantra Illuminated with Dr. Christopher Wallis is a journey through the depths of the human experience, as viewed through the lens of the tradition called nondual Shaiva Tantra. This multi-format podcast, hosted by professional Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner Dr. Christopher Wallis, delves into the fascinating world of Classical Tantra and its intersections with philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, healing arts, and the broader world of spirituality. Discover how the ancient wisdom of Classical Tantra offers profound insights for today’s world, and prepare to challenge conventional narratives about self, reality, and consciousness. The aim is to inspire, educate, and ignite transformative conversations. The podcast includes four types of episodes: conversations with prominent spiritual teachers and philosophers, readings of translations from luminous Sanskrit scriptures, guided meditations, and contemplative reflections. Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings and courses at tantrailluminated.org. Podcast Art by Jesse Molina camatkaracreative.com.

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Copyright: © Christopher Wallis

Latest Episodes:

Deity Yoga and the 21 Tārās with Chandra Easton Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

This week's episode features a conversation with Chandra Easton, also known as Lopön Yeshe Dawa Zangmo, a Dharma teacher, author, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. Since 2001, she has taught Buddhism and Hatha Yoga. In 2015, she was awarded the title of Vajra Teacher, Dorje Lopön (Vajrāchārya), signifying a tantric master in Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, by Lama Tsultrim Allione and H.E. Gochen Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche. She regularly leads retreats and teaches Dharma both nationally and internationally. Chandra's new book, Embodying Tara: Twenty-One Manifestations to Awaken Your Innate Wisdom, explores the 21 manifestations of Tārā in Tibetan Buddhism as she seeks to bring forth the voice of the empowered feminine in Buddhism. Our discussion touches on her personal journey through Buddhism, on the essence of the 21 Tārās as a gateway to look past our mental constructs of selfhood and discover our deeper nature, and the power of deity yoga.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

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The Essence of Tantra, Chapter Four (Part Two) May 31, 2024

Show notes

This episode concludes our reading of Chapter Four of Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," which we started reading in Episode 16. This part of the śākta-upāya or “Illumination of the Empowered Method” is particularly esoteric, presenting some of the most significant and traditionally secretive teachings of the non-dual Shaiva Tantra tradition. Abhinavagupta explores the various names and aspects of the ultimate principle of reality, described as both transcendent and immanent. He also introduces the three Goddesses of the Trika system, describing how all these aspects are unified under one encompassing Goddess. Listen to this episode as a direct transmission, engaging with the text on a deeper level beyond intellectual explanation.

You can read Chapter Fours (Part Two) in these two blogposts one, two.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

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Exploring Nondual Shaiva Tantra: Interview by Michael Taft May 24, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, recorded in March 2023 for the Deconstructing Yourself podcast hosted by Michael Taft, we look at the similarities and differences between Tantrik Shaivism, Tantrik Buddhism, and Vedanta. Alongside Michael - spiritual teacher, bestselling author of "The Mindful Geek" and co-founder of The Alembic in Berkeley - we debunk a few myths and misconceptions about these spiritual paths. The discussion then leads us to some of the most unique and key teachings of non-dual tantra, such as the concepts of 'fullness of emptiness' and beneficial possession, comparing them to other prevalent spiritual philosophies from India.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

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The Sacred Cave of the Heart May 18, 2024

Show notes

This episode offers another guided meditation foundational to the Tantrik path, inviting us to explore the sacred cave of the heart. In this traditional meditation, we guide the center of consciousness or selfhood—often felt in the head or between the eyes—to descend to the mysterious and quiet region at the heart's base. Here, we can immerse ourselves in the stillness and silence within, experiencing a subtle, radiant presence felt as a point of pure, sparkling light deep within, our ultimate reality.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

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In Conversation with A.H. Almaas (Hameed Ali) May 10, 2024

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Hameed Ali, who publishes under the name of A.H. Almaas. Hameed is founder of The Diamond Approach to Self-Realization, a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychology theories. He has authored 18 books about spirituality and realization, including the Diamond Heart series, The Pearl Beyond Price, and his new book NonDual Love. Almaas discusses his journey from physics to psychology, his discovery of his unique approach to spirituality, and the evolution of his teachings. The conversation also explores his Theory of Holes, which posits that our feelings of emptiness, where we feel there’s something missing in our lives, can lead to profound spiritual revelations and become a portal to recognising essence nature.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

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The Essence of Tantra, Chapter Four (Part One) May 03, 2024

Show notes

This episode is a scriptural reading and continues our exploration of Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," focusing on Chapter Four, entitled “Illumination of the Empowered Method (śākta-upāya)”. The text is a magnificent description of the śākta-upāyas, the contemplative process that can refine one’s understanding of reality, ultimately leading to the experiential realization of one's true nature. The ‘empowered’ methods through which ignorance is dissolved are discernment (sat-tarka), teachings from an authentic tradition (sad-āgama), and guidance from a teacher (sad-guru).

You can read Chapter Fours (Part One) in three distinct blogposts: blogpost one, two, and three.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Abhinavagupta’s argument here must be read in its wider context lest we misunderstand him. Clearly, he does believe that yogic practices can indeed support and foster the discerning insight that leads to liberation, for he teaches yogic practices in the very next chapter. But he suggests that those yogic practices must be conjoined with at least a provisional understanding of how they illustrate the nature of Reality.

Additionally, in the Tantrāloka, he allows that even when yogic practice does not foster sat-tarka (accurate discernment), it still might be helpful to remove impediments on the path, such as doubt and fear. In Tantrāloka verse 4.98, he writes: “On the other hand, in our view, since [Consciousness] clearly consists of everything, including prāṇa, mind, and body, even practice which remains on those levels can successfully remove impediments [to liberation], just as one who wishes to leap must first overcome fear of falling.”

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

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Classical Tantra & Abhinavagupta with Ben Williams Apr 27, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we speak with Dr Ben Williams, an intellectual historian specializing in Indian religions and Shaiva Tantra. His academic focus has primarily been on Abhinavagupta. He holds extensive training in Indian philosophy, literature, and aesthetics, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Hinduism at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where he also leads the newly launched MA in Yoga Studies. His doctoral thesis is on revelation and the figure of the tantric guru in Abhinavagupta's writings. Ben discusses his journey into this field, the distinction between a scholar-practitioner and a traditional scholar, and shares incredible insights into Kashmir Shaivism and Abhinavagupta’s teachings and texts.

Ben Williams' Patreon Close Readings.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Three Stages of Awakening Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

This week's solo episode explores the teaching of the three stages of awakening, or three samāveśas, rooted in the 7th-century Mālinīvijayottaratantra and further elaborated by Abhinavagupta in Tantrasāra. This teaching, preserved both in the scriptures and through oral transmission, clarifies the multifaceted nature of spiritual awakening. Each of three samāveśas, which literally means 'immersion,' represents an immersion into a fundamental aspect of ultimate reality. This episode unpacks these stages to provide a clearer understanding of the spiritual awakening process, which, while not always linear, shares commonalities across different traditions and ways people experience it.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

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The Idealist View with Bernardo Kastrup Apr 13, 2024

Show notes

This week's episode features a conversation with philosopher and scientist Dr. Bernardo Kastrup, a prominent figure in the renaissance of metaphysical idealism—the view that reality is fundamentally mental, meaning to say that everything that exists is consciousness or Mind. Bernardo Kastrup is also the Executive Director at the Essentia Foundation, a new foundation dedicated to exploring the nature of reality, and is renowned for his extensive publications, including his upcoming book 'Analytical Idealism in a Nutshell.'

Our conversation reveals the deep parallels between Tantrik Shaivism and metaphysical idealism, both of which conceptualize reality as fundamentally mental or conscious. We discuss how these perspectives, although expressed in different languages, converge on the same understanding. The episode includes an afterword (at the 2hr14min) and for those unfamiliar with Dr. Kastrup's work, we recommend starting there to better appreciate the insights shared in our dialogue.

Take Bernardo Kastrup’s free online introductory course Analytic Idealism with Bernardo Kastrup.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

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The Essence of Tantra, Chapter Three (abridged) Apr 05, 2024

Show notes

This week, we continue our journey through Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," focusing on Chapter Three, entitled "Illumination of The Divine Method," or śāmbhava-upāya. This chapter wonderfully explains how spiritual realization—whether referred to as enlightenment, awakening, or liberation—can unfold through intuitive, non-conceptual insights, without reliance on conceptual understanding. Presented here is an abridged version of the scripture that excludes Abhinavagupta’s detailed exploration of the fundamental structure and nature of reality through the phonemes of Sanskrit alphabet.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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