The Radiance Sutras: The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra

• Meditation and Mindfulness

The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra is one of the early teachings on yoga and meditation. The name, loosely translated, means “the terror and joy of realizing oneness with the Soul.” I say it is little because it is only about three thousand words in the original Sanskrit, perhaps 40 minutes of chanting. It is astonishing that in so few words it describes the essence of many of the world’s meditation techniques. I call it The Radiance Sutras because it is so luminous.

A tantra is not poetry, although it may sound that way in the original and in translation. A tantra is a manual of practices. This one is a book of yoga meditation instructions, set as a conversation between lovers. The focus is on full-body spirituality and accepting every breath, sensual experience and emotion as a doorway into deep and intimate contact with the energies of life.

The text feels as though it was composed by a couple, a man and a woman who sang the verses to each other as they co-composed. They lived this teaching. The techniques that are described here occurred to them naturally, as an evolution of the questions they were asking of life, and their explorations of the body of love.

As was the convention of the time, they frame the conversation as the Goddess and the God in them speaking. Their inquiry is about how to enter into the vibrant essence of the world with the dual balance of passion and detachment.

A translation of this tantra came into my hands more than forty years ago, when I was 18, and I have worked with the methods every day since then. It has been a love affair, and I am blessed. One day I started to write a fresh version and it evolved into this book.

 

vayu dvayasya samghattat antah va bahih antatah yogi samatva vijnana samudgamana bhajanam Pour one breath into the other, Out-breath into the in-breath Into the out-breath. In the harmony of this fusion Where one rhythm turns into the other, Awaken into equilibrium. Tend to breath in this way, Claim the power Of oneness with the Self.     yatra yatra manas tustir manas tatra-eva dharayet tatra tatra para ananda svarupam sam-pravartate Wherever, whenever you feel carried away, Rejoicing in every breath, There, there is your meditation hall. Cherish those times of absorption— Rocking the baby in the silence of the night Pouring water into a crystal glass Tending the logs in the crackling fire Sharing a meal with a circle of friends. Embrace these pleasures and know, This is my true body. Nowhere is more holy than this. Right here is the sacred pilgrimage. Live in alertness for such a moment, my Beloved, As if it were your one meeting with the Creator.

asane shayane sthitva niradharam vibhavayan svadeham manasi kshine kshanat kshena-ashaya bhavet Sitting on a soft seat, Or lying on your mat, Experience the space below As offering no support. You are simply suspended, Floating in space. Structures of the mind release, The reservoir of habits dissolves. In an instant, lifetimes of patterns Vanish.     chitti adi antah kritih nasti mama-antah bhavayet iti vikalpanam abhavena vikalpaih ujjhitah bhavet People talk about mind and ego. Let’s just drop this whole conversation. Consider instead: There is no mind. There is no ego. There is only the incandescent reality. At play, beckoning.

Adapted from The Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder and Delight, by Lorin Roche. Copyright © 2014 by Lorin Roche. Sounds True, August 2014.