The Shock of Shiva: Vijnana Bhairava Introduction Pt. 1

Portions of Text Covered in this Class:

Lakshmanjoo Translation: Pages 1- 20

Jai Deva Singh Translation: Preface- xii

Class Synopsis: The Vijnana Bhairava begins with a shock from Shiva: “Whatever form of meditation technique you find in the tantras, whatever mantra or form, are all Bogus!…They are deception, they are delusion, they are cities in the sky.” Whoa, let’s take a moment to let that settle! Parvati then responds with a question we would all want to ask— Ho could this be when the Vijnana Bhairava itself, as well as so many of the ancient texts of the yogic tradition, are literally filled with countless meditation techniques? And how can we meditate without a technique? To this Shiva responds that technique is helpful as we begin our practice— it points us in the right direction when we are young, it keep us on the path when we are lost, focuses the mind when we are stressed. They also give us goals to strive towards, and help sweeten our practice in order to digest the challenges of our life. We need technique to begin our meditation, but it can’t end there. Because technique alone eventually leads to doership. As the Guru Gita teaches, “long, windy pranayamas are difficult and brings disease…[one should instead] attain that spontaneous natural state, where the powerful breath rises and is stilled immediately, of its own accord.” (Verse 53). This isn’t to say that pranayama leads to disease, just the opposite of course, but when we work too strongly with the technique and forget the natural state of being we are seeking, then yes, it does lead to imbalance. We need technique to find our center, but it is just as important to be able to also loosen our grip on technique when we arrive at center. As usual in yoga, it’s a dynamism, a dance of effortless effort. As Lineage teacher Bhagavan Nityananda so concisely taught, “The heart is the hub of all holy places, go there and Roam In It.” Ie. Use your practice to find the heart, and then do something different, roam in it. And it is precisely this ‘roaming’ in the heart that Shiva’s Shocking Answer seeks to teach us, so that we use the 112 ‘techniques’ of the Vijnana Bhairava to truly Roam, and not just wander.