15 years of Vajrayana Buddhist study and nothing ever came close to the clarity and conciseness with which you explained Kundalini here in this short video - amazing - thank you for this.
THANK YOU for naming the importance of energy moving downwards. The ascension teaching focus has always bothered me because I have found immense freedom in the decent of my energy, there is so much richness in the decent too.
The artistic poetry genius of those who wrote about kundalini in Sanskrit centuries ago comes out in this fascinating explanation. Wallis is blessed to be able to understand Sanskrit and communicate this beautiful complexity. We are equally blessed to share in his understanding.
Fascinating stuff, for some more guidance on this practice, see also Chris Tompkins videos on kundalini. He uses AUM as a mantra, resonating each letter in the heart, throat and third eye respectively. Watching these two guys, you can sort of reconstruct a basic yogic practice that works pretty effectively. This is what happens when yoga teachers actually learn their sanskrit and look at the ancient classics, instead of just reading a bunch of contemporary yoga books and come up with their own invented bs (won't name names). Nice work
I totally agree. I live in philly an in the summer there are people offering free yoga practice right. One day after our practice I went to the instructor to ask something. I was so curious about Patanjali sutras, ...and OMG the
(Lotus Bloom Meditation: July 10, 2022) I had the 'Lotus Bloom' while in meditation at my childhood home in Spokane, WA at 12:06am in the early morning. It was blissful, very high frequency, worked with the Christos energy from April 18- July 23, 2022 (very intense), the bloom was golden yellow
The downward kundalini appears in my minds eye as Lalita Tripura Sundari (embodiment of tantra) sitting on my head...LOVE my Lalita breath! Totally transformed my practice Grateful 🙏
I have been stuck in an extremely difficult and incapacitating kundalini process for 4.5 years now and this is helping in ways I never could have imagined. Thank you for this video and for writing about these things in your books.
So grateful for Christopher Wallis. Without his expert historical and linguistic analysis, I, as a newcomer to Tantric practice, might easily get misled. One experience I don't need in this lifetime is a "psychotic break."
I am a sadhaka and had shaktipat. I asked mama to help me integrate my duality and this came up. This had insanely cool new info for me. will have to watch it again and take notes. Thank you, Hareesh.
Thank you, really appreciating listening to this now, after a Kundalini awakening in my early 20s and what could’ve been labelled as a short psychosis, I appreciate hearing for the very first time that there is also a kundalini at the crown of the head that comes down… thank you!
(Lotus Bloom Meditation: July 10, 2022) I had the 'Lotus Bloom' while in meditation at my childhood home in Spokane, WA at 12:06am in the early morning. It was blissful, very high frequency, worked with the Christos energy from April 18- July 23, 2022 (very intense), the bloom was golden yellow
Thank you Christopher - I have recently come across your work. So happy I did ! As a yoga student already for a number of years, 10 years ago I experienced a Kundalini 'blow out' I have heard it called, during an Ayahausca ceremony. It took a long time, to integrate this, I imagine the process is ongoing in fact. Trying to find information on what happened has been a long journey. I so appreciate your work, thank you. Look forward to joining the community.
Thank you Christopher. Im currently doing your Tantrika course and have been loving your videos on translations of mantras. Recently bought your book that im looking forward to reading. Shivani
Masterful lesson. I’ll surely listen to it many times. Extremely timely since I’ve recently started the relevant VBT practices. It perfectly complements the Ucchāra video.
So happy to see you! Listening to your audiobook - so wonderful. Subscribed. Looking forward to learning more. Thank you for all this great work! And just wanted to say that you chant very nicely in “The Recognition Sutras”.
This was a fantastic explanation, I actually wished I had listened to it a earlier because it answered a lot of questions I had about other practices, pranams Hareesh, blessings and love, Om Namah Shivaya
Thank you for posting this content. I wanted to share my kundalini experience with you. I have a chitrini nadi kundalini rising and I constantly see the Kundalini in form of a serpent in my third eye. The various serpentine images associated with kundalini were part of my inner imagery and connected to specific events during my kundalini awakening. I have heard about many different types of spiritual and kundalini awakenings, I am yet to come across another person who had the experiences similar as mine. Later I got to understand that it is the ones who have an awakening through Chitrini nadi, they get to experience the imagery associated with the process more prominently than others with a different type of rising. I can dip into my own experience and vouch that all that association between the serpents and Kundalini is part of the process. Most of the ancient literature was written by the ones who had a chitrini nadi rising. If I had to write on my experience, I cannot separate the snake from my process. Everything I see in my inner mind about the process gets expressed in form of serpents. I just felt the need to share my experience with you. I live in India and I really admire your understanding of the scriptures.
Wow Hareesh Ji, this makes total Sense so Basically we are integrating our divine conscience with the our wordly existence, by fusing those two we re integrate our soul with the atman
*And once again Yoga meets Nei Gong!. Love it sometimes one just has to laugh and why we live in cycles or wheels. Thanks for the video Chris despite it being 4 years old it is always relevant! And thank you for saying energy centers as otherwise people then confuse chakras and dan tiens*
Tribute to Lilian Silburn Lilian Silburn, was a pioneer in the study of "Kashmiri shaivism" and a mysterious connoisseur of her secret teachings. Kashmir's "shaivism" would not be so well known today without Lilian Silburn's translations. She translated and commented on several important texts of "Kashmir's Shaivism". Lilian Silburn mastered Sanskrit, whose metaphysical and mystical vocabulary is very rich, which allows us to decipher often difficult texts. She always used the terminology of these texts in Sanskrit, a terminology that had become the mode of expression of her scientific thinking, in particular to describe the mystical states inevitably present in the texts. I recommend her fascinated work: Kundalinī : The Energy of the Depths : A Comprehensive Study Based on the Scriptures of Nondualistic Kasmir Saivism (Suny Series in the Shaiva Traditions of Kashmir) by Lilian Silburn.
I awoke my Kundalini in January. I cannot listen to binaural beats...or do certain sounds becos of how strong it becomes..at times i worry that my body wont be able to handle the shakes. Music relaxes my energy and makes it move in dance in standing meditation I will try the hoooom sound and see...wish we luck
Thank you for contributing to making Kundalini more understandable. The popularity of Kundalini Yoga today however has to be credited to Yogi Bhajan although he obviously adapted the ancient practice to make it palatable to the Western mind. He left many of the techniques, and mantram in their supposedly original form, we hope,. There is little to compare them to so we can only know if they are genuine if we practice and research them.
Incorrect. "he obviously adapted the ancient practice" -- no, he never taught any ancient practice, only modern ones. "He left many of the techniques in their original form" -- no, he didn't. "There is little to compare them to" -- wrong, there is a huge number of manuscripts on these matters that have survived. The *only* authentic traditional practice that YB gave was Sikh mantras such as Ek Ongkar.
Just bought both of your books, looking forward to your translation/commentary. Thank You. P.S. I hope that an SYF sticker back there. haha Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson is an etymologists dream "hobby" work. Something to tickle your brain if you're interested.
Thank you for the clarification around the Kundalini yoga practice as we know it today. As someone who spent a year training and certifying a couple years ago, I’ve slowly realized this was something made up, probably on the spot by a patriarch with kriyas that was declared to have supposed benefits that no one could ever clearly explained to me, books with words that made so sense at all, complete lack of understanding of movement (and safety). Ugh... I could go on and on. I will read the article. Also looking forward to receiving your book Tantra Illuminated and continuing your tantrik class. Thanks!
Kundalini is a term to describe the result of the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems operating free from stress induced by thoughts, emotions, and actions.
We greatly appreciate your work. Can we ask a question. Briefly what are your views on OSHO. Yogi Bhajan.. Rajneesh etc. Did his translations on Kundalini have any value or is everything to be discredited now. 're the cult etc. Also is Saiva Tantra the source of the texts on sexuality that the West has become obsessed but have ignored 're rest of Tantra, Yantras etc. Osho is the source that many people notice first 're. Modern media. Your views would be welcome.?
neither Osho/Rajneesh nor Yogi Bhajan knew Sanskrit, so they did not do any translations, nor are either of them an authoritative source for anything to do with Tantra, since they never received initiation or lineage-transmission in a Tantrik lineage.
NAMASTE...hi Chris..I am so happy to have found yur videos. I am so interested in the study of Kundalini ,Tantra, and Shakti. I've been studying books by 'Sir John Woodroffe- Arthur Avalon...which I imagine that yur familiar with). I've been wanting to be initiated so i can be an authorized practitioner...unfortunately for me , i have family responsibilities that actually prevent me from literally traveling to find a Guru etc. Thank you for yur videos . I'm soO grateful to find yur channel. Namaskar
Thanks for this Christopher, for your knowledge and scholarly work. I have a question for you. Most of the people I know who have awakened Kundalini, including myself, did not use any of these practices to do this. How do you know that the 7th century texts are not just like yogi Bhajan's kundalini yoga - made up by gurus as a gig to get students?
Having gone through Kundalini to samadhi and back, I have my own understanding of what this power is from a biological perspective and am writing my own book. I can assure you that the snake imagery is not just a metaphor.
for sure some of the 7th century texts were made up to get students! but the ones that survived, that were copied and recopied by hand for centuries and carefully preserved, those were different (VBT is one example). but yes you're right Michaela, one need not do anything of these practices for Kundalinī to awaken -- She does that just fine on Her own. and, I agree, the snake imagery is not just a metaphor (even if it was in the early days). it's a quality/mode of the energy that many people experience. thanks for your comments.
Hey tank you🙏🏽, i had a kundalini awakening 5 years ago after a psychedelic experience, and since than I experience intense ecstasy. Till now I have a lot of breakdown and i moving between periods of resistance to the energy to fully surrender to it. Does the process can unfold naturally? Or I need to look for a guru who can guide me with the process?
Good stuff, proud to be a scholar attitude is applaudable, poor Osho could not really get it, he was un-initiated after all, I learned a lot from poor Osho as well, he was way more simple and less pedagogically twisted.
@@christopherwallis751 depends who you ask, some will say that complicated is better, some will say, simple is better, accumulation of the right kind of knowledge and facts is good to claim mastery, and rightly so, but it is not always inspiring, personally it is the unschooled ,the un-accomplished and the uninitiated that inspire me more , for they do not have to defend some orthodoxy, I know there are right kind of orthodoxies that must be adhered to in order to claim academic excellence, yet too much energy spent on defending the righteous knowledge is a distraction, even the right kind of knowledge can be disputed by the un-initiated. may be it is my bias and you are right, for I am un-initiated too. Trust me I enjoyed your talk.
I'd like to know if you have heard of Banknal(twisted path or something similar) beyond sahashar(I dunno how to spell). Ramana Maharishi when he talks about Kundalini talks about how you go up the twisted path, then end up down in the heart. In some yoga traditions, they talk about how the chakras of the brahmand are reflected on the body, and they are accessed after a breakthrough from the final one of the body, by the banknal. I think this might have a little relevance to the two kundalini energies merging into one that you talked about in this video.
Thank you for this thoughtful and illuminating talk! I've been on a quest concerning the Kundalini state for some years and I'm still looking for the right guidance. I currently live in Switzerland. Can you recommend a teacher in this area or Europe in general? Warmest greetings
Exceptional video, thank you. Would love some clarity on why many teach that ida/moon is associated with the exhale (therefore parasympathetic NS) and pingala/sun is associated with the inhale (sympathetic NS), which seemingly opposes what you’ve said here (which I understand in terms of the left inhale being moon and the breath moves DOWN the channel, etc). Appreciate your thoughts! 🙏🏼
if they are teaching that, it shows that they are not steeped in the Yogic or Tantrik tradition. inhale is ALWAYS lunar in these traditions, partially because the inhale is cooler and the exhale warmer.
@@christopherwallis751 yes, another excellent point. Thank you for your prompt response and insight, greatly appreciated! Perhaps I am getting confused with the exhalation being taught as connected to apana vayu, and the inhalation to prana vayu? And that seems conflicting in my mind given that Ida is the inhale and Pingala is the exhale.
Christopher, there is a scholarly book by Georg Feuerstein called "Tantra: The Path of Ecstacy." I found it quite grounded and well researched. No flights of fancy, despite the provocative title.
FYI, that book documents the elements of classical Tantra that entered into Hinduism. My book documents the philosophy of classical Tantra in its entirety. if you compare the two, you'll see what I mean, I hope.
I'll definitely check your book out, as I found the topic fascinating and totally agree that it is hard to find good scholarly work on the history and philosophy of Tantra. Kind regards, -Robert
It's true Robert. The Feuerstein was part of the curricula when I was doing undergrad work some 15 years ago, so I'm very familiar with it. It is limited in its scope and not quite aware enough of that fact to point out that there is more to Tantra than what got co-opted, filtered, and otherwise adopted into traditions informed by it. Hareesh's work fills in the missing gaps, makes the pertinent distinctions, and unabashedly dons the mantle of practitioner while doing so. I ardently wish it may be the introductory text for future scholars.
@@robmal8906 Yes it's really difficult to find research papers. Even with SOAS Mphils. Christopher is greatly admired for his view of Tantra as a whole subject and to fully appreciate the complexities of the the translation of different texts. E.g later 7th cent.
Wonderful. Thank you. That cleared up lots of things for me. What are your views on Sir John Woodruffe's interpretations in Serpent Power and Sakti and Sakta?
Hi Christopher, I have a question about your oldest video. Is there somewhere an exact instruction for the ancient breathing meditation you are describing?
Dear Christopher, I'm not sure whether you still read or even comment on a video that is several years old. I'll just try my luck. I wouldn't know who else to ask either. Your explanations about an "upper Kundalini" reached me just-in-time at a critical point in my process. I am indeed one of those unprofessianally informed practitioners who mistakenly assume or have assumed that the "right process" would ultimately be exclusively upward. In practice, however, this has not worked, because I clearly feel, and since your video I trust this feeling, that energy is flowing in from above, that "something" wants to connect rather than consciousness and energy will flow out at the Sahasrara chakra. All along I thought my fear of consciousness and energy leaking out at the crown was something to overcome. Now I have a better feeling that everything is on track. I would be very interested to know where the connection of the lower, well-established energy stream (caused by concentrated attention) and the energy flowing in from above takes place. Does this happen directly in the Anja Chakra or somewhere between Anja Chakra and Sahasrara Chakra? Is Rudra Granthi to be understood as the localization where these two streams of energy (consciousness) meet and connect? I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for your information and how essential it is. This text is translated from German. Marco
The connection can happen anywhere (between Ājñā and Sahasrāra being one possibility), but it isn't complete until Kuṇḍalinī activates at the level of the heart (the middle Kuṇḍalinī joins and merges with the Upper and Lower K).
Where do I start. So I know everything I need to know to learn this practice. I’d like to be a teacher one day but I’m at a faze in my life where I know I’m doing it wrong, and it’s creating friction with darkness. That’s all I will say here, I’d like to carry on more conversation in depth privately, I have a lot to talk about and tell. I feel, if a teacher is going to teach me they need to deeply know everything.
@28:45 is kundalini interpreted as "she who wears earrings" a definition from classical tantra, or a much later one? And if so, which texts can we explicitly find such an interpretation? I've been reading a lot about kundalini lately, in the work of scholars such as yourself, and have never come across this definition or interpretation. Thanks Hareesh!
it doesn't mean 'she who wears earrings', @Revolvingsound . i was just saying that the word is derived from 'kundala', a kind of spiral earring, giving his 'kundalinī', coiled feminine power.
I have a Kundalini Yoga book by Yogi Bhajan... but I noticed he is a Sikhi...and so I'm wondering does that have any play in the reasoning why the Kundalini Awakening in his book seems Unique in comparison to Tantra Yoga?
Hi Christopher, I just watched this and I'm a bit confused by your discussion about the downward and upward kundalini's - not because of the common Hatha yoga misunderstanding about singularly upward moving, but because of my dear friend Dr. Shaman Hatley's article called "Kuṇḍalinī" which I'm quite familiar with. Perhaps you can clarify this? Right out of the gate, Dr. Hatley's writing implies that the downward kundalini is a macrocosmic emanation and the upward is the microcosmic. "In tantric doctrines, these dual movements-the emanative descent of the transcendent kuṇḍalinī, and its yogic ascent in the person-mirror each other, representing the processes of creation or emanation (movement from subtle to gross) and reabsorption or liberation (movement from gross to subtle), respectively." This is quite a different interpretation than what you are talking about here - which is entirely about the individual realm. Could you comment? A second question - if the snake iconography is a mistake, can you please comment on the existence of the caduceus in ancient Egypt and if that is relevant here or perhaps a later adaptation - in other words did the Egyptian and Greek snakes influence medieval understandings/symbolism of kundalini? thanks!
Hi there. There is no contradiction between my video and my esteemed colleague's article. Rather, the error lies in your assumption that the emanative descent is "macrocosmic" and the transcendental ascent is "microcosmic". You were perhaps thrown off by Shaman's use of the phrase "yogic ascent in the person". But in fact, the emanative descent includes and entails the microcosmic emanation of personhood, and the yogic ascent is the movement towards the macrocosm, ultimately relinquishing the microcosm. As for the snake iconography, it's not so much a mistake as missing the original point of the phrase "coiled *like* a sleeping serpent". Nonetheless, the Kundalinī did come to be represented as a serpent in the tradition, of course. This has nothing to do with the caduceus, which exerted an influence on the Indian representation of nāgas, but not Kundalinī.
@@christopherwallis751 "kuṇḍalinī designates the power (śakti) of the divine as both primordial, creative energy, and as a spiritual potency latent in the microcosm of the human person." clearly Shaman is saying that they are both divine, primordial, creative, as well as individual.
Chris, when you say that the ascension is from the bottom of the heart to a point above the head. Would that feeling of ascension be “entrained” with a heartbeat, or not necessarily? Does tantric lit. explain anything ab using the heartbeat as a tool for meditation? What do you think is the rationale behind the assignment of specific gender and laterality to the nadis; how could that come about? I would love and appreciate your answers.
If true, this is incredibly infuriating and frustrating. Why for the love of God are we born asleep and stumbling around and suffering for lifetime after lifetime... When to actually wake up and be present with life you need to learn some weird, obscure, misunderstood, random technique from the ancient past on the other side of the planet and which 99% of people you've actually met in your life have never even heard of, let alone practiced successfully?!?!?? 😤 Then on top of that, you've got people who know of it and have tried to do the thing, but glitched themselves out into a mental breakdown instead and have been essentially disabled for years on end. What gives. Why even bother living if everything is so stacked against us.
@@christopherwallis751 Ah that is a big misunderstanding then. A relief for me, but why would people risk years of mental havoc to raise the energy it wasn't even necessary? I've read many comments from people suffering in debilitation for up to 10 years after being bitch slapped by the universe for dabbling in Kundalini areas.
I see awakening kundalini as an analogy to hacking the human being. No one needs to hack it, but once you do, please know there is no going back. Once you see it, there's no unseeing it. "The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size". The way of seeing the world and living changes. Once you have the explosion, it won't explode again. There is no way to go back to the original. But you remain human. You transcend duality and then integrate the non-dual with the dual. And life goes on, dual and non-dual. Between ups and downs and both at the same time.
Thank you so much for this video. I love you and your work deeply. Can you please share where or whom to visit (or where to make a pilgrimage to) to receive Shaktipata? I have been drawing to this for years but have been nervous about so many confused "Gurus"
Christopher Wallis I’m located in San Luis Obispo county, California (central coast) but am willing to travel for the right connection, grace allowing. Sorry for confusion I replied with my other account 5 days ago. Thank you deeply.
Also I had another question...i know yur talking about Shaktism/Kundalini, which at first my minds eye gives me a very Indian impression..but i noticed also there is a very Tibetan "flare" when talking of the same. Is it fare to say that 'Hinduism ' and shaktism isn't exclusively Indian?
no it's not that, what you're perceiving as a Tibetan flair/vibe is actually a Tantrik vibe. and tantra definitely originated wholly in India, it's just mostly forgotten there now.
@@bobbyrice2205 did not quite get question but afaik Buddhism is sort of derived religion , the roots of its yogic practise lies in Hinduism and as a matter of fact Sidhdhartha or as u call him gautama budhdha was a Hindu Prince who left home in search of moksha .. so technically there is nothing called tibetan buddhism ..it just got widely accepted there and as for tantra as @Christopher Wallis rightly pointed out it originated in India.
Hi, thank you for amazing lecture about kundalini. Today was my first experience in kundalini yoga class, and what I notice that yoga teacher and also one student (there was only two of us) wore white clothes whit head - dress. When I asked teacher about the clothes he's said that it's not nesserary for student, but for kundalini teacher it's obligation to wear white clothes. What do you say about it? Because I can understand that white is color of all colors, when I emagine all chakras in one I see not white but something like crystal clear light. Is this white clothe think is so litteral when practicing kundalini yoga?
no. those people are members of the Yogi Bhajan cult, they don't really know anything about Kundalini per se. In yoga studio culture of today, classes labeled Kundalini yoga are almost always linked to the Yogi bhajan cult and have no connection to the original tradition.
Thank you for answer 🙏 but it's sad, if I want practise kundalini or another tantricka practises it's become challenging to find teacher who is not in some culte. I think in my region there can be problems whit that. I thought about it because I am new one in this tradition, listening your lectures about VBT, and I cannot stop, it's like hearing something that was always be in me. But now is the challenge to find non cultic teachers who can led me in practise, but no hurry there most be some. Till that I just listen and carefully pratise what you are given in those videos. 🙏
I was a little skeptical, descending for the Ortega line, but this is a brilliant exposition. Not everyone had the privilege to study with Lakshmanjoo. Hope to see a more in-depth dive into Abhinavagupta's work in the future. People on the shores of Trika have plenty other interests too, but the few of us interested in the nectar, the essence of Abhinavagupta mind, just want that and nothing else [not excluding Utpaladeva's outpour of devotion!] :)
Hello, Christopher. Several sources mention that there are indeed two kundalinis and they flow through Ida, Pingala and Sushumna and they are both ascending, but they do not mention the Urdhva and Adha, being one ascending and another descending. To me, your explanation is way more consistent. The other I mentioned is also valid? Is it accurate, from the classical tantra point of view? Thanks a lot and best regards.
There are multiple articles online regarding his sexual practices. There were legal claims against him. The fact that Kundalini Yoga is an invention is written in his own hand in the introduction of his teacher training level one text. It has surprised me how many people choose to overlook this and feel affronted when if it pointed out. Well, people are as they are, gripped to their beliefs.
Important for me to hear your take on Yogi Bhajan, as I was along for that ride for awhile some time back. I suspected as much and never quite went full turban. But ironically, the Sikh aspects (which I kept somewhat at arm’s lengths) may be more legit, i.e., connected to an actual lineage. The Kundalini branding of it doesn’t quite capture the whole phenomenon, and you were wise to bite your tongue a bit and refer to the article. Wouldn’t want to get you started on “White Tantric” - don’t go there!
I’d like to ask, have you yourself experienced Kundalini or indeed any embodied experience from the ‘scholarly’ teachings you teach. I’d like to understand more of your personal experience not what you have read. Are you open to the knowing that teaching began orally and where only written down much later.
Celeseah, my personal experiences are my own business, and since I am not putting myself forward as a guru, I'm not clear why they are of interest to you. I am a translator first and foremost, giving people access to materials written in a language they can't read. if you are interested in that, wonderful, if not, feel free to move on.
Would appreciate if you could share your thoughts on this famous “short Ah stroke at the navel chakra” mentioned in Naropa’s six yoga system and some other Buddhist tantric texts also. (And also why they emphasis on Navel and not the heart chakra) Thank you.
find a guru (or any teacher qualified to impart a mantra, they need not have the title 'guru'). easy enough to do. just don't, y'know, give them all your money or anything like that. ;)
I don't think Kundalini should be understood as a functional state of our own energy and not an independent external force. These are two different approaches. One is Jnana yoga and the other is Bhakti yoga... In practice one can pass from one to the other. Jnana yoga is a more "scientific" and "structural" approach, but also more mental. And I would say that Bhakti is more spontaneous and its movement is towards abandonment... Both are conceptual and we will end up abandoning one or the other concept... In Bhakti yoga we love the form of kundalini "shakti" as a goddess.... and if this is seen as an external form, with a maturity there will be fusion. Experience will show us that there is no outside and no inside. Not me here, not God out there. How we live it doesn’t matter. And I would say that : if we are on a jnana yoga, we will irreparably fall into Bhakti yoga: this devotion to this inexpressible Love state. There is no one left to say it is necessary to do this or that. Only the experience of the Self remains. Only this living vibration. A wild ascent of Kundalini is that energy that unfolds without any will on our part. The energy expands and blows the energy nodes. This happens spontaneously or is received by Shaktipath (transmission of a guru, a mantra, by a look, or just by vibration of someone who vibrates this state). It can be experienced as trauma or as grace. And in this spontaneous experience, we’re just observing a phenomenon that’s beyond us. In any case the explanations to go to this state or simply to integrate it, are correct and can really help. But beware, for people who mentalise too much, they can hang with pranayama, bandha, pingala, ida and sushumna. Shanti shanti... follows the flow
15 years of Vajrayana Buddhist study and nothing ever came close to the clarity and conciseness with which you explained Kundalini here in this short video - amazing - thank you for this.
This comment by you...15 years and this video....omg...
THANK YOU for naming the importance of energy moving downwards. The ascension teaching focus has always bothered me because I have found immense freedom in the decent of my energy, there is so much richness in the decent too.
The artistic poetry genius of those who wrote about kundalini in Sanskrit centuries ago comes out in this fascinating explanation. Wallis is blessed to be able to understand Sanskrit and communicate this beautiful complexity. We are equally blessed to share in his understanding.
Thank you so much for this. >3
this is by far the best explanation of many tantric concepts ive listened to and one or two very nice details. really helpful
Fascinating stuff, for some more guidance on this practice, see also Chris Tompkins videos on kundalini. He uses AUM as a mantra, resonating each letter in the heart, throat and third eye respectively. Watching these two guys, you can sort of reconstruct a basic yogic practice that works pretty effectively. This is what happens when yoga teachers actually learn their sanskrit and look at the ancient classics, instead of just reading a bunch of contemporary yoga books and come up with their own invented bs (won't name names). Nice work
Yes spot on and also letting Christopher know he's really appreciated in the community
I totally agree. I live in philly an in the summer there are people offering free yoga practice right. One day after our practice I went to the instructor to ask something. I was so curious about Patanjali sutras, ...and OMG the
Indeed
(Lotus Bloom Meditation: July 10, 2022) I had the 'Lotus Bloom' while in meditation at my childhood home in Spokane, WA at 12:06am in the early morning. It was blissful, very high frequency, worked with the Christos energy from April 18- July 23, 2022 (very intense), the bloom was golden yellow
I was so readt to receive this transmission now, loving gratitude Hareesh, always.
The downward kundalini appears in my minds eye as Lalita Tripura Sundari (embodiment of tantra) sitting on my head...LOVE my Lalita breath! Totally transformed my practice Grateful 🙏
I have been stuck in an extremely difficult and incapacitating kundalini process for 4.5 years now and this is helping in ways I never could have imagined. Thank you for this video and for writing about these things in your books.
Did you manage to find relief and resolution?
So grateful for Christopher Wallis. Without his expert historical and linguistic analysis, I, as a newcomer to Tantric practice, might easily get misled. One experience I don't need in this lifetime is a "psychotic break."
I am a sadhaka and had shaktipat. I asked mama to help me integrate my duality and this came up. This had insanely cool new info for me. will have to watch it again and take notes. Thank you, Hareesh.
Such an interesting exposition. Very exciting knowledge. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you, very clear explanation of complicated teaching !
was so impressed with your knowledge from Buddha/Gas Pump interview ... following u now
Thank you, really appreciating listening to this now, after a Kundalini awakening in my early 20s and what could’ve been labelled as a short psychosis, I appreciate hearing for the very first time that there is also a kundalini at the crown of the head that comes down… thank you!
Thanks for the integrity and accessible manner in which you share these practices.
I am eternally grateful for your teachings. Your ability to articulate a very difficult topic of study is invaluable.
Very great explanation, thank you for dispelling darkness Sri Hareesh!
Thank You Scholar, for you due diligence and for your research. Thank You Scholar 🙏🏽
(Lotus Bloom Meditation: July 10, 2022) I had the 'Lotus Bloom' while in meditation at my childhood home in Spokane, WA at 12:06am in the early morning. It was blissful, very high frequency, worked with the Christos energy from April 18- July 23, 2022 (very intense), the bloom was golden yellow
Thank you Christopher - I have recently come across your work. So happy I did ! As a yoga student already for a number of years, 10 years ago I experienced a Kundalini 'blow out' I have heard it called, during an Ayahausca ceremony. It took a long time, to integrate this, I imagine the process is ongoing in fact. Trying to find information on what happened has been a long journey. I so appreciate your work, thank you. Look forward to joining the community.
Hareesh, so grateful for all your work, scholarly and practice. As a longtime Vimeo follower its great to see you on RUclips! Keep it unreal
Thank you Christopher. Im currently doing your Tantrika course and have been loving your videos on translations of mantras. Recently bought your book that im looking forward to reading. Shivani
Masterful lesson. I’ll surely listen to it many times. Extremely timely since I’ve recently started the relevant VBT practices. It perfectly complements the Ucchāra video.
I just went through Guide 15, and this came to me as the perfect compliment ! Not the first time I have watched this either.
GREAT video!
So happy to see you! Listening to your audiobook - so wonderful. Subscribed. Looking forward to learning more. Thank you for all this great work! And just wanted to say that you chant very nicely in “The Recognition Sutras”.
loved your book and your scholarly approach is amazing and refreshing. thanks you for your work
This was a fantastic explanation, I actually wished I had listened to it a earlier because it answered a lot of questions I had about other practices, pranams Hareesh, blessings and love, Om Namah Shivaya
Beautiful🙏🌾🌿thank you
Wow, as someone who has only had half the instructions...thank you.
Thank you, I'm looking forward to seeing how this information compares to my Kundalini process.
It’s funny I read from Marahaj to Mahan tantric article recently before coming here. This to me has opened up much insight 🙏🏼 thank you
Thank you for posting this content. I wanted to share my kundalini experience with you. I have a chitrini nadi kundalini rising and I constantly see the Kundalini in form of a serpent in my third eye. The various serpentine images associated with kundalini were part of my inner imagery and connected to specific events during my kundalini awakening. I have heard about many different types of spiritual and kundalini awakenings, I am yet to come across another person who had the experiences similar as mine. Later I got to understand that it is the ones who have an awakening through Chitrini nadi, they get to experience the imagery associated with the process more prominently than others with a different type of rising. I can dip into my own experience and vouch that all that association between the serpents and Kundalini is part of the process.
Most of the ancient literature was written by the ones who had a chitrini nadi rising. If I had to write on my experience, I cannot separate the snake from my process. Everything I see in my inner mind about the process gets expressed in form of serpents. I just felt the need to share my experience with you. I live in India and I really admire your understanding of the scriptures.
Wow Hareesh Ji, this makes total Sense so Basically we are integrating our divine conscience with the our wordly existence, by fusing those two we re integrate our soul with the atman
well yeah, except that soul = ātman.
*And once again Yoga meets Nei Gong!. Love it sometimes one just has to laugh and why we live in cycles or wheels. Thanks for the video Chris despite it being 4 years old it is always relevant! And thank you for saying energy centers as otherwise people then confuse chakras and dan tiens*
Wow, concise and equitable as always, but also relevatory as it clarifies the first technique in vijnana bhairava. Thank you.
You're most welcome
also there's a more thorough video on VBT dhāranā #1 here on the channel!
Wonderful 🙏
Tribute to Lilian Silburn
Lilian Silburn, was a pioneer in the study of "Kashmiri shaivism" and a mysterious connoisseur of her secret teachings. Kashmir's "shaivism" would not be so well known today without Lilian Silburn's translations. She translated and commented on several important texts of "Kashmir's Shaivism".
Lilian Silburn mastered Sanskrit, whose metaphysical and mystical vocabulary is very rich, which allows us to decipher often difficult texts. She always used the terminology of these texts in Sanskrit, a terminology that had become the mode of expression of her scientific thinking, in particular to describe the mystical states inevitably present in the texts.
I recommend her fascinated work:
Kundalinī : The Energy of the Depths : A Comprehensive Study Based on the Scriptures of Nondualistic Kasmir Saivism (Suny Series in the Shaiva Traditions of Kashmir) by Lilian Silburn.
Article," From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga" by Phillip Deslippe: escholarship.org/uc/item/6r63q6qn
Good article
Thank you!!
I awoke my Kundalini in January. I cannot listen to binaural beats...or do certain sounds becos of how strong it becomes..at times i worry that my body wont be able to handle the shakes. Music relaxes my energy and makes it move in dance in standing meditation
I will try the hoooom sound and see...wish we luck
Thank you. Can we define the upper kundalini as Grace?
@@madhyanchameli of course
Thank you @@christopherwallis751
Thank you for contributing to making Kundalini more understandable.
The popularity of Kundalini Yoga today however has to be credited to Yogi Bhajan although he obviously adapted the ancient practice to make it palatable to the Western mind. He left many of the techniques, and mantram in their supposedly original form, we hope,. There is little to compare them to so we can only know if they are genuine if we practice and research them.
Incorrect. "he obviously adapted the ancient practice" -- no, he never taught any ancient practice, only modern ones. "He left many of the techniques in their original form" -- no, he didn't. "There is little to compare them to" -- wrong, there is a huge number of manuscripts on these matters that have survived. The *only* authentic traditional practice that YB gave was Sikh mantras such as Ek Ongkar.
Thank you very much.
Welcome 😊
Just bought both of your books, looking forward to your translation/commentary. Thank You.
P.S. I hope that an SYF sticker back there. haha
Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson is an etymologists dream "hobby" work. Something to tickle your brain if you're interested.
Gratitude !🙂
Thank you for the clarification around the Kundalini yoga practice as we know it today. As someone who spent a year training and certifying a couple years ago, I’ve slowly realized this was something made up, probably on the spot by a patriarch with kriyas that was declared to have supposed benefits that no one could ever clearly explained to me, books with words that made so sense at all, complete lack of understanding of movement (and safety). Ugh... I could go on and on. I will read the article. Also looking forward to receiving your book Tantra Illuminated and continuing your tantrik class. Thanks!
Kundalini is a term to describe the result of the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems operating free from stress induced by thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Thank you 😊
We greatly appreciate your work. Can we ask a question. Briefly what are your views on OSHO. Yogi Bhajan.. Rajneesh etc. Did his translations on Kundalini have any value or is everything to be discredited now. 're the cult etc. Also is Saiva Tantra the source of the texts on sexuality that the West has become obsessed but have ignored 're rest of Tantra, Yantras etc. Osho is the source that many people notice first 're. Modern media. Your views would be welcome.?
neither Osho/Rajneesh nor Yogi Bhajan knew Sanskrit, so they did not do any translations, nor are either of them an authoritative source for anything to do with Tantra, since they never received initiation or lineage-transmission in a Tantrik lineage.
Thank you. New to Tantrik, kundalini and interested in scholar history as well as the practice. 😊🌺🙏🏽
NAMASTE...hi Chris..I am so happy to have found yur videos. I am so interested in the study of Kundalini ,Tantra, and Shakti. I've been studying books by 'Sir John Woodroffe- Arthur Avalon...which I imagine that yur familiar with).
I've been wanting to be initiated so i can be an authorized practitioner...unfortunately for me , i have family responsibilities that actually prevent me from literally traveling to find a Guru etc.
Thank you for yur videos . I'm soO grateful to find yur channel.
Namaskar
Thanks for this Christopher, for your knowledge and scholarly work. I have a question for you. Most of the people I know who have awakened Kundalini, including myself, did not use any of these practices to do this. How do you know that the 7th century texts are not just like yogi Bhajan's kundalini yoga - made up by gurus as a gig to get students?
Having gone through Kundalini to samadhi and back, I have my own understanding of what this power is from a biological perspective and am writing my own book. I can assure you that the snake imagery is not just a metaphor.
for sure some of the 7th century texts were made up to get students! but the ones that survived, that were copied and recopied by hand for centuries and carefully preserved, those were different (VBT is one example). but yes you're right Michaela, one need not do anything of these practices for Kundalinī to awaken -- She does that just fine on Her own. and, I agree, the snake imagery is not just a metaphor (even if it was in the early days). it's a quality/mode of the energy that many people experience.
thanks for your comments.
Any update on the book?
@@christopherwallis751 thanks
@@dcodework2421, I am working on it, thanks for asking
Thanks alot !
love that you didn't get to the point and if you had not mentioned it nobody might have noticed.
Hey tank you🙏🏽, i had a kundalini awakening 5 years ago after a psychedelic experience, and since than I experience intense ecstasy. Till now I have a lot of breakdown and i moving between periods of resistance to the energy to fully surrender to it. Does the process can unfold naturally? Or I need to look for a guru who can guide me with the process?
The best explanation I've ever seen. How can I contact you?
hareesh.org
Hi Christopher, I really enjoyed your discussion of Kundalini. Which of your books are you referring to when you mention Chapter 18 (twice). Thanks.
The Recognition Sutras!
Good stuff, proud to be a scholar attitude is applaudable, poor Osho could not really get it, he was un-initiated after all, I learned a lot from poor Osho as well, he was way more simple and less pedagogically twisted.
simple = better?
@@christopherwallis751 depends who you ask, some will say that complicated is better, some will say, simple is better, accumulation of the right kind of knowledge and facts is good to claim mastery, and rightly so, but it is not always inspiring, personally it is the unschooled ,the un-accomplished and the uninitiated that inspire me more , for they do not have to defend some orthodoxy, I know there are right kind of orthodoxies that must be adhered to in order to claim academic excellence, yet too much energy spent on defending the righteous knowledge is a distraction, even the right kind of knowledge can be disputed by the un-initiated. may be it is my bias and you are right, for I am un-initiated too. Trust me I enjoyed your talk.
I'd like to know if you have heard of Banknal(twisted path or something similar) beyond sahashar(I dunno how to spell). Ramana Maharishi when he talks about Kundalini talks about how you go up the twisted path, then end up down in the heart. In some yoga traditions, they talk about how the chakras of the brahmand are reflected on the body, and they are accessed after a breakthrough from the final one of the body, by the banknal. I think this might have a little relevance to the two kundalini energies merging into one that you talked about in this video.
You should sit down for a chat with Daniel Ingram, I think you two would have a lot to discuss?
remind me who he is?
Thank you for this thoughtful and illuminating talk! I've been on a quest concerning the Kundalini state for some years and I'm still looking for the right guidance. I currently live in Switzerland. Can you recommend a teacher in this area or Europe in general? Warmest greetings
I'm in Europe. So is Igor Kufayev. And Eric Baret. Haven't met them personally but they know a thing or two.
Exceptional video, thank you. Would love some clarity on why many teach that ida/moon is associated with the exhale (therefore parasympathetic NS) and pingala/sun is associated with the inhale (sympathetic NS), which seemingly opposes what you’ve said here (which I understand in terms of the left inhale being moon and the breath moves DOWN the channel, etc). Appreciate your thoughts! 🙏🏼
if they are teaching that, it shows that they are not steeped in the Yogic or Tantrik tradition. inhale is ALWAYS lunar in these traditions, partially because the inhale is cooler and the exhale warmer.
@@christopherwallis751 yes, another excellent point. Thank you for your prompt response and insight, greatly appreciated! Perhaps I am getting confused with the exhalation being taught as connected to apana vayu, and the inhalation to prana vayu? And that seems conflicting in my mind given that Ida is the inhale and Pingala is the exhale.
Christopher, there is a scholarly book by Georg Feuerstein called "Tantra: The Path of Ecstacy." I found it quite grounded and well researched. No flights of fancy, despite the provocative title.
FYI, that book documents the elements of classical Tantra that entered into Hinduism. My book documents the philosophy of classical Tantra in its entirety. if you compare the two, you'll see what I mean, I hope.
I'll definitely check your book out, as I found the topic fascinating and totally agree that it is hard to find good scholarly work on the history and philosophy of Tantra. Kind regards, -Robert
It's true Robert. The Feuerstein was part of the curricula when I was doing undergrad work some 15 years ago, so I'm very familiar with it. It is limited in its scope and not quite aware enough of that fact to point out that there is more to Tantra than what got co-opted, filtered, and otherwise adopted into traditions informed by it. Hareesh's work fills in the missing gaps, makes the pertinent distinctions, and unabashedly dons the mantle of practitioner while doing so. I ardently wish it may be the introductory text for future scholars.
@@robmal8906
Yes it's really difficult to find research papers. Even with SOAS Mphils.
Christopher is greatly admired for his view of Tantra as a whole subject and to fully appreciate the complexities of the the translation of different texts. E.g later 7th cent.
Wonderful. Thank you. That cleared up lots of things for me. What are your views on Sir John Woodruffe's interpretations in Serpent Power and Sakti and Sakta?
They were path-breaking, but now very much out of date and superseded by better work.
Hi Christopher, I have a question about your oldest video. Is there somewhere an exact instruction for the ancient breathing meditation you are describing?
Dear Christopher, I'm not sure whether you still read or even comment on a video that is several years old. I'll just try my luck. I wouldn't know who else to ask either.
Your explanations about an "upper Kundalini" reached me just-in-time at a critical point in my process. I am indeed one of those unprofessianally informed practitioners who mistakenly assume or have assumed that the "right process" would ultimately be exclusively upward.
In practice, however, this has not worked, because I clearly feel, and since your video I trust this feeling, that energy is flowing in from above, that "something" wants to connect rather than consciousness and energy will flow out at the Sahasrara chakra. All along I thought my fear of consciousness and energy leaking out at the crown was something to overcome. Now I have a better feeling that everything is on track.
I would be very interested to know where the connection of the lower, well-established energy stream (caused by concentrated attention) and the energy flowing in from above takes place.
Does this happen directly in the Anja Chakra or somewhere between Anja Chakra and Sahasrara Chakra?
Is Rudra Granthi to be understood as the localization where these two streams of energy (consciousness) meet and connect?
I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for your information and how essential it is.
This text is translated from German.
Marco
The connection can happen anywhere (between Ājñā and Sahasrāra being one possibility), but it isn't complete until Kuṇḍalinī activates at the level of the heart (the middle Kuṇḍalinī joins and merges with the Upper and Lower K).
@@christopherwallis751Thank you, very helpful information 🙏
@@christopherwallis751bought the Kindle and Audible versions of the "Recognition Sutras". Finally explicit information 🙏
What's diff between merging at base of spine at merging at heart...of sun and moon
Is kundalini the same as chandali or are these two different practices?
Namaste
Where do I start. So I know everything I need to know to learn this practice. I’d like to be a teacher one day but I’m at a faze in my life where I know I’m doing it wrong, and it’s creating friction with darkness. That’s all I will say here, I’d like to carry on more conversation in depth privately, I have a lot to talk about and tell. I feel, if a teacher is going to teach me they need to deeply know everything.
Hey Christopher, could you put the link you mentioned at the beginning about the article by Phillip Deslippe?
key words in the title are Mahan Tantric and Yogi Bhajan, it's easily Googleable
@28:45 is kundalini interpreted as "she who wears earrings" a definition from classical tantra, or a much later one? And if so, which texts can we explicitly find such an interpretation? I've been reading a lot about kundalini lately, in the work of scholars such as yourself, and have never come across this definition or interpretation. Thanks Hareesh!
it doesn't mean 'she who wears earrings', @Revolvingsound . i was just saying that the word is derived from 'kundala', a kind of spiral earring, giving his 'kundalinī', coiled feminine power.
*giving us
@Christopher Wallis super, thanks so much for your time and response. I really appreciate all your videos and knowledge.
Cheers
I have a Kundalini Yoga book by Yogi Bhajan... but I noticed he is a Sikhi...and so I'm wondering does that have any play in the reasoning why the Kundalini Awakening in his book seems Unique in comparison to Tantra Yoga?
classic 42:44 - 43:20 It's like the Terence McKenna of pranayama (and i mean that as praise of a high order)
which direction kundalini coiled?
Thank for this! Very clearly explained “theory” - have you practiced this and has your practice resulted in that aliveness you mention?
yes
Which texts mentioned first the spontaneous Kryas people experience when kundalini is activated?
check out Devātma Shakti by Sw. Vishnu Tirth
IM interested in the melody as you read the verses. are there notes related to the actual letters or an established melody?
yes, it's a traditional Indian melody for Anushtubh meter.
Hi Christopher, I just watched this and I'm a bit confused by your discussion about the downward and upward kundalini's - not because of the common Hatha yoga misunderstanding about singularly upward moving, but because of my dear friend Dr. Shaman Hatley's article called "Kuṇḍalinī" which I'm quite familiar with. Perhaps you can clarify this? Right out of the gate, Dr. Hatley's writing implies that the downward kundalini is a macrocosmic emanation and the upward is the microcosmic.
"In tantric
doctrines, these dual movements-the emanative descent of the transcendent kuṇḍalinī, and its
yogic ascent in the person-mirror each other, representing the processes of creation or
emanation (movement from subtle to gross) and reabsorption or liberation (movement from gross
to subtle), respectively."
This is quite a different interpretation than what you are talking about here - which is entirely about the individual realm. Could you comment?
A second question - if the snake iconography is a mistake, can you please comment on the existence of the caduceus in ancient Egypt and if that is relevant here or perhaps a later adaptation - in other words did the Egyptian and Greek snakes influence medieval understandings/symbolism of kundalini?
thanks!
Hi there. There is no contradiction between my video and my esteemed colleague's article. Rather, the error lies in your assumption that the emanative descent is "macrocosmic" and the transcendental ascent is "microcosmic". You were perhaps thrown off by Shaman's use of the phrase "yogic ascent in the person". But in fact, the emanative descent includes and entails the microcosmic emanation of personhood, and the yogic ascent is the movement towards the macrocosm, ultimately relinquishing the microcosm.
As for the snake iconography, it's not so much a mistake as missing the original point of the phrase "coiled *like* a sleeping serpent". Nonetheless, the Kundalinī did come to be represented as a serpent in the tradition, of course. This has nothing to do with the caduceus, which exerted an influence on the Indian representation of nāgas, but not Kundalinī.
@@christopherwallis751 "kuṇḍalinī designates
the power (śakti) of the divine as both primordial, creative energy, and as a spiritual potency
latent in the microcosm of the human person." clearly Shaman is saying that they are both divine, primordial, creative, as well as individual.
Chris, when you say that the ascension is from the bottom of the heart to a point above the head. Would that feeling of ascension be “entrained” with a heartbeat, or not necessarily? Does tantric lit. explain anything ab using the heartbeat as a tool for meditation? What do you think is the rationale behind the assignment of specific gender and laterality to the nadis; how could that come about?
I would love and appreciate your answers.
hope to reply more later, but for now let me mention that the nādīs actually aren't gendered.
Is there a mantra associated with this practice you would be willing to share?
Not here.
If true, this is incredibly infuriating and frustrating.
Why for the love of God are we born asleep and stumbling around and suffering for lifetime after lifetime... When to actually wake up and be present with life you need to learn some weird, obscure, misunderstood, random technique from the ancient past on the other side of the planet and which 99% of people you've actually met in your life have never even heard of, let alone practiced successfully?!?!?? 😤
Then on top of that, you've got people who know of it and have tried to do the thing, but glitched themselves out into a mental breakdown instead and have been essentially disabled for years on end.
What gives. Why even bother living if everything is so stacked against us.
There's a pretty severe misunderstanding here. You don't need to do any kind of kundalini practice in order to wake up!
@@christopherwallis751 Ah that is a big misunderstanding then.
A relief for me, but why would people risk years of mental havoc to raise the energy it wasn't even necessary?
I've read many comments from people suffering in debilitation for up to 10 years after being bitch slapped by the universe for dabbling in Kundalini areas.
I see awakening kundalini as an analogy to hacking the human being. No one needs to hack it, but once you do, please know there is no going back. Once you see it, there's no unseeing it. "The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size". The way of seeing the world and living changes. Once you have the explosion, it won't explode again. There is no way to go back to the original. But you remain human. You transcend duality and then integrate the non-dual with the dual. And life goes on, dual and non-dual. Between ups and downs and both at the same time.
Thank you so much for this video. I love you and your work deeply. Can you please share where or whom to visit (or where to make a pilgrimage to) to receive Shaktipata? I have been drawing to this for years but have been nervous about so many confused "Gurus"
@Krysto , where are you located?
Christopher Wallis currently located in central coast of California. Am willing to travel for the right initiation🙏🏻
Christopher Wallis I’m located in San Luis Obispo county, California (central coast) but am willing to travel for the right connection, grace allowing. Sorry for confusion I replied with my other account 5 days ago. Thank you deeply.
Also I had another question...i know yur talking about Shaktism/Kundalini, which at first my minds eye gives me a very Indian impression..but i noticed also there is a very Tibetan "flare" when talking of the same. Is it fare to say that 'Hinduism ' and shaktism isn't exclusively Indian?
no it's not that, what you're perceiving as a Tibetan flair/vibe is actually a Tantrik vibe. and tantra definitely originated wholly in India, it's just mostly forgotten there now.
@@christopherwallis751 so yu mean that Tibetan Buddhism is directly tantra ' and Shaktism ', or is the Shaktism part were the line is drawn?
@@bobbyrice2205 did not quite get question but afaik Buddhism is sort of derived religion , the roots of its yogic practise lies in Hinduism and as a matter of fact Sidhdhartha or as u call him gautama budhdha was a Hindu Prince who left home in search of moksha .. so technically there is nothing called tibetan buddhism ..it just got widely accepted there and as for tantra as @Christopher Wallis rightly pointed out it originated in India.
Hi, thank you for amazing lecture about kundalini. Today was my first experience in kundalini yoga class, and what I notice that yoga teacher and also one student (there was only two of us) wore white clothes whit head - dress. When I asked teacher about the clothes he's said that it's not nesserary for student, but for kundalini teacher it's obligation to wear white clothes. What do you say about it? Because I can understand that white is color of all colors, when I emagine all chakras in one I see not white but something like crystal clear light. Is this white clothe think is so litteral when practicing kundalini yoga?
no. those people are members of the Yogi Bhajan cult, they don't really know anything about Kundalini per se. In yoga studio culture of today, classes labeled Kundalini yoga are almost always linked to the Yogi bhajan cult and have no connection to the original tradition.
Thank you for answer 🙏 but it's sad, if I want practise kundalini or another tantricka practises it's become challenging to find teacher who is not in some culte. I think in my region there can be problems whit that. I thought about it because I am new one in this tradition, listening your lectures about VBT, and I cannot stop, it's like hearing something that was always be in me. But now is the challenge to find non cultic teachers who can led me in practise, but no hurry there most be some. Till that I just listen and carefully pratise what you are given in those videos. 🙏
@@madara4500 where are you located?
@@christopherwallis751 in Europe - Latvia, capital city Riga.
@@madara4500 probably the nearest teacher of classical Tantra is Gabriel Pradīpaka, I believe he's in Russia.
I was a little skeptical, descending for the Ortega line, but this is a brilliant exposition. Not everyone had the privilege to study with Lakshmanjoo.
Hope to see a more in-depth dive into Abhinavagupta's work in the future. People on the shores of Trika have plenty other interests too, but the few of us interested in the nectar, the essence of Abhinavagupta mind, just want that and nothing else [not excluding Utpaladeva's outpour of devotion!] :)
Hi Marko, I'm working on a book on Abhinavagupta's thought, focusing on his Tantrāloka and Tantrasāra. should be released end of 2021.
Hello, Christopher. Several sources mention that there are indeed two kundalinis and they flow through Ida, Pingala and Sushumna and they are both ascending, but they do not mention the Urdhva and Adha, being one ascending and another descending. To me, your explanation is way more consistent. The other I mentioned is also valid? Is it accurate, from the classical tantra point of view? Thanks a lot and best regards.
Is there a book you want to publish soon on this topic? When approximately is it going to be published?
no book planned as of yet. but further information can be found in chapter 18 of my latest book, The Recognition Sutras.
Thank you for mentioning this, just ordered after searching for chapter 18 in Tantra illuminated! :) All the best
42:57 id have to try this 154 out
wow so yoghi bajan was a very prolific inventor¡¡¡¡
an inventor, a poacher, a plagiarist, and a rapist, among other things.
Always knew he had a dark side. Do you have verifiable proof that he was a rapist. Would you share your source?
There are multiple articles online regarding his sexual practices. There were legal claims against him. The fact that Kundalini Yoga is an invention is written in his own hand in the introduction of his teacher training level one text. It has surprised me how many people choose to overlook this and feel affronted when if it pointed out. Well, people are as they are, gripped to their beliefs.
Important for me to hear your take on Yogi Bhajan, as I was along for that ride for awhile some time back. I suspected as much and never quite went full turban. But ironically, the Sikh aspects (which I kept somewhat at arm’s lengths) may be more legit, i.e., connected to an actual lineage. The Kundalini branding of it doesn’t quite capture the whole phenomenon, and you were wise to bite your tongue a bit and refer to the article. Wouldn’t want to get you started on “White Tantric” - don’t go there!
bhajan was a con..lots of info online.
hi Christopher, thanks so much for this video 😊🙏 Can I ask, are these practises outlined in either of your books?
see Chapter 18 of the Recognition Sutras!
I’d like to ask, have you yourself experienced Kundalini or indeed any embodied experience from the ‘scholarly’ teachings you teach. I’d like to understand more of your personal experience not what you have read. Are you open to the knowing that teaching began orally and where only written down much later.
Celeseah, my personal experiences are my own business, and since I am not putting myself forward as a guru, I'm not clear why they are of interest to you. I am a translator first and foremost, giving people access to materials written in a language they can't read. if you are interested in that, wonderful, if not, feel free to move on.
p.s. The answer to the first question you pose in your comment is 'yes'.
Would appreciate if you could share your thoughts on this famous “short Ah stroke at the navel chakra” mentioned in Naropa’s six yoga system and some other Buddhist tantric texts also. (And also why they emphasis on Navel and not the heart chakra)
Thank you.
Rock'n.
How does one find their mantra if they do not have a guru?
find a guru (or any teacher qualified to impart a mantra, they need not have the title 'guru'). easy enough to do. just don't, y'know, give them all your money or anything like that. ;)
🙏
I don't think Kundalini should be understood as a functional state of our own energy and not an independent external force. These are two different approaches.
One is Jnana yoga and the other is Bhakti yoga... In practice one can pass from one to the other. Jnana yoga is a more "scientific" and "structural" approach, but also more mental. And I would say that Bhakti is more spontaneous and its movement is towards abandonment... Both are conceptual and we will end up abandoning one or the other concept...
In Bhakti yoga we love the form of kundalini "shakti" as a goddess.... and if this is seen as an external form, with a maturity there will be fusion. Experience will show us that there is no outside and no inside. Not me here, not God out there.
How we live it doesn’t matter. And I would say that : if we are on a jnana yoga, we will irreparably fall into Bhakti yoga: this devotion to this inexpressible Love state. There is no one left to say it is necessary to do this or that. Only the experience of the Self remains. Only this living vibration.
A wild ascent of Kundalini is that energy that unfolds without any will on our part. The energy expands and blows the energy nodes. This happens spontaneously or is received by Shaktipath (transmission of a guru, a mantra, by a look, or just by vibration of someone who vibrates this state).
It can be experienced as trauma or as grace. And in this spontaneous experience, we’re just observing a phenomenon that’s beyond us.
In any case the explanations to go to this state or simply to integrate it, are correct and can really help. But beware, for people who mentalise too much, they can hang with pranayama, bandha, pingala, ida and sushumna.
Shanti shanti... follows the flow