jagad mithyam guru sathyam

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

The guru is Brahma, the guru is Vishnu, the guru is deva

Maheshvara. Clearly the guru is the supreme Brahman, to that Shri

Guru hail - traditional tantrik couplet

 

Because the guru gives mantra to a disciple and because she or he

embodies the spirit and life of that mantra in an unbroken lineage

to the Rishi who first perceived it, she or he is held in the utmost

regard in the tantrik tradition.

 

According to the 13th chapter of the influential Kularnava Tantra,

there is no difference between devata, mantra and guru. "Devata in

truth is the same as mantra; mantra in truth is the same as the

guru. The fruit of the worship of the devata, mantra and guru is the

same." (Ram Kumar Rai translation).

 

Liberation cannot be obtained by reading the Vedas or studying the

shastras (sacred texts), the same Kaula tantra says. Only knowledge

(jnana) gives liberation and that depends on the grace of the guru,

who is one with Shiva and Shakti. "If the guru first mentally

awakens the pupil and then reveals to him this high knowledge of

Kula, then both enjoy direct companionship of Yogini and Vira and

even cross this worldly ocean effortlessly." (Kularnava Tantra, II.

39-40).

 

But a Kaula guru may behave in a different way from a disciple or

the ordinary world expects, because she or he is liberated. "One may

be like a child, a madman, a king, or like one in a swoon,

independent minded, like a lord hero, like a Gandharva, or like a

naked person, a tridandin or like one who sells Veda for cash.

Effulgent One, the way to be is to act howsoever one wills, knowing

both Akula and Devi's Kula." (Kaula Jnana Nirnaya, XII. 3-6.)

 

This tradition of the "crazy" guru is embedded deep in the lore of

the tantriks and the Nathas and has its value in shaking the

conditioning of someone who aspires to be a Kaula, the tradition

avers. For similar reasons, some elements of the tantrik tradition

in India, such as worship in cremation grounds, the consumption of

pig flesh and some sexual practices, were intended to rattle

orthodox tendencies in tantrik pupils. (For a full exploration of

this topic, see Holy Madness by Georg Feuerstein, Arkana 1992).

 

While orthodoxy appeared to regard women as inferior to men, the

Kaulas took a different approach. Initiation from a female guru is

held in the highest esteem, as she is Shakti on earth. The female

guru is Ananda Bhairavi and the male guru Ananda Bhairava, together

in sexual union, drinking the intoxicating wine of consciousness

which is bliss (ananda) itself. Below, we find a meditation (dhyana)

and an armour (kavacha) devoted to the Stri or female guru, ascribed

to the Brahmayamala. The armour in the first translation is made up

from the vidya (mantra) of the female guru. After this is a short

hymn (stotra) to the male guru from the Matrikabhedatantra, in which

his identification with Shiva is plain

Haskhaprem is the guru bija.It is used in many

mantras too.

For those who want a good guru please chant

haskhaprem 6000 times for 8 months daily.

Yours Yogically,

DATTU