Secret of Tantra: Tantric Masters & Tantric Shrines Sep 2022

Transmission of spiritual power lies at the heart of tantric practice. In this context, transmission means movement of shakti from point A to point B — from a place of greater concentration to a lesser one, from a shrine to a pilgrim, from an adept to an aspirant, from a higher reality to the one with a diffused sense of reality. Tantric practices in their varying forms, flavors, and shades share one common goal—facilitating this spiritual transmission. Tantrics call this transmission shaktipata.

For ages, the concept of shaktipata has been shrouded in mystery. In this 8-part series, Panditji will elaborate on the crucial role tantric masters, shrines, and scriptures play in receiving, absorbing, and assimilating the spiritual powers tantric and yogic practices can bestow upon us.

Session Topics:

• Nexus of Shrines, Sages, and Scriptures
  • Tantric shrines and masters are known for their miraculous powers and mystical experiences. While to many, these experiences may be overwhelming and somewhat esoteric, they are accessible to all. All we have to do is make ourselves available to these experiences. Our faith or lack of it makes no difference. And in this regard, tantric experiences are as scientific and palpable as any human discovery.
• Magic and Mysticism Surrounding Shrines
  • Miraculous occurrences are a worldwide phenomenon. Seeking extraordinary power, protection, fulfillment, and solutions to insurmountable situations, throughout history people from all cultures and communities have been submitting themselves to extraordinary forces concentrated at extraordinary sites. Such is the origin of shrines like the 88 shrines of Japan’s Shikoku island or the cluster of shrines at Kamakhya in India or the Camino de Santiago in Spain or mystical shrines hidden deep in the Himalayas.
• Importance of Knowing the General and Unique Aspects of the Personality of a Shrine
  • We all are unique; that is our strength. We unique individuals share a collective pool of consciousness; that is our strength. So is the case with a shrine. Each shrine is unique, and yet deeply connected to a collective pool of consciousness. To benefit fully from the transforming power of a shrine, we must understand and align ourselves with the shrine’s unique and common attributes. The transforming power emitting from a shrine mirrors the aspects of us vested with the power to receive and assimilate that power.
• Importance of Knowing the Presiding Divinity and Guardian Sage of a Shrine
• The Difference Between a Dormant and Living Shrine
  • At conception, Nature does prana pratishtha, consecration, of the fetus. In the case of a shrine, the guardian sage consecrates it by pouring into it his soulful intention. Just as one day we are born and pass through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age, and eventually slip into resting mode – a shrine also has its own cycle. Throughout these phases our vitality, strength, stamina, and overall longevity is influenced by a varying number of conditions that block or unblock the sources of our nourishment. Similarly, the vibrancy and lifespan of a shrine is heavily affected by the spiritual food it needs for its sustenance.
• The Secret of Imbibing the Shakti of a Shrine
  • The physical structure of a shrine is just the tip of the iceberg. Numberless layers of forces and consciousness that fill the space inside, outside, and around the shrine, turning that space energetically more concentrated and sacred than elsewhere, is the real shakti of the shrine. Basking in this shakti is pilgrimage. To truly benefit from being in the presence of a shrine, we have to pierce the subtle layers of shaktis encasing it. The process of piercing requires effort. This is what practice is all about. When practice matures, our effort melts away, allowing the guiding and nurturing grace of the shrine to pierce the layers of our preconceived notions and distorted self-identities. This is when lover and the Beloved, the seeker and the one being sought, find themselves in each other’s embrace. This is the culmination of the tantric experience.
• Sri Sukta and the Sri Vidya Shrine in the Larger Context of Tantra Sadhana
• Shaktipata: Embracing Our Inner Shrine and the Eternal Master
  • Shaktipata, the transmission of inner illumination, power, and wisdom, from a more concentrated field of awareness to a less concentrated field, is the hallmark of tantric experience. In this concluding session, Panditji will discuss the dynamics of spiritual transmission and how to apply it for our personal and interpersonal unfoldment. In this session, he will also share the vision of tantric adepts who see each and every human being as a living shrine, and proclaim that these living shrines have the power to fill the world with its Creator’s sanctity and good will.
• Bonus Session: Q&A session and dialogue with Panditji and Ishan Tigunait

Tuition: $339 (includes life-time access)

Recommended Reading:

• Sri Sukta: Tantra of Inner Prosperity
• The Himalayan Masters: A Living Tradition
• At the 11th Hour

Suggested Study:

• Sri Sukta Course
• Prior background studying tantra with Pandit Tigunait