Wednesday, March 25, 2009
from The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche
(The "Radiance Sutras" are Lorin Roche's translations of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, which is an ancient text of Kashmiri Shaivism, so called because this tradition originated in Kashmir and the original devotees were followers of Shiva, in the most comprehensive sense of the term. This text and others of the same era happen to be my own sacred scriptures. I read in them frequently. What follows is one of the sections from this text.)
Radiant one,
The life essence carries on its play
through the pulsing rhythm
of outward and inward movement.
This is the ceaseless throb, the rhythm of life -
terrifying in its eternity, exquisite in its constancy.
The inhalation, the return movement of breath,
sustains life.
The outgoing breath
purifies life.
We breathe out the old air, the old thoughts, the old feelings.
These are the two poles
between which respiration goes on unceasingly.
Between them is every quality you could ever desire.
As the breath turns from in to out,
and again as the breath
curves from out to in -
through both these turns, absorb intensity.
from Lorin Roche--see his wonderful website at http://lorinroche.com
It is filled with loving advice on meditation, early texts, and other intriguing subjects. He "learned" to meditate on his own, and urges others to follow their own interior wisdom guides, rather than relying on external authorities.
Of course, this is the method I favor as well.
(image from Lotus Sculpture)
