Kundalini Splendor

Here are some quotes from the "Song of Mahamuda":

Whoever clings to mind
sees not the truth of what's beyond the mind.

Whoever strives to practice dharma
finds not the truth of what's beyond-practice.



One should cut clearly through the root
of the mind and stare naked.
One should thus break away from all distinctions
and remain at ease.





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The path of no-practice
is the way of the Buddha.
One who treads that path
reaches Buddhahood.





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The practice of mantras and instructions,
Instructions in the sutras and precepts,
And teachings from the schools and scriptures
will not bring realization of the innate truth

All taken from "The Song of Mahamudra" attributed to Tilopa (988-1069) as sung to his pupil Naropa.





Mahamudra, literally "the Great Gesture," is looked upon within the tantric traditions of Tibet and Northern India as the highest manifestation of consciousness known. In "Yoga of the Mahamudra" Will Johnson explains that the body is the vehicle that brings the ecstatic energies of God to earth. To arrive at the entrance to higher consciousness, one must first establish a great gesture of the body--physical balance--which is best expressed through spontaneous movement and dance. By utilizing the mystical yoga of balance, once can create. . . .an embodiment of free flowing and unfettered life force--thereby opening the door to higher consciousness.


above from the back cover of "Yoga of the Mahamudra" by Will Johnson.


I am especially drawn to this philosophy, since it accords with my own approach. I do not "meditate" as a discipline, although for many years I did what he advocates--free movement and dance. Through the years, my movements have grown more subtle, just as the energies themselves have become progressively higher and more refined. On some days, I do not "practice" at all, but often I am "overtaken" by the inflow of bliss, frequently when I least expect it (as in the entry a few days ago, when I felt the sweet energies flow into my hands and chest simply by reading sacred writing on the computer. Similar energetic infusions can also awaken from reading e-mails from others who are themselves filled with sacred energy.)

I do not discourage others from seeking set practices or meditations in order to move ahead spiritually. But for me, such routines are apparently not needed. My awakening was sudden and unexpected, with little or no preliminary preparation, and my subsequent experience has
been derived from following the inner guide, wherever it may lead.

I also might add, that I do not think that Tilopa is advocating becoming totally "mindless" in all circumstances, but rather to follow feeling during those times when the divine energies are dancing in the cells. This is a felt experience, not an intellectual pursuit. Often, these experiences will last only as long as one does not think about what is happening.

And I believe that when he speaks of "balance," he does not refer to standing "in balance" in the usual sense, but rather to allow one's inner self to relax in order for the energies to flow freely.

And--"dharma" refers simply to the ancient religious teachings.

Some people, then and now, think there are prescribed rules and practices which will, over time, bring one to realization. Not so, says this form of tantra--everything will occur naturally and easily, once the mind is released and one has arrived at the proper stage of development. However, I personally believe one should follow one's own path, do what you love to do--whether mantra, ritual, formal practice, whatever. But some of us are too independent to follow such prescriptions. We follow the inner voice.

But--I may add--that once one has experienced Kundalini awakening, the rest follows much more easily. Otherwise, these states may not occur, no matter how much one longs for them. Kundalini offers no guarantee as a path to ecstasy (and pain). No one knows precisely why some receive this gift, others not.

And one final note: Many people today think that tantra refers merely to sexual practice. Not so. Tantra may include sex, but in its fullest sense it is simply the experience of the inner energies as (usually) bliss or ecstasy. No sex in any usual sense is involved.