Kundalini Splendor

The Radiance Sutras––Lorin Roche

The Radiance Sutras is a lively version of a classic meditation text, the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, which describes 112 different doorways into meditation. The text appeared in Kashmir around 800 AD and is characterized by a wide-open embrace of all of human experience. It is addressed to people who live in the world and want to have rich inner and outer lives.  (from Amazon's description)  I consider this one of the most beautiful translations available.



vayu dvayasya samghattat
antah va bahih antatah
yogi samatva vijnana
samudgamana bhajanam

Pour one breath into the other,
Out-breath into the in-breath
Into the out-breath.

In the harmony of this fusion
Where one rhythm turns into the other,
Awaken into equilibrium.

Tend to breath in this way,
Claim the power
Of oneness with the Self.



yatra yatra manas tustir
manas tatra-eva dharayet
tatra tatra para ananda
svarupam sam-pravartate

Wherever, whenever you feel carried away,
Rejoicing in every breath,
There, there is your meditation hall.

Cherish those times of absorption—
Rocking the baby in the silence of the night
Pouring water into a crystal glass
Tending the logs in the crackling fire
Sharing a meal with a circle of friends.
Embrace these pleasures and know,
This is my true body.

Nowhere is more holy than this.
Right here is the sacred pilgrimage.
Live in alertness for such a moment, my Beloved,
As if it were your one meeting with the Creator.

asane shayane sthitva
niradharam vibhavayan
svadeham manasi kshine
kshanat kshena-ashaya bhavet

Sitting on a soft seat,
Or lying on your mat,
Experience the space below
As offering no support.

You are simply suspended,
Floating in space.

Structures of the mind release,
The reservoir of habits dissolves.
In an instant, lifetimes of patterns
Vanish.



chitti adi antah kritih nasti
mama-antah bhavayet iti
vikalpanam abhavena
vikalpaih ujjhitah bhavet

People talk about mind and ego.
Let’s just drop this whole conversation.

Consider instead:
There is no mind.
There is no ego.
There is only the incandescent reality.
At play, beckoning.

Adapted from The Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder and Delight, by Lorin Roche. Copyright © 2014 by Lorin Roche. Sounds True, August 2014.