The 112 Meditations From the Book of Divine Wisdom: The meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, with commentary and guided practice

The 112 Meditations from the Book of Divine Wisdom is a translation of the meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, a revered 8th century text from the Shaivite Tantric tradition of Kashmir, India. It has been rendered into English with commentary and guided practices by Lee Lyon, a teacher of meditation to more than ten thousand people worldwide, who has studied and taught this text for over forty years.

Although written over a thousand years ago, the ideas and practices in this much loved text are timeless in nature, and reflect strikingly modern sensibilities. The meditations are well known for their wholehearted engagement of all aspects of life, even the traditionally 'non-spiritual', including yogic practices, emotions, the delight of the senses, sexuality, natural states of wonder, beauty, bliss and the experience of Oneness.


The text, however, is more than just a collection of extraordinary and powerful meditation instructions. It embodies an ecstatic and life affirming world view that evolved into the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism in the centuries that followed its writing. Rather than conceptualizing spirituality, in these meditations it is approached more like music or art. We can feel the tradition's direct contact with life--intimate, kind, amused, amazed, delighted--always trying to get us to relate to our experience, to life, to actually engage it rather than just observe or be mindful of it.

Although traditionally considered a text for advanced meditators, many people with no formal experience in meditation have extraordinary shifts in consciousness using these practices. Even people who think themselves incapable of meditating find themselves easily entering new and altered states.

Each original Sanskrit verse has been translated as literally as possible to help convey the actual meditation instruction embedded in the rich, multidimensional original. A short commentary and an example of how each meditation might be practiced, have been added after each verse to help explain the instruction.

There are many different types of meditation in the text, recognizing always the incredible richness and uniqueness of our individual consciousness. As the text progresses, contemplative practices are woven in, culminating in some of the world's most sublime meditations on Oneness. By repeatedly encouraging us to see the spontaneous unity behind the surface appearance of life, and to step into our true Self, the text holds its place as one of the crown jewels of human thought.

1135085296
The 112 Meditations From the Book of Divine Wisdom: The meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, with commentary and guided practice

The 112 Meditations from the Book of Divine Wisdom is a translation of the meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, a revered 8th century text from the Shaivite Tantric tradition of Kashmir, India. It has been rendered into English with commentary and guided practices by Lee Lyon, a teacher of meditation to more than ten thousand people worldwide, who has studied and taught this text for over forty years.

Although written over a thousand years ago, the ideas and practices in this much loved text are timeless in nature, and reflect strikingly modern sensibilities. The meditations are well known for their wholehearted engagement of all aspects of life, even the traditionally 'non-spiritual', including yogic practices, emotions, the delight of the senses, sexuality, natural states of wonder, beauty, bliss and the experience of Oneness.


The text, however, is more than just a collection of extraordinary and powerful meditation instructions. It embodies an ecstatic and life affirming world view that evolved into the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism in the centuries that followed its writing. Rather than conceptualizing spirituality, in these meditations it is approached more like music or art. We can feel the tradition's direct contact with life--intimate, kind, amused, amazed, delighted--always trying to get us to relate to our experience, to life, to actually engage it rather than just observe or be mindful of it.

Although traditionally considered a text for advanced meditators, many people with no formal experience in meditation have extraordinary shifts in consciousness using these practices. Even people who think themselves incapable of meditating find themselves easily entering new and altered states.

Each original Sanskrit verse has been translated as literally as possible to help convey the actual meditation instruction embedded in the rich, multidimensional original. A short commentary and an example of how each meditation might be practiced, have been added after each verse to help explain the instruction.

There are many different types of meditation in the text, recognizing always the incredible richness and uniqueness of our individual consciousness. As the text progresses, contemplative practices are woven in, culminating in some of the world's most sublime meditations on Oneness. By repeatedly encouraging us to see the spontaneous unity behind the surface appearance of life, and to step into our true Self, the text holds its place as one of the crown jewels of human thought.

17.95 In Stock
The 112 Meditations From the Book of Divine Wisdom: The meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, with commentary and guided practice

The 112 Meditations From the Book of Divine Wisdom: The meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, with commentary and guided practice

by Lee Lyon
The 112 Meditations From the Book of Divine Wisdom: The meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, with commentary and guided practice

The 112 Meditations From the Book of Divine Wisdom: The meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, with commentary and guided practice

by Lee Lyon

Paperback

$17.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 1-2 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

The 112 Meditations from the Book of Divine Wisdom is a translation of the meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, a revered 8th century text from the Shaivite Tantric tradition of Kashmir, India. It has been rendered into English with commentary and guided practices by Lee Lyon, a teacher of meditation to more than ten thousand people worldwide, who has studied and taught this text for over forty years.

Although written over a thousand years ago, the ideas and practices in this much loved text are timeless in nature, and reflect strikingly modern sensibilities. The meditations are well known for their wholehearted engagement of all aspects of life, even the traditionally 'non-spiritual', including yogic practices, emotions, the delight of the senses, sexuality, natural states of wonder, beauty, bliss and the experience of Oneness.


The text, however, is more than just a collection of extraordinary and powerful meditation instructions. It embodies an ecstatic and life affirming world view that evolved into the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism in the centuries that followed its writing. Rather than conceptualizing spirituality, in these meditations it is approached more like music or art. We can feel the tradition's direct contact with life--intimate, kind, amused, amazed, delighted--always trying to get us to relate to our experience, to life, to actually engage it rather than just observe or be mindful of it.

Although traditionally considered a text for advanced meditators, many people with no formal experience in meditation have extraordinary shifts in consciousness using these practices. Even people who think themselves incapable of meditating find themselves easily entering new and altered states.

Each original Sanskrit verse has been translated as literally as possible to help convey the actual meditation instruction embedded in the rich, multidimensional original. A short commentary and an example of how each meditation might be practiced, have been added after each verse to help explain the instruction.

There are many different types of meditation in the text, recognizing always the incredible richness and uniqueness of our individual consciousness. As the text progresses, contemplative practices are woven in, culminating in some of the world's most sublime meditations on Oneness. By repeatedly encouraging us to see the spontaneous unity behind the surface appearance of life, and to step into our true Self, the text holds its place as one of the crown jewels of human thought.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780578604657
Publisher: Foundation for Integrative Meditation
Publication date: 12/04/2019
Pages: 258
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.58(d)

About the Author

Lee Lyon has taught meditation to more than ten thousand people worldwide. In the last forty years, he has developed an approach he calls Integrative Meditation, which is designed to bring together the many varied and extraordinary aspects of each person's consciousness with their sense of their own innermost being. Lyon has developed many meditation courses and has trained more than three hundred meditation teachers. In 1999, Lyon established the Foundation for Integrative Meditation in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is based. He now works with people individually as well as in year-long training courses.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

The Meditations

1. The beginning points of the breath

2. Pausing in the inner and outer spaces of the breath

3. The breath rests in stillness

4. Retention of the breath

5. Golden shaft in the spine

6. Lightning rising in the spine sequentially

7. Three levels of centers and letters

8. Crossing the bridge

9. Five voids of the senses

10. Mindful concentration on a peaceful object

11. The interior of the cranium

12. Inner space of the inner axis

13. Point of light

14. The flame in the heart

15. The unstruck sounds within

16. Void at the end of Om

17. Void behind the letters

18. The end of a musical sound

19. Seed mantras into emptiness

20. Emptiness all around, simultaneously

21. Simultaneous space at crown and base

22. Space at the crown, base, and heart

23. The body as space

24. Constituents of the body as void

25. The body merely as skin, covering void

26. The bowls of the heart

27. Consciousness fills the body, the mind dissolves in the center

28. Fixing attention again and again on the heart

29. The fire of time

30. The fire of time burns the world

31. Dissolving the principles of manifestation

32. From the physical to the subtle breath, in the heart

33. Dissolving the levels of the universe

34. Travel back in creation to before time

35. The universe as void

36. The space in a jar

37. The supportless nature of a treeless mountain

38. The gap between two thoughts or objects—throw both away

39. Leave one object, don’t move to the next

40. All is Consciousness

41. Fusion of the breaths

42. The body and the world, filled with bliss

43. Magic/delight

44. The tingling ascent of energy

45. Energy moving between the lower centers

46. Merge in the energy of orgasm

47. Memory of intensity leads to flood of delight

48. An instance of delight or love

49. The joy of taste

50. The joy of song

51. Wherever the mind finds satisfaction leads to bliss

52. The threshold before sleep

53. Luminous space

54. Classical hand gestures

55. Sitting relaxed on one buttock

56. The space between the arms

57. A fixed gaze on an object, without thoughts

58. Soundless ha

59. Body without support

60. Swaying

61. Open sky

62. Open space in the head

63. All states are only Consciousness

64. The dark of night

65. The dark of night: eyes closed and open

66. The restraint of one sense

67. Saying the letter a

68. Ha!

69. Vast as the sky

70. The sharp point of intensity

71. No mind

72. Contemplate the function of the five powers of limitation

73. Find the source of desire

74. Who am I?

75. The moment of desire or knowledge

76. All knowledge is without cause

77. Consciousness is the same in all bodies

78. Holding steady with an intense emotion

79. The illusory nature of the cosmos

80. Beyond pain and pleasure

81. “I am everywhere!”

82. Knowledge and desire are common to all

83. The subject-object relationship

84. The same Consciousness is in all bodies

85. No thoughts for support

86. Identify with Shiva and his attributes

87. The universe arises as waves in me

88. Whirl or dance—suddenly stop!

89. The end of an intense mental impasse

90. Fix the eyes without blinking

91. The interior sound

92. Staring into a deep well

93. Wherever the mind goes is Shiva

94. Whatever is sensed is Consciousness

continued...

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews