Teachings of samaya srividya as taught in the lineage of swami rama
The teachings of the Samaya Srividya Tradition as taught by Swami Rama are explained
The teachings are handed down from a master to the student, who then in turn becomes a teacher. While our lineage has no particular name, it has often been called the Himalayan lineage since most of the sages and adepts originate from this geographical region. It is said to be older than 6000 years. This lineage is an unbroken lineage dating back to legendary teachers such as the great sages Dattatreya and Vasishtha and historical masters such as Adi Shankara and Swami Rama.
The lineage of Swami Rama is one in a family of lineages that share similar qualities which also trace back to these legendary sages. This family of lineages together is called Sampradaya. Sampradaya translates as “tradition.” Since our tradition is the custodian of the teachings of Samaya Srividya, it is the Samaya Srividya Tradition.
Samaya means “I am with you.” The term Srividya is composed of sri and vidya. Sri has many meanings, including “auspicious,” “wealth” and “prosperity.” Vidya means “knowledge” or “wisdom.”
The Initiations of the Lineage
The Samaya Srividya Tradition is a privileged option for those who have reached an advanced stage in the cycle of death and rebirth and aspire to end this cycle and attain liberation in this lifetime.
There are three main stages of diksha, “initiation” given in this lineage of the Samaya Srividya Tradition.
Mantra, breath awareness and meditation
Inner worship of Srividya and Bindu bhedhana or piercing the pearl of wisdom
Shaktipata and leading the force of kundalini to the thousand petalled lotus called Sahasrara chakra.
Levels of diksha in the Samaya Srividya Tradition Illustration by Radhikaji
The Teachings of the Lineage
The teachings of our lineage are based on the 3 streams of:
Yoga
Advaita
Samaya Srividya Tantra
Yoga
In our lineage of Samaya Srividya, Yoga as explained by Sage Patanjali, is a preliminary step. Samkhya philosophy forms the basis of the first stream of our lineage and tradition.
Yoga focuses on discriminating between consciousness and matter at all levels. This stage of practice is dualistic.
In our tradition and lineage, theory and practice must never be divorced from one another. Yoga provides a step by step approach to the highest goal of spiritual liberation. Yoga, in its most pristine form, is a method of unlearning behavioral and thinking patterns. It presupposes spiritual insights or mystical experiences.
The emphasis is not on mere information or book knowledge but wisdom. The focus in not on intellectual gymnastics but self-knowledge. Yoga, practiced the traditional way, has nothing in common with the modern schools of yoga that are merely forms of physical culture. It also has little to do with institutes of therapy or new age esotericism.
Advaita
The second stream of Advaita is expressed in the Upanishads. According to modern, most western scholars, the Upanishads are estimated to have been written in the period from the fifth to tenth centuries BCE. Indian tradition, however, maintains that the the principles had been taught orally for a very long period prior to that; some say since around 6000 BCE.
The word Advaita comprises of the prefix “a” which means “non” or “not”and the word “dvaita” means “two” or “duality.” Thus, the word Advaita means “not two.” Advaita is a non-dualistic philosophy of life. This non-dualistic approach to life, goes beyond all dualities such as joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, birth and death, young and old, embracing all of life as the One Divinity. It removes all separation between Knower and known, between the Seer and the seen, between God and Devotee.
This mystical approach is far from intellectual and seeks direct knowledge of the Atman, the center of Individual Consciousness, which is ultimately found to be qualitatively of the same essence as Brahman, the Universal Consciousness pervading all reality.
Samaya Srividya Tantra
There are three forms of Tantra, of which Samaya is a purely internal form, whose sole goal is Kaivalya, Final Liberation. It deals with the higher energy centers, up to the energy center at the top of the head, the crown chakra. This lineage emphasizes this higher Tantra Yoga.
This third stream of Samaya Srividya Tantra deals with the energy systems of our being, going directly to the heart of consciousness. It emphasizes the creative aspect of consciousness called shakti and following that creative aspect back to the source.
Shakti is the Mother principle and Shiva the Father principle. Shiva the Father principle is the Center of Consciousness and Shakti, the Mother principle is the creative aspect or the world that manifests out of the Center of Consciousness and returns eventually to its source.
Teachings of the Samaya Srividya Tradition Illustration by Radhikaji
The Paths of our Lineage
Yoga
Raja Yoga, or the Royal path of Yoga, encompasses the other paths. It is also known as Ashtanga Yoga, referring to the Eight Limbs of Yoga described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Ashta means “eight” and anga means “limbs.” It is important to note that the phrase Ashtanga Yoga has recently become known in the West as a system of physical postures, this is not consistent with the original meaning of the term.
In Yoga the aspirant must:
Develop a healthy lifestyle
Gain insights in to the essential yogic concepts of non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, non-possessivenes, contentment and self-study among others
Learn to cultivate a regular time for meditation
Develop a steady meditation posture
Develop a serene breath
Cultivate sankalpa shakti or the power of the determination
Learn to let go of distracting thoughts
Learn how to reduce the colorings (kleshas) of ignorance, ego, attachment, aversions and fear.
Develop the quality of introspection
Cultivate a razor-sharp buddhi, discrimination
Systematically move inward in a process of attention, meditation and deep absorption
Seek to know mind and matter as separate from Individual Consciousness.
Advaita
While the modern approach to Advaita is increasingly intellectual, our lineage of the Samaya Srividya Tradition emphasizes the need for a practical approach. It does so by providing contemplative means of self enquiry and exploration. This contemplative meditation suggested by the sages complements the systematic meditation of the Yoga Sutras.
Vedantic Meditation or the practical approach to Advaita is called Self Enquiry or Atma Vichara. These practices are contemplative and generally complement the dualistic practices of Yoga.
In Advaita the aspirant must:
Learn to witness the four functions of mind: manas, the coordinator of actions and sensation; buddhi, which is the higher faculty of knowing, deciding, judging, and discriminating; ahamkara, the false identities and chitta, the powerhouse of memories, emotions and desires.
Explore in contemplative meditation the three levels of reality: waking, dreaming, deep sleep also known as the conscious mind, active unconscious, latent unconscious or the gross, subtle, causal layers of reality.
Seeking to experientially go into the heart of the question, "Who am I?" using the traditional practice called Atma Vichara
Contemplate step by step on the Mahavakyas, the great sayings of the Upanishads
Samaya Srividya Tantra
Samaya Srividya is the path of mastery. The aspirant is no ordinary seeker but one who has adhikara. Adhikara literally means “having the right.” The seeker must have the necessary qualifications or prerequisites to be initiated in to the subtle and sublime secrets of Samaya Srividya. The three qualities are necessary for this path:
Power of Discrimination
Ethical standards and values
Desire to end the cycle of life and death
The seeker who possesses the above qualities is called an adhikari. In our lineage we initiate all adhikaris irrespective of their gender, religious background, race and socio-economic status.
Under the guidance of and with the support of the Guru Lineage and Tradition, the adhikari will learn:
To master the internal energies of the chakras
To balance the two sides of the subtle body, ida and pingala, sun and moon, or the Ha and Tha as these dual aspects are known
To open the central stream of energy, sushumna, the subtle counterpart of the physical spine, allowing the latent energy to awaken, flowing upward in this channel, so as to reach the point from which it originally emerged.
Use mantra to dive in to the deepest levels of the unconscious mind and invite the hidden to come forward
To master the process of raising the kundalini and bringing it back to its resting place
Deep reflection and meditation on Tripura, the one who lives in the three cities (tri=three; pura=city) of conscious, active unconscious, latent unconscious
To recognize that mind and matter are grosser form of manifestation that emerge from Individual Consciousness.
To know the pre-existing union of Shiva and Shakti, which are the latent and active aspects of manifestation respectively, also called masculine principle and feminine principles.
Paths of the Samaya Srividya Tradition Illustration by Radhikaji
Texts of the Himalayan Lineage
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Yoga, as described by the great sage Patanjali, is a foundational practice, and is codified (arranged or systematized) in the Yoga Sutras. The word codified is commonly used because the Yoga science was recorded by Patanjali, although the science itself was not new, having been known for thousands of years before that time. Patanjali codified Yoga into 196 aphorisms outlining the path of Yoga.
Recommendation: The Yoga Sutras Illuminated by Radhika Shah Grouven
Mandukya Upanishad
Of particular importance is the introspection of the waking, dreaming, and deep sleep levels of consciousness, which have as their counterparts the gross, subtle, and causal planes of reality. It means examining not only the conscious, but also the unconscious levels of mind, so that these can ultimately be transcended. These levels are summarized in the Mandukya Upanishad, a practical Vedantic text, which deals with the 4 layers of the mystical sound AUM.
Recommendation: Enlightenment without God by Swami Rama
Yoga Vasishtha
The Yoga Vasishtha is a part of the great epic Ramayana. It is a dialogue between the Sage Vasishtha and Prince Rama. The Prince, who is an adhikari asks the sage about the nature of the world, the meaning of life and the most fundamental question, “Who am I?” The Yoga Vasishtha is a truly monistic text, uncompromising in its approach to Advaita.
It is not generally recommended to read this book since it is quite esoteric and other worldly. However, those who insist on reading this scripture might find the concise version of the scripture more suitable than the unabridged version:
The Concise Yoga - Yoga Vasistha by Swami Venkatesananda
Tripura Rahasya
This is a unique tantric text. While most spiritual texts exalt the Divine in its masculine form, this text refers to the Divine as the Mother. It is unconventional for its teachers are a princess, a female hermit and the goddess Sri Tripura Sundari. It is unrelenting in its approach and reveals the Highest as nothing other than Pure Consciousness. Some readers might be interested to know that the very first translation of the Tripura Rahasya into English was commissioned by Ramana Maharshi in 1959.
Recommendation: Shakti Sadhana - A translation of the Tripura Rahasya by Pandit Rajamani Tigunait and Swami Rama
Saundarya Lahari
Saundarya Lahari means “Waves of Bliss and Beauty.” Those looking for esoteric explanations on chakras and kundalini will be disappointed. Saundarya Lahiri is a collection of mystical verses in praise of the Divine Mother, She who represents all levels of reality.
Those who wish to peruse through the scripture will seek it out only to find that it is a beautiful poem praising the beauty of the Goddess. It is not a recommendation. In fact, only the first verse is of importance to the serious practitioner.
Here is the first verse of the Saundarya Lahari traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya:
Verse 1 (Sanskrit):
शिवः शक्त्या युक्तो यदि भवति शक्तः प्रभवितुं
न चेदेवं देवो न खलु कुशलः स्पन्दितुमपि ।
अतस्त्वामाराध्यां हरिहरविरिञ्चादिभिरपि
प्रणन्तुं स्तोतुं वा कथमकृतपुण्यः प्रभवति ॥
Transliteration:
Śivaḥ śaktyā yukto yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavitum
na ced evaṁ devo na khalu kuśalaḥ spanditum api;
ataḥ tvām ārādhyāṁ Hari-Hara-Viriñcy-ādibhir api
praṇantuṁ stotuṁ vā katham akṛta-puṇyaḥ prabhavati.
Meaning (simple English):
Shiva becomes capable of creation only when united with Shakti.
Otherwise, He is incapable of even stirring.
Therefore, O Divine Mother, even the great gods—Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma—worship You.
How then can one who has not acquired merit either in this and/or previous births worship You.
Listen to the 26-part series on the fantastic scripture Tripura Rahasya!