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What is Shaktipat? Part 2 of 3
The Awakening
12 Jul 2003
“ WHAT IS SHAKTIPAT? ”
‘When the Kundalini Shakti ( Holy Spirit) is awakened, those devotees should not be considered ordinary. They comprehend unseen things, their bodies throb and tremble, their voices choke with tears of love, and they are filled with bliss. When fire enters iron, it does not remain just iron. Similarly, when the Shakti enters human beings, they do not remain mere human beings. They become filled with divine love, divine virtues, and divine powers.”
- Vayaviya Samhita 2:11, 35-39
PART 2 of 3
The Awakening
Raise the anchor and set sail
to a place you know not where.
Trust the stars, the currents of ocean,
the winds of change to navigate
you across the ocean of the mundane world.
You are coming home once more,
to a forgotten homeland and Love.
You yearn to see the face of your own
True Beloved waiting patiently there. Celebrate!
Don’t resist by clutching and refusing to leave the wharf!
Don’t be dragging your anchor behind you across the ocean
as you are being beckoned, directed, called by Shakti,
Nature Herself ~ the sun and the earth and the stars ~
the support and direction of the very universe.
Awake, evolve, unfold, remember Self.
How can you resist the workings of
Nature and the very Universe?
Support, embrace and celebrate the event every moment!
Don’t question Nature’s currents of ocean and wind.
IT simply IS, after all, isn’t it? Be grateful. You are blessed. Sing!
Trust. Follow, embrace the adventure that awaits you.
Be enthusiastic. Let go of your own moorings,
let go of fear and the need to control that which is of
True Perfect Free Will ~ God-Within.
When Grace directs you, surrender and do its bidding,
stay steadfast of mind and with compassionate detachment.
Stay in that place of deep stillness and silence ~
field stream of Pure Love, Pure Existence,
Pure Awareness in the Moment, which is your own cave,
sanctuary, true essence, power and sovereignty.
Your True Nature is the Queen, Empress and Goddess.
Your own Divine Self is the King, Emperor and God.
You are already that perfect glory and majesty ~
The Living Light of God in all its splendor!
Release your moorings, set sail for high adventure.
Discover who ‘you’ really are.
~ Devi ma
In Part 1 of “What is Shaktipat? ~ Shakti Kundalini is Holy Spirit”, we explored the nature and historical evidence of this ‘evolutionary catalyst’, (called Kundalini Shakti in Sanskrit). It appears from across antiquity to modern times, from East Indian Yogis to the Hopi & Aztec Tribes of the Americas, from the European ’Mystery Schools’ and Eskimos to the aborigines of Africa and Australia; from modern Medical Qigong (ShenGong) Masters to Bible-Belt Charismatic Healers who do ‘Laying on of Hands’. We recognized that this is a primordial naturalistic and ‘physio-catalytic’ phenomeona that transcends all races, cultures or creeds, and which has profound psychological and physiological effects in individuals and their personal survival, self-identity & evolution. We also now postulate that since it is ‘evolutionary’ in nature, that there is a cumulative, sustained biologic impact that effects entire ancestral lines, lineages, societies and civilizations throughout the ages of mankind.
So, what exactly is the Shaktipata Initiation? Why does it happen? Is this the same as being ‘Born Again’, ‘The Awakening’ and ‘Baptism’? Can it be controlled, induced, planned for or predicted for an individual or en masse? Is it the same experience for everyone?
What is Shaktipat?
Shaktipat: (def, lit. in Sanskrit ~ ‘the descent of grace’ ). Yes, essentially, the Shaktipata Diksha, or initiation, is the very same thing that was originally intended as the Baptismal initiation, and is the naturalistic or ‘physio-catalytic’ pheonomena of being ‘Born Again’ or going through the ‘Awakening’ in modern western terms. In Kashmir Shaivism, a special Guru, called the ‘Satguru’, is the catalyst who transmit’s the Grace-bestowing power of God for the awakening of Shakti Kundalini, the dormant, ‘concealed’ divinity-within that embarks a true seeker on the journey of Self-Recognition. Of all the different types and levels of Guru, the Satguru is the highest kind, able to not only awaken the seeker, but guide them to their own state of perfected Self. See “What is a Guru?” in the ARCHIVES page of www.IBASI.org for more.
Why does it happen?
This is a most excellent question! In order to answer this in terms of Kashmir Shaivism, we first must visit a brief overview of its Advaita Shaiva cosmology, or “what is the nature of God & the universe‘, ‘how the universe and individual soul was created’, and ‘Gods’ overall game-plan for the universe and mankind’. With this in hand, the purpose, circumstances and nature of Shaktipat will be revealed. Kashmir Shaivism is such an ancient yet still contemporary, rich, living philosophy and yoga, that we will certainly explore its cosmology in greater detail in future articles. In the meanwhile, see “The Yoga of Saints ~ Kashmir Shaivism” in the Teachings page here at www.IBASI.org for more insights.
Involution: The Descent of the Supreme.
One day not too long ago, 2 devotees approached a Brahmin Sadhu (Monk) resting by the ocean. They arrived for the Shaktipata Diksha. The day was clear, calm and softly sunny, with occasional whispers of refreshing breeze; silent but for the occasional sounds of seals and sea-otters, seagulls and chirping little birds nesting amongst the wild dalphinia, chamomile and yarrow of the dunes, and the playful, rhythmic dance of aquamarine and white ocean surf upon the rocks and sand around the secreted enclave.
As the Shaktipat Initiation ritual completed, the monk fell deep into contemplation with Mahadeva, (the ‘Divine Mother‘ in sanskrit), as to how to explain the phenomeona of Involution from which these 2 devotees have just been saved. He was drawn to the waters edge. He stepped into the cold ocean waters edge, and noticed immediately that clouded swirls of water appeared around his emmersed calves. After a little while, the monk stepped back onto the dry sand, and the cloudy, opaque spot he was emmersed in, quickly disappeared back to its clear liquid crystal brilliance. “Hmmm, how interesting!” proclaimed the Brahmin monk, “Nature has once again offered up Her secrets and answered me with delight! Satgurunath Maharaj Ki Jay!”
What did the monk discover? Simply put, the highest nature of God is the perfect union, ( absorption; harmony & balance), of Shiva & Shakti: the ‘quantum & virtual’, ‘masculine and feminine’ , ‘yin & yang’ , ‘hot & cold’ aspects of God as the ‘unmanifest & manifest’ universe, with its infinite, glorious correlations. This is Perfection. The Absolute, Parama Shiva. The clear transparency of the ocean water where the monk was about to step into was another example of this highest state of union of the divine, the undifferentiated, unturbid clear vision and recognition of the Self ~ God, or Parama Shiva, the ocean of Supreme Pure Consciousness. In Kashmir Shaivism, God has 3 simultaneous attributes: the Personal Lord and creator of all that exists; the immanent ~ as existence, knowledge and bliss, (satcchidananda), the love that flows through all form; and finally as the transcendent ~ timeless, formless, causeless Self of all, the Absolute, Source, Parama Shiva.
Parama Shiva, the transcendent, is in fact, not only the ‘ocean‘, but also the ‘monk’ and his actions; who causes differentiation, variance, limitation and concealment, out of its own sheer delight and desire to experience Self, and creates the gradient imbalances of ‘water temperature‘, on purpose! If we follow the analogue, this seeming ’upset’ in the perfect harmony & balance of the cold water was the single action of a foot in the water, which in turn swirled and convoluted different gradients of water density, which in turn refracted the light shining into the water and produced seeming swirls and clouds of different gradients of opacity, until finally the water around the monks legs seemed completely murky and veiled, and nothing could be seen through it. Once the monk was satisfied with the experience of Self, the ‘concealing factor’ was removed by the ‘revealing factor’ the action of stepping back onto the dry sand, and once again, the perception of murky water soon transformed back into its original state.
Notice that the essence of the ocean and the water never changed, however, the changing relationships of the gradients of differentiation did! So, here, in the typical allegorical style of Kashmir Shaiva teachings, is an example of the belief that mankind is already essentially perfect, ( as is the Judaic belief), Then, by the perfect free will of God, in the desire to experience Himself, the concealing power of involution takes place. Thus, Man and the limited Soul, the result of Self-Concealment, forgets his true nature, ( aka Christian ‘fall from Grace’ ). Then comes the turning point; the Awakening’ through Shaktipat by the ‘Revealing Power’ of God through Anugraha, (or Grace in Sanskrit). This singular event catalyzes the evolution of mankind and his return home to Source, the Absolute ~ God.
In J.C. Chatterji’s book, “Kashmir Shaivism,“, he writes: “Kashmir Shaivism often separates God’s creative activity into two distinct categories: involution and evolution. Involution, the arch of descent, is the manifestation of the universe in which Shakti, (the female creative aspect of God), purposefully conceals Herself in the act of creation, forgetting Her true nature. Evolution, the arch of ascent, is the process of discovery through which Shakti, reduced now to limited human awareness, recognizes the world as not separate from Herself, and begins once again to enjoy Her true nature as supremely free and joyous Consciousness.”
This great, cosmological movement of involution, or descent of the Supreme from the Parama Shiva ‘level’, ( or ‘OverSoul’ in Christian terms), through gradients of differentiation are called ‘Tattvas’, meaning principles or levels of manifestation. Each level, thus, takes us further and further away from the pure recognition of Self, and further into the opaque waters of illusion and mistaken self-referral as the individual ego-personality. While we will address the various Tattvas as related to the ‘Ascension’ process in Part 3, and in later articles, it is important to understand that the Tattvas are not only stages of manifestation ideas or ‘mental constructs’ of how Supreme Consciousness becomes matter and form and the human soul, but they are also a real, experiential ladder of ascent, a veritable ‘scientific map of human consciousness’. They are points of reference that a Sadhaka, (‘spiritual seeker’ in Sanskrit), could actually experience directly, in higher states of Awareness through yogic meditation disciplines within the Master/Disciple relationship.
It is also important to mention that Shiva, God, is transcendent through all the Tattva gradients, and that each successively higher level embodies all of the lower levels. An example of this immenant & transcendent concept can be found in holograms, fractile equations, DNA and even Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis, where any one point, part or perspective can simultaneously offer knowledge of the whole. Ultimately, this means that God is both the darkest evil as well as the most supreme effulgence, and that no matter what level (or how negligible) your current knowledge of God-Awareness is, there is a way back home. J.C. Chatterji writes, “ (this is) a point which cannot be too strongly emphasized. That is to say, as Parama Shiva pervades all the Tattvas and the whole universe, and yet remains forever the same and unaffected by them, as it were standing beyond them all, transcending them all, so does each Tattva in regard to all the other Tattvas which succeed it. It pervades and permeates them all and yet remains ever the same - has still existence of its own as it ever had, (ever-born, ever-new), even after the Tattvas as its immediate and mediate products have come into manifestation”.
The Awakening
Can it be controlled, induced, planned for or predicted for an individual or en masse?
Don’t underestimate Shaktipat. It is the most significant moment of a persons’ life. It is of Divine Order, not Human Order, beyond the rational and linear workings of the intellect. Just like Mother Nature, it is beyond our control. Swami Chidvilasananda says of Shaktipat, “When the ascent of the disciples’ love meets the descent of the Gurus’ love, an eternal bond is formed in the heart. Without that bond, there is no true relationship with the Inner Self”. Swami Muktananda once said that Grace is the compassion of God. This is the supreme gift of God, calling Himself back to Himself. God is the real property owner, landlord, manager and renter of the territory you mistakenly think is ‘you’.
The paradox is, that God does not need your co-operation in affecting His Grace through the Satguru! No amount of effort, planning, strategizing, energetic manipulations such as spells, yogic austerities or even prayer will induce or result in Shaktipat, if it is not the perfectly free will of God.
Also, if its time for you (‘you’ being the limited soul and its current incarnation ~ the limited self ~ the ego-personality) to awaken and come back home, there is nothing you can do about it, either! It’s totally out of your control. It can not be predicted or caused by anyone other than the Guru-Principle, through a Satguru, who is vested with the Grace-bestowing powers of God. On the other hand, (such is the delight of paradox), it is entirely up to the seeker and their ‘cumulative merit’ through choices they’ve made, and their degree of purity (from ‘samskaras’ - the impurities or ‘contaminations’ of accumulated emotional baggage and negative karma), that predict the amount or strength of Shaktipat one receives. Swami Kripananda writes, “A person receives as much (Shakti) as he can hold. The great saint Ramana Maharshi once said that the grace of the Guru is like the ocean. If a seeker comes with a cup, he or she will receive only a cupful. There is no use complaining that the ocean is miserly. The bigger the vessel a seeker brings, the more he will be able to take away. It is entirely up to him”.
Satgurus such as the great saint Swami Muktananda, are capable of catalyzing Shaktipat not only in individuals, but for whole groups of people, en masse, without the encumbrances of distance, location or time, through their Sankulpa, or intention. In fact, there are 4 classic ways in which the Satguru gives Shaktipat: through thought or will, (sankalpa or manasa diksha), a physical touch, (sparsha diksha), word, (mantra diksha), and look, (drik diksha). Of note is that not only can they grant Shaktipat, but are also capable or taking it away if the devotee abuses or neglects this holy gift.
Once, someone asked Swami Muktananda if Shaktipat can occur accidentally. He replied, laughing, “Yes, but only if an ‘accident’ takes place between a Guru and a disciple…When a disciple who is full of devotion meets a Guru who is saturated with Shakti, Kundalini is awakened immediately” . Many people have sort and received Shaktipat from the personal possessions of Gurus by way of the saturated Shakti that permeates these objects like a ‘divine contagion’.
Even just the physical presence or momentary attention of a Guru may induce Shaktipat, be the interaction amenable or not. There are stories, for example, of devotees receiving Shaktipat from Swami Nityananda who hurled objects at them in order to find some peace and solitude from the thousands of clinging visitors he received each day, and there are scriptural and folklore stories of saints and sages in many cultures about awakening their students and disciples from a hard slap on the back or even a good beating! Let’s not forget sacred religious artifacts and sites such as icons, statues, water fountains and stone structures, which also carry this ‘divine contagion’ capable of catalyzing ‘miracle healings’ and mystical unions with God.
‘Is it the same experience for everyone?’
Fabulous question! No, in fact, the experience of Shaktipat is not only different and unique for everyone, but according to the sacred scriptures of the Malini Vijaya Tantra, there are 9 degrees of the descent of Grace (Shakti). Each of these were further subcategorized into 27 levels, with many subsidiary types by Abhinavagupta, the great tenth century Siddha saint and master of tantra, yoga, philosophy and arts, who wrote many Kashmir Shaiva works which included the Tantraloka and Tantrasara. In these works, he analyses these intensities and natures of Shaktipat.
They don’t call Kashmir Shaivism the veritable ’Map of human consciousness’, for nothing! As we have already discovered, which level or strength of Shaktipat you are destined to receive depends entirely on your own ’merit’, or capacity to hold the Shakti. Of note here, is that although inanimate objects may carry a lot of Shakti, still, it is the intention, or ’sankulpa’ of the Satguru, (God, the Guru-Principle), either in spirit or through that of the external, physical, Self-Realized Guru, that ultimately catalyzes the Shaktipat experience, (whether the ‘ego-personality’ is consciously seeking it or not).
The most intense level of Shaktipat is called Tivra. It is further broken down into 3 major subcategories:
1) One who receives Tivra-Tivra Shaktipat attains immediate Self-Realization and ascends into MahaSamadhi ( releases the physical body in the state of firm Self-Realization), soon after. Such a one becomes a Siddha Master (saint) in the subtle realms.
2) Tivra-Madhya Shaktipat is less intense but also causes immediate Self-Realization, however, such a one does not pass away, but remains in this world as a Siddha Master for the upliftment of mankind. This is a ‘self-born’ Satguru. An example would be Jnanesvar, the famous Siddha Saint and author of the Bhagavad Gita Commentaries.
3) One who receives Tivra-Manda Shaktipat also becomes a Siddha Master, however not immediately. Such a one develops a powerful yearning to find their Satguru, and attains Self-Realization through this Satguru’s initiation by look, word, will and/ or touch. An example would be Swami Muktananda and his Shri Gurudev, Swami Nityananda.
Thus, Shiva, (God) through these first three degrees of ‘intense level’ Shaktipat, creates Siddha Masters, or Satgurus. With the less intense varieties that follow, He creates Disciples. Of note here, is that for the vast majority of humanity, a Satguru is required to catalyze a persons’ awakening. So much so, that in the Creed of Faith of Kashmir Shaivism, it clearly states that all individuals must have a Satguru in order to follow this path. In the Madhya levels of Shaktipat, (‘moderate’ strength), described below, one does not have a firm conviction of their Godhood as Self, and only attains the state of Self-Realization after their death.
1) One who receives the strongest of the moderate degrees of Shaktipat, Madhya-Tivra, receives initiation from a Satguru, but this will not enlighten him. The Guru teaches such a one the ways of spiritual practice, and he fully attains his divine nature only after he leaves his physical body.
2) In the Madhya-Madhya degree of Shaktipat, although one has an intense yearning for Self-Realization, one still retains desire for worldly pleasures. When such a one leaves his body, he goes to another subtle ‘world’, where he completes his ascension, and after receiving initiation once again there, finally and firmly merges into Shiva, (Self-Realization).
3) One who receives Madhya-Manda strength Shaktipat, still has greater desire for worldly pleasures than for Self-Realization. When such a one leaves his body, he continues to satisfy his longing for attachments, and must be re-incarnated on earth as a yoga brastha where he continues his spiritual practices and attains perfection in that birth.
In the least intense varieties of Shaktipat, a person is only capable of receiving the Manda type, (manda-tivra, manda-madha and manda-manda). Most of humanity falls into this category. This type of person has a very strong attachment to worldly life, and only yearns for Self-Realization if things go bad or life gets rough. He may dedicate himself to spiritual practices at that time, only to find himself repeatedly lapsing and giving up. Such a one finds Self-Realization after many births and deaths on earth to work out all his karmas, desires and samskaras, (emotional baggage). This occurs over and over again, until he eventually, through thousands upon thousands of lifetimes, finally attains the highest state of Liberation.
Abhinavaghupta writes, “When one follows the path of the transcendental Reality by adhering to the teachings of the Guru, one suddenly becomes Shiva Himself as a result of extremely intense satiate. Another person climbs the ladder of the Tattvas step by step, reaches the ultimate Principle, and finally identifies himself as Shiva. But a person who stops midway in his meditation and does not reach the supreme Reality is called a ‘yoga brastha’ by the scriptures. When he dies, he becomes a lord in the world of pleasures, and due to the effect of the stage of meditation he attained, he will reach Shiva in a later birth”.
With the above ‘map’ or gradients of strength of the descent of Grace in Shaktipat, we can summize 2 things: that the more attached one remains to ‘worldly pleasure’, the long it will take for Self-Realization, extending from years to countless lifetimes of deferral. Also, although ascension and Self-Realization is inevitable after Shaktipat, still, the ‘nature vs nurture’ argument of evolution instructs us that personal choice, correct self-effort and commitment to the spiritual practices are also pivotal in nurturing ‘personal evolution’. ’Personal evolution’, can be considered the transcendent climb up through Limited-Selfhood and the Limited, Individual Soul, which is produced by the Tattvas.
In Part 3, the final in our series of discussions of “What is Shaktipat?”, we will explore the many ways in which people have experienced the manifestation of awakened Kundalini, within the 4 broad categories of kriyavati, varnamayi, kalavati and vedhamayi. Then we will briefly study the 7 Chakras, or levels of God-Consciosuness, in relation to how seekers commonly experience their piercing or openings, healing and integration as the awakened Shakti Kundalini rises through them. Finally , we will describe the Sahasrara, (the Crown Chakra), being the highest center of Consciousness and the final state of Self-Realization or divine union, the ultimate quest of human life.
~Devi ma
Copyright 2003. IBASI Healing Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
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