The Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra (VBT, sometimes spelled in a Hindicised way as Vigyan Bhairav Tantra) is a Shaiva Tantra, of the Kaula Trika tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. Singh notes that it is difficult to establish an exact date for the text, and it could have been written at some time from the 7th to the 8th century CE.[1][2] It is also called the Śiva-jñāna-upaniṣad by Abhinavagupta.[3][4][5]
A sculpture of Bhairava (the tremendous or terrifying one).
The VBT is framed as a discourse between Bhairava (the "tremendous one", or "the terrifying") and the goddess Bhairavi in 163 Sanskrit anuṣṭubh stanzas. It briefly presents around 112 Tantric meditation methods (yuktis) or centering techniques (dhāraṇās) in very compressed form.[3][4]
These practices are supposed to lead to the recognition of the true nature of Reality, the "tremendous" or "awesome" consciousness (i.e. vijñāna-bhairava).[6] These include several variants of breath awareness, concentration on various centers in the body, non-dual awareness, mantra practice, visualizations and contemplations which make use of the senses.[7][web 1] A prerequisite to success in any of the practices is a clear understanding of which method is most suitable to the practitioner.[8]
The text presents itself as containing the essence of the Rudrayamala-tantra, a Bhairava tantra that is now lost.[3] In the Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra (VBT), Bhairavi, the goddess (Shakti), asks Bhairava (the terrifying form of Shiva) to reveal the essence of how to realize the true nature of reality. In his answer Bhairava describes 112 ways to enter into the universal and transcendental state of consciousness. References to it appear throughout the literature of Kashmir Shaivism, indicating that it was considered to be an important text in this tradition.[3][4]
The VBT describes the goal of these practices, the "true nature of reality", as follows in the Christopher Wallis translation from 2018:
Beyond reckoning in space or time; without direction or locality; impossible to represent; ultimately indescribable; Blissful with the experience of that which is inmost; a field of awareness free of mental constructs: that state of overflowing fullness is Bhairavī, the essence of Bhairava. It is that essence which is ultimately real & fundamental; it is that which ought to be known & experienced; it is that which is inherently pure, and it is that which pervades everything.[9]
According to Christopher Wallis, Bhairava and Bhairavi are also used to refer to expanded states of consciousness, with Bhairavi referring more to energetic and active (śakti) states, and Bhairava referring to still and quiescent (śūnya) states.[web 1] Wallis also notes that the text exhibits a "strong Buddhist influence", and one of the most common meditations taught in the text focuses on the ‘voidness’ (śūnya) of things, such as verse 48 which offers a meditation on the body as empty space, and verses 45 and 49 which teach meditations on the empty space of the heart.[web 1]
PracticesEdit
Most of the VBT's verses are brief compressed descriptions of various practices that allow one to access the state of Bhairava consciousness. Mark Dyczkowski has classified the practices of the VBT into various main types along with the verses in which they appear:[web 1]
Practices relying on the Breath: verses 24-27, 55, 64, 154
Practice with the body: 66, 78-79, 81, 82, 83, 111
Gazing: 80, 84, 85, 113, 119-120
Equanimity: 100, 103, 123-4, 125-6, 129
Knowledge/insight: 97-99, 105, 106, 112, 127, 131
Intense sensations and emotions: 101, 115, 118
Where the mind goes: 33, 34, 92, 94, 108, 116, 128, [138]
The ‘magic show’: 102, 133-5, 137
The Supreme Lord: 109-110, 121, 132
Commentaries and English translationsEdit
The text appeared in 1918 in the Kashmir Series of Text and Studies (KSTS).[web 2] The Kashmir Series published two volumes, one with a commentary in Sanskrit by Kshemaraja and Shivopadhyaya and the other with a commentary, called Kaumadi, by Ananda Bhatta.
In 1957, Paul Reps brought the text to wide attention by including a poetic English translation in his popular book Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.[10] Reps' translation was the subject of a voluminous commentary by Osho.[11]
As the Sanskritist Christopher Wallis writes, many of English VBT translations have been done by persons who lack training in reading Sanskrit and who lack the background of reading the sanskrit tantric texts that the VBT relies on. The result has been various poetic or free form renderings which fail to properly communicate the actual practices which are briefly outlined in the text. Two exceptions to this are Jaideva Singh's translation and Mark Dyczkowski's translation.[web 1]
The various VBT translations include the following:
Anantananda Giri, Swami (2013). So You Wanna Meditate: A Concise Guidebook With Commentary on the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra. Createspace Independent Publishing. ISBN9781492761242.
Roche, Lorin (August 2014). The Radiance Sutras : 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder & Delight. Boulder, Colorado: Sounds True Inc. ISBN9781604076592. OCLC 852745739.
Semenov, Dmitri (2010). Vijnanabhairava : or Techniques for Entering Liminal Consciousness. Sattarka Publications. ISBN9780578060422. OCLC 1027966292.
The Book of Secrets: 112 Meditations to Discover the Mystery Within by Osho[11]
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, by Mike Magee, a commentary on Jaideva Singh's translation[web 4]
Drabu, V. N. (1990), Śaivāgamas: A Study in the Socio-economic Ideas and Institutions of Kashmir (200 B.C. to A.D. 700), Indus Publishing
Feuerstein, Georg (1998), Tantra: Path of Ecstasy, Shambhala Publications
Hughes, John (2015), Foreword to Vijnana Bhairava – The Manual for Self Realization
Muller-Ortega, Paul E. (1989), The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir, SUNY Press
Osho (1998), The Book of the Secrets, vols. 1-5, St. Martin's Griffin, ISBN0-312-18058-6
Rajneesh, Osho (2010). The Book of Secrets : 112 Meditations to Discover the Mystery Within (1st updated and rev. U.S. ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN9780312650605. OCLC 555656282.
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones : A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings. Reps, Paul, 1895-1990. London: Penguin Books. 2000. ISBN0140288325. OCLC 42954648.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
Singh, Jaideva (1979), Vijnanabhairava, Or Divine Consciousness: A Treasury of 112 Types of Yoga, Motilal Banarsidass
Singh, Jaideva (1991), The Yoga of Delight, Wonder, and Astonishment: A Translation of the Vijnana-bhairava with an Introduction and Notes, SUNY
Wallis, Christopher 'Hareesh' (2018), Vijñana-bhairava-tantra, A new translation of the 1200 year old classic yoga text
Varela Romero, Iago (2022), La rebelión de un Buda: y las llaves a la última realidad, ISBN978-84-09-38287-3
Web-sources
^ abcdeWallis, Christopher (October 7, 2016). "Will the real Vijñaana-bhairava please stand up?". Hareesh.org. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
vijñāna, bhairava, tantra, vijñāna, bhairava, tantra, sometimes, spelled, hindicised, vigyan, bhairav, tantra, shaiva, tantra, kaula, trika, tradition, kashmir, shaivism, singh, notes, that, difficult, establish, exact, date, text, could, have, been, written, . The Vijnana bhairava tantra VBT sometimes spelled in a Hindicised way as Vigyan Bhairav Tantra is a Shaiva Tantra of the Kaula Trika tradition of Kashmir Shaivism Singh notes that it is difficult to establish an exact date for the text and it could have been written at some time from the 7th to the 8th century CE 1 2 It is also called the Siva jnana upaniṣad by Abhinavagupta 3 4 5 A sculpture of Bhairava the tremendous or terrifying one The VBT is framed as a discourse between Bhairava the tremendous one or the terrifying and the goddess Bhairavi in 163 Sanskrit anuṣṭubh stanzas It briefly presents around 112 Tantric meditation methods yuktis or centering techniques dharaṇas in very compressed form 3 4 These practices are supposed to lead to the recognition of the true nature of Reality the tremendous or awesome consciousness i e vijnana bhairava 6 These include several variants of breath awareness concentration on various centers in the body non dual awareness mantra practice visualizations and contemplations which make use of the senses 7 web 1 A prerequisite to success in any of the practices is a clear understanding of which method is most suitable to the practitioner 8 Contents 1 Overview 2 Practices 3 Commentaries and English translations 4 References 5 SourcesOverview EditThe text presents itself as containing the essence of the Rudrayamala tantra a Bhairava tantra that is now lost 3 In the Vijnana bhairava tantra VBT Bhairavi the goddess Shakti asks Bhairava the terrifying form of Shiva to reveal the essence of how to realize the true nature of reality In his answer Bhairava describes 112 ways to enter into the universal and transcendental state of consciousness References to it appear throughout the literature of Kashmir Shaivism indicating that it was considered to be an important text in this tradition 3 4 The VBT describes the goal of these practices the true nature of reality as follows in the Christopher Wallis translation from 2018 Beyond reckoning in space or time without direction or locality impossible to represent ultimately indescribable Blissful with the experience of that which is inmost a field of awareness free of mental constructs that state of overflowing fullness is Bhairavi the essence of Bhairava It is that essence which is ultimately real amp fundamental it is that which ought to be known amp experienced it is that which is inherently pure and it is that which pervades everything 9 According to Christopher Wallis Bhairava and Bhairavi are also used to refer to expanded states of consciousness with Bhairavi referring more to energetic and active sakti states and Bhairava referring to still and quiescent sunya states web 1 Wallis also notes that the text exhibits a strong Buddhist influence and one of the most common meditations taught in the text focuses on the voidness sunya of things such as verse 48 which offers a meditation on the body as empty space and verses 45 and 49 which teach meditations on the empty space of the heart web 1 Practices EditMost of the VBT s verses are brief compressed descriptions of various practices that allow one to access the state of Bhairava consciousness Mark Dyczkowski has classified the practices of the VBT into various main types along with the verses in which they appear web 1 Practices relying on the Breath verses 24 27 55 64 154 Kuṇḍalini practices 28 31 35 Dvadasanta the point twelve finger widths above the head 50 51 55 Practices focusing on the senses 32 36 67 77 89 117 136 Sound and Mantra practices 38 42 90 91 114 Void sunya 43 48 49 58 60 120 122 Universe or absence thereof 53 56 57 95 Body or absence thereof 46 48 overlaps with Void 52 54 63 65 93 104 107 Heart Center hṛdayam 49 61 62 Pleasure kama 68 74 96 Light amp Dark 37 76 87 88 Sleep amp Dream amp Liminal states 55 75 86 Practice with the body 66 78 79 81 82 83 111 Gazing 80 84 85 113 119 120 Equanimity 100 103 123 4 125 6 129 Knowledge insight 97 99 105 106 112 127 131 Intense sensations and emotions 101 115 118 Where the mind goes 33 34 92 94 108 116 128 138 The magic show 102 133 5 137 The Supreme Lord 109 110 121 132Commentaries and English translations EditThe text appeared in 1918 in the Kashmir Series of Text and Studies KSTS web 2 The Kashmir Series published two volumes one with a commentary in Sanskrit by Kshemaraja and Shivopadhyaya and the other with a commentary called Kaumadi by Ananda Bhatta In 1957 Paul Reps brought the text to wide attention by including a poetic English translation in his popular book Zen Flesh Zen Bones 10 Reps translation was the subject of a voluminous commentary by Osho 11 As the Sanskritist Christopher Wallis writes many of English VBT translations have been done by persons who lack training in reading Sanskrit and who lack the background of reading the sanskrit tantric texts that the VBT relies on The result has been various poetic or free form renderings which fail to properly communicate the actual practices which are briefly outlined in the text Two exceptions to this are Jaideva Singh s translation and Mark Dyczkowski s translation web 1 The various VBT translations include the following Satyasangananda Saraswati Swami 2003 Sri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra The Ascent 1st ed Munger Bihar Yoga Publications Trust ISBN 81 86336 32 X OCLC 57069102 The Manual for Self Realization 112 Meditations of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Lakshmanjoo Swami Hughes John Lakshmanjoo Academy 2015 ISBN 9780981622842 OCLC 931644358 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Vijnana Bhairava The Practice of Centring Awareness Lakshman Joo Swami 1907 1991 Varanasi Indica Books 2002 ISBN 8186569359 OCLC 52269087 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Vijnanabhairava or Divine Consciousness A Treasury of 112 Types of Yoga Sanskrit Text with English Translation Expository Note Introduction and Glossary of Technical Terms Singh Jaideva 1st ed Delhi Motilal Banarsidass 1979 ISBN 8120808207 OCLC 25162962 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Tantra Yoga Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Daniel Odier web 3 Chaudhri Ranjit 2013 112 Meditations for Self Realization Fingerprint Publishing ISBN 978 8172344917 OCLC 922744264 Anantananda Giri Swami 2013 So You Wanna Meditate A Concise Guidebook With Commentary on the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Createspace Independent Publishing ISBN 9781492761242 Roche Lorin August 2014 The Radiance Sutras 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder amp Delight Boulder Colorado Sounds True Inc ISBN 9781604076592 OCLC 852745739 Semenov Dmitri 2010 Vijnanabhairava or Techniques for Entering Liminal Consciousness Sattarka Publications ISBN 9780578060422 OCLC 1027966292 The Book of Secrets 112 Meditations to Discover the Mystery Within by Osho 11 Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Mike Magee a commentary on Jaideva Singh s translation web 4 Karl Jnani Christian Handbook of Consciousness Vijnana Bhairava Meditations ASIN B00OEI7KKM The 112 Meditations From the Book of Divine Wisdom The Meditations from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra with Commentary and Guided Practice by Lee Lyon Vigyan Bhairav Tantra The Only Great Book of Meditation Concentration amp Self Realisation by Lord Shiva Mohan Murari Mohan Kumar Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Insight into reality by Swami Nischalananda Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Satya Narayanan Sarma Rupengunta Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Christopher Wallis Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Jason Augustus NewcombReferences Edit Singh 1979 p x Singh 1991 p xxvi a b c d Muller Ortega 1989 p 42 43 a b c Drabu 1990 p 37 38 Feuerstein 1998 p 251 252 Reps 1957 Osho 1998 Hughes 2015 p vii xi Wallis 2018 p 6 Reps 2000 sfn error no target CITEREFReps2000 help a b Osho 2010 sfn error no target CITEREFOsho2010 help Sources EditPrinted sourcesDrabu V N 1990 Saivagamas A Study in the Socio economic Ideas and Institutions of Kashmir 200 B C to A D 700 Indus Publishing Feuerstein Georg 1998 Tantra Path of Ecstasy Shambhala Publications Hughes John 2015 Foreword to Vijnana Bhairava The Manual for Self Realization Muller Ortega Paul E 1989 The Triadic Heart of Siva Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non dual Shaivism of Kashmir SUNY Press Osho 1998 The Book of the Secrets vols 1 5 St Martin s Griffin ISBN 0 312 18058 6 Rajneesh Osho 2010 The Book of Secrets 112 Meditations to Discover the Mystery Within 1st updated and rev U S ed New York St Martin s Press ISBN 9780312650605 OCLC 555656282 Reps Paul 1957 Zen Flesh Zen Bones A Collection of Zen and Pre Zen Writings ISBN 0 8048 0644 6 Zen Flesh Zen Bones A Collection of Zen and Pre Zen Writings Reps Paul 1895 1990 London Penguin Books 2000 ISBN 0140288325 OCLC 42954648 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Singh Jaideva 1979 Vijnanabhairava Or Divine Consciousness A Treasury of 112 Types of Yoga Motilal Banarsidass Singh Jaideva 1991 The Yoga of Delight Wonder and Astonishment A Translation of the Vijnana bhairava with an Introduction and Notes SUNY Wallis Christopher Hareesh 2018 Vijnana bhairava tantra A new translation of the 1200 year old classic yoga text Varela Romero Iago 2022 La rebelion de un Buda y las llaves a la ultima realidad ISBN 978 84 09 38287 3 Web sources a b c d e Wallis Christopher October 7 2016 Will the real Vijnaana bhairava please stand up Hareesh org Retrieved October 1 2020 Muktabodha Institute Retrieved 2008 02 16 Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Daniel Odier www danielodier com Retrieved 2018 04 30 Magee Mike Vijnanabhairava Tantra www shivashakti com Retrieved 2018 04 30 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vijnana Bhairava Tantra amp oldid 1172512683, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
