Sublime

Among many others, I draw on the ideas of two spiritual teachers I should mention. One is my friend Douglas Harding, whose unique and inimitable approach sheds light on the Self as Consciousness, which is pure Kashmir Shaivism. The other is the enigmatic 20th-century teacher G. I. Gurdjieff. I met his teachings in my earliest days as a spiritual se

Swāmī Muktānanda (“Bābā”) probably did more than anyone else in the 20th century to make the teachings of Śaiva Tantra known in the West,

Among them, I recommend Pandit’s Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism for the new student. More yogic works are Swami Lakshmanjoo’s Self Realisation and The Secret Supreme, Swami Chetanananda’s Dynamic Stillness I and II, and, of course, Siddha Meditation by Swami Muktananda.

Swami Chinmayananda,

In general, Shaivite texts are completely unintelligible for the unawakened. An illumined guide is needed to explicate them. Siddha Meditation is, undoubtedly, the most lucid and helpful treatment from a yogic point of view, but it is far from comprehensive. I always look at the individuals who ask me, ‘Where do I go from here?’ and wonder, could t

Sufi teacher Idries Shah