Śiva Sūtras

The text that is broadly considered to be the founding text of Kashmir Shaivism is the incredibly timely text, the Śiva Sūtras (SS). The SS, which was composed by an author named Vasugupta, is considered by the tradition to be a “revealed” text, or āgama. We will be engaging with this important work as a foundational text of yoga philosophy. This course is for for modern practitioners who are seeking a context of knowledge that helps to situate the experience of individuality within a broader picture of reality.

Learn how the non-dual Tantric traditions are incredibly applicable to modern householder life
Study the way Reality organizes itself, according to the emanationist cosmology of Śaiva Tantra, and comparative accounts of how reality functions
Discover why we should think about this text as the most central text of yoga philosophy
Engage with what the central yoga practices are that are connected to the tradition behind the Śiva Sūtras
Consider who some of the key non-dual philosophers are, and where their perspectives overlapped and diverged
Study the comprehensive philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism
Become educated on the relationship between the Tantric traditions more broadly and the philosophical tradition known as the pratjabhijñā
Incorporate a recitation of the SS into your practice over two weeks to help you begin memorizing these sūtras for your own reference and practice

In the first session of the course, we explore the non-dual philosophy of Kashmir Śaivism, along with some of its fundamental principles. You will learn about the principles of reality known as the 36 tattvas. You will study the conception of "mind" known as citta – which includes the "I-maker" (ahaṁkāra), the pre-egoic awareness space (buddhi), and the function of mind that interacts with the world (manas). We study these topics while progressing through the early verses of the third chapter of the Śiva Sūtras.

Tantra enables us to experience this fullness by demolishing the wall that separates our mundane sensory experiences from the spiritual ones. Standing on the firm foundation of unitary consciousness, tantric practices empower us to acquire both bhoga (pleasure), and moksha (liberation) here and now. An integrated approach to experiencing life’s fullness is the reason why tantra evolved in so many different ways—it is simultaneously a purely meditative spiritual path and ritual-heavy practice leading to lofty spiritual experiences.

Mary shares her personal encounters with Shiva, as she has come to know him over the past 40 years. A sampling of the myths, the poet-saints and the scriptural doctrines of Shaivism are woven within the fabric of these mystical experiences which have helped her understanding of the texts, attesting to their profound and timeless truth. We will hear how Shiva symbolism contains Tantric keys of liberation for seekers of every background and proclivity, and see how Tantric principles are found at the heart of all mystical contemplative traditions.

Jacob Kyle is a meditation teacher, writer, philosophy educator, and the Founding Director of Embodied Philosophy. His guiding mission is to re-imagine the modern function of the yoga teacher in alignment with the teachings, texts, and traditions of yoga's profound history. He believes that by building a network of teachers who share a commitment to disseminating the deeper teachings and practices of yoga, we can build a world based on wisdom rather than ideology and divisiveness.

Jacob is a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, researching Abhinavagupta's Philosophy of Language and Meditation with advisor Diwakar Acharya. He holds an MPhil in Classical Indian Religions from Oxford (2023), an MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research (2017), and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics (2007). Jacob is a passionate advocate of Kashmir Śaivism and a devoted practitioner of the Śaiva-Śākta Darśana.

Śiva Sūtras: Opening to Absolute Consciousness