Śrī Yantra: Philosophy & Iconography of Hindu Tantrik Tradition

The Śrī Yantra—one of the most iconic and visually arresting images in modern yoga spaces—is often admired, yet rarely understood. Though it appears frequently in studios and sacred spaces, its deeper meanings and its role within the profound system of Śākta Tantra remain largely unknown in the modern yoga world. In this illuminating workshop, Sādhana School is honored to host Professor Sthaneshwar Timalsina, the Nirmal K. and Augustina Mattoo Endowed Chair in Classical Indic Humanities at Stony Brook University. A renowned scholar-practitioner of non-dual Tantra, Professor Timalsina will guide participants through the symbolic architecture of the Śrī Yantra, its spiritual function as a Tantrik contemplative device, and the role sacred images play in meditative and ritual practice.

This is a rare opportunity to study with a teacher whose deep scholarship is matched by his experiential insight. Professor Timalsina brings clarity and reverence to a subject often clouded by abstraction or oversimplification. Whether you're a dedicated practitioner, teacher, or seeker drawn to the intersection of symbolism, mysticism, and embodied wisdom, this workshop offers a meaningful exploration of one of the most revered yantras in the Indian spiritual traditions. Discover the living power of sacred geometry and deepen your understanding of the visual language of Tantra.

Dr. Sthaneshwar Timalsina, born in Nepal in 1965, received his Master’s degree from Sampurnananda University, Varanasi (1991). Before joining Martin Luther University in Halle for his Ph. D., he opened the Department of Tantric Studies at Nepal Sanskrit University in Kathmandu (1991) and taught there till 1999.

Dr. Timalsina received his Ph. D. in 2005. The same year, he joined the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. He has also taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Washington University in St. Louis; and the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Dr. Timalsina joined Stony Brook University as Nirmal and Augustina Mattoo Chair of Classical Indic Humanities in 2023.

Dr. Timalsina has authored four books in English. Seeing and Appearance: A History of the Advaita Doctrine of Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi (Shaker Verlag, 2006), and Consciousness in Indian Philosophy (Routledge, 2009) explore the models of consciousness in the Advaita of Śaṅkara. His two other books, Language of Images: Visualization and Meaning in Tantras (Peter Lang, 2015), and Tantric Visual Culture: A Cognitive Approach, (Routledge, 2015) study the culture of visualization in light of Tantric philosophy and cognitive theories. Dr. Timalsina has also written and published books in Sanskrit and Nepali languages. Besides these, he has published more than 80 refereed journal articles and book chapters.

Since 2019, Timalsina has been offering free online courses on various aspects of Tantra and Indian philosophies through the Vimarsha Foundation.