Some questions
Hello everyone,
my name is Sebastian, I’m from Freiburg in Germany, and I’m new to the community. I’ve just worked through the foundational course, and I'm very interested in getting to know this lineage more closely.
In the past, I practiced Tibetan Buddhism intensively for many years. However, I always felt that I could never quite feel at home with the nihilistic undertone that this tradition can have.
Because of my deep fascination with the Indian teacher Sri Aurobindo, I went to India for a year and a half. However, I did not find a living tradition there that offered practical instructions and a well-developed sadhana.
For several years now I’ve felt a strong pull toward Kashmir Shaivism, but despite repeated research I haven’t yet found access to a living transmission lineage. So I was very surprised—and delighted—when I came across this project.
I would like to understand the path here a bit more clearly, also to see whether I might apply for initiation, and I would be grateful if some of the more experienced students could answer the following questions:
1. How does initiation work in this lineage? Is it done online, or do you need to travel to the U.S.? Is it one-on-one or in groups? Do you receive a mantra transmission and further practice instructions as part of the initiation? Is there a single empowerment, or a sequence of further empowerments? Are there obligations connected with the empowerment, such as a lifelong commitment to recite certain mantras?
2. How does sadhana work in this lineage? Is there a central set of sadhana practices that becomes increasingly refined over time? Or are there many practices from which either you yourself or the teacher chooses? How is that decided and taught? Are there dedicated online courses that become accessible after initiation, or is this taught during the empowerment?
3. How is communal practice organized? Is the main gathering the Sunday teaching with Q&A? Or are there also shared online meditations or meetings? Are there retreats or courses where the community meets in person?
4. About how large is the community here—meaning those who have received initiations and practice regularly? Is it widely dispersed internationally, or is there a local center somewhere?
5. Is the tradition still widely alive in Nepal? Are there monasteries, centers, well-known masters, or retreat places there?
6. During the six months of preparation for initiation, is regular participation in the Sunday sessions expected? Or is it sufficient to follow the current course by video and do the daily practice? Scheduling-wise, Sundays could be difficult for me.
7. I also have a specific question about the Matrika practice. In the Matrika practice: are the lotus petals on which the syllables appear visualized horizontally or vertically—like a wall clock seen from the front, or like a flower reaching up toward the sky, with the petals seen from above?
I very much hope some of you can answer these questions. I’d be grateful for any feedback and replies, and I’m looking forward to getting to know this lineage more deeply.
Warm greetings from Germany,
Sebastian
I have seen it done both online and in person. Usually in a group but not always. You receive a mantra and detailed instructions. There are multiple initiations but the first one is sufficiently complete that you don't need to pursue additional ones unless you want to. You should commit to daily practice indefinitely.
As far as I know, everyone starts with the same practice, which makes it easy to help each other. The choice of what specific practices to do is somewhat up to you, subject to how much time you have and how much you can memorize. There are some additional courses that become available, but the focus remains on the public courses. I think Ācāryajī is truly motivated to spread this to the world, so he makes as much as possible public.
There are occasional retreats, and you can see recordings from some of those on the site, eg Parāhṛdayam. But most of the regular interaction is virtual because we are so geographically dispersed and almost all of us have a day job. I know of a couple people in Germany and I assume there are more.
I don't actually know how big the community is. It's big enough that I keep encountering people I haven't seen before, but small enough to feel comfy. That said, it is steadily growing. People are all over the world, with an increasing number of regional subgroups. Regional groups tend to meet more often.
Yes it's still very alive in Nepal, with well known centers, but I'm very much not the right person to comment on this, having never traveled there myself. I gather that the tradition is mostly handed down within families, and some of the temples don't admit people of non-south-asian descent. But I might be mistaken.
Participation in the classes is expected during the waiting period. If you can't do them live, it's fine to watch the recordings and submit questions via the forum, to be asked on your behalf.
I think the consensus is that they should be visualized as horizontal, like plates stacked on top of each other. Or a flower reaching to the sky, as you say 🪷 😊