Tantric Wisdom of the Vijñana Bhairava Tantra for Today’s Yogis
Saturday 11 June, 10.00am – 4.30pm
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morning session
Sometimes the everyday aspects of our lives can seem so…ordinary. We may yearn for an experience of extraordinary sublimity. Yet, Tantra philosophy holds that otherwise seemingly ordinary experiences can serve as doorways to the Sublime. This afternoon, Bill will help us explore this deeply life-affirming perspective and ways we can cultivate the experience of delight that is available to us in each moment in our lives today.
Together we will study, discuss, contemplate and immerse ourselves in teachings and practices from a sublime text known as the Vijñana Bhairava Tantra that can open us to the immediate experience of this sublime delight.
This session introduces ideas, perspectives and meditation practices that we will continue to explore and refine in a second session on the same topic later in the afternoon. Registration for both sessions is recommended but not required.
This session will an illuminating, refreshing and fun exploration of some of the key life-affirming philosophical perspectives of Tantra. We will read and discuss short passages that describe the experience of the sublime. And, guided by those teachings, we will take time to personally experience the sense of wonder they invite us into. Whether you are new to Tantric philosophy or have studied it for some time, in this session you will experience moments of inner delight.
afternoon session
A sense of wonder opens our minds and our hearts to the presence of beauty and mystery, draws us into delight, expands our gratitude and deepens our love. Nourishing our wonder enlivens and renews our spiritual lives.
Drawing on teachings from a wonderful text, the VijṇÄna Bhaira Tantra, Bill will lead us in various meditation and contemplative practices informed by Tantra philosophy that allow us to see that otherwise seemingly ordinary experiences can serve as doorways to the Sublime.
This session is a continuation of this morning’s session on the same topic, although registration for the morning session is not required.
Informed by our reading and discussion of short passages from a wonderful Tantric text, in this session we will continue exploring the sense of inner delight that each moment can bring us and will practice various techniques that fascinating text gives us as ways to be open to it.
Bill Mahony is known in the international yoga community for his deeply informed and refined knowledge and for his gentle, warm teaching style that is accessible to students at all levels. Bill travels widely to lead retreats, seminars and workshops on yoga philosophy and practice. He has a deep personal understanding of the yogic life grounded in nearly five decades of his own spiritual practice.
As William K. Mahony, PhD, he has written numerous well-received books on the religions of India, including The Artful Universe, which includes substantial discussion of the Upanishads, and Exquisite Love, which consists of his reflections on the spiritual love based on the Bhakti Sutra. He holds a BA from Williams College, an MDiv from Yale University and a PhD from the University of Chicago. For thirty-four years Bill has also been a full time Professor of the Religions of India at Davidson College, one of the premier institutions of higher education in the United States. For more information, visit https://www.wkmahony.com/
