Sublime

poems. I read aloud to Amy a few lines written by the poet Kabir: We sense that there is some sort of spirit that loves birds and animals and the ants— perhaps the same one who gave a radiance to you in your mother’s womb …

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

Hazrat Inayat Khan

Sufi teacher Idries Shah

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

At the deepest level, the one without whom none of this would have happened is Gurumayī. The spiritual awakening I had through her grace catalyzed a process of unfolding that allowed me to encounter the words of the Tantrik master Abhinava Gupta as palpably living energy, not mere fossils. Without Gurumayī’s unfailing love and grace, I would likely