Swami Shankarananda

Consciousness is the most intimate experience of life, the essence of life itself. Among the many spiritual traditions born and developed in India, one ancient philosophy-Kashmir Shaivism-has explored it completely.

Until now, Kashmir Shaivism was an esoteric field accessible only to a few scholars and other specialists. Here, for the first time, Swami Shankarananda, a Self-realised spiritual master, presents the wisdom of this powerful tradition in a form that will delight and inspire all spirital seekers. He explores the teachings in rich detail, elucidating ideas and meditative practices while drawing upon a vast canvas of many great beings, wisdom traditons and personal experience.

Conscoiusness Is Everything is a book that will transform you. It is a resource and guide towards investigating and deepening your own consciousness.

Contents

Dedication
Author's note
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Consciousness itself
Study of consciousness; Trika Hridayam: The heart of the teachings of Kashmir Shaivism or Shaivism in the vernacular; About this book
Chapter 1 The grace of Shiva
I Sadhana
II Everything is Chiti
III I am sShiva; Self-recognition; Lord Shiva; The divine Shakti; The shape of Shaivism; Shiva mandalas
Chapter 2 The origins of Kashimr Shaivism
Two approaches-Vedic and Tanric; Kula and krama schools; The origins of Kashmir Shaivism; The Trika; Two contemporary traditions
I The scholarly tradition
II The Shaktipat tradition; Scholar and yogi; Reading Shavism in English
Chapter 3 A Shaivite overview
Kasshmir Shaivism and the modern world; The humanism of Kashmir Shaivism; Arguing with Vedanta; Yogi and Bhakta; Totapuri and Sri Ramakrisha
Chapter 4 Self-realisation
Enlightened beings; The goal-Self-realisation; Gurdjieff's seven men; There is nothing that is not Shiva; Contemplating bondage; The sacred triangle; A Siddha's vision; Meditation: The power of consciousness
Chapter 5 You are your awareness
Consciousness; The cause of he universe is consciousness; I am the subject of my universe; Awareness is he highes good; Headless Shiva-First personism; Meditation I-Headlessness; Meditation II-Contemplate our own awareness
Chapter 6 The contraction of consciousness
I am the subject; Becoming the mind; Becoming Shiva again; Meditation I-Chaitanyamatma; Meditation II-Chiti
Chapter 7 The Tattvas I-Shiva, the diving being
The vision of Shaivism; The Tattvas and the great chain of being; the Tattvas; Tattvas one to five-The divine experience; Language and he first five Tattvas; The five Shaktis of Shiva; Tattva six-Maya; Tattvas seven to 11-The Kanchukas
Chapter 8 The Ttavas II-Jiva, the human being
Tattvas 12 and 13-Purusha and Prakriti; The rocks and the sand; The lower Tattvas; Tattvas 14 to 36-Mind, senses, body, world; Understanding the Tattvas; The highest principle is always present; Simplified Tattva map and Mayya; Meditation-Layabhavanna, resolving gross into subtle
Chapter 9 Shaivite yoga-The three malas and the three upayas
Review; Mala/; Upaya; Karma mala and Anavopaya; Maiya mala and Shaktopaya; Anava mala and Shambhavopaya; Anupaya-The methodless method; Highest first
Chapter 10 Malas and upayas-Further thoughts and contemplations
Review; Inquiry; the Malas as A statements; The Malas and the kanchukas; Mediation I-The malas; The upayas as B and G statesments; Malas, upayas and self-inquiry; Mediation II-The knot in the heart; Shaktipat in the upayas; Samavesha; A summary of malas and upayas; The upayas as perspectivess; A vavea; Meditation IIIi-'I am pure concsiousness' Mediation IV-Towards oneness.
Chapter 11 The five processes and the yoga of self-inquiry-Burning it to sameness
The five processes; Meditation on the five processes; The eoteric five rocesses and Shaivite self-inquiry; Burning it to sameness-Hathapaka and Alamgrasa; Shiva vyapti;-Realisation in shaivism; Meditation on the esotericx five processes-Daily review
Chapter 12-The divine narrator
Overcoming limitations; The doctrine of recognition; The narrator; Key words in the Pratyabhijnahridayam; The plot of the Pratyabhijnahridayam; The turn; The goal; Meditation on your Shiva nature
Chapter 13-Methods of mediatatio in I-Pratyabhijnahridayam sutra 18
The drama of consciousness; Nikalpa-kshaya-the dissolution of thought forms; Meditation I-Vikalpa-kshaya; Sankocha of Shakti; Meditation II-Sankocha of Shakti; Vikasa of Shakti; Meditation III-Vikasa of shakti; Krama mudra; Meditation IV-Krama mudra; Vaha-cheda; Adyanta-koti Nibhalana-Hamsa technique; Meditation V-The space between the breaths; The breath of the three rivers; Mediation VI-The breath of the three rivers
Chapter 14-Shaiva tantra-The yoga of the upward shift
Unmesha; Upward shift yoga; Doubt and conviction; Meditation on the bliss of he world
Chapter 15-Methods of meditation II-The Vijnanabhairava
Dharanas; Essential G statements-Dharanas 40, 42 adn 81; Handling desire; Three strategies-Dharanas 73, 74 and 75; Shiva is everywhere-Dharana 91; The essence of tantra-dharana 93; One-word G statements-Dharana 107; Equanimity-Dharanas 100 and 103.
Chapter 16 Turiya-The fourth state
Matter and consciousness; the states of consciousness; Meditation I-The fourth state; Living in awareness; wonder Rasa-The attitude of wonde; The play of Chiti; Meditation II-The dance of the mind
Chapter 17 The Rasas-Abhinavagupta, art and spirituality
Aesthetics and Abhinavagupta; The Rasas; Disgust; Shanta rasa; The audience; Meditation on the rasa of the divine
Chapter 18-Language mysticism in Shaivism I-Matrika
The vision of consciousness; Language, bondage and liberation; Four levels of speech; Meditation I-The levels of speech; Matrika; Meditation II-Matrika
Chapter 19-Language mysticism in Shaivism II-Self-inquiry
Self-inquiry; the Kula-chakra group ritual; Shiva process self-inquiry group; shaivism and emotion; Relatinship between thought and feeling; Group practice; contemplation-Doing self-inquiry; The art of yogic thinkng; 'Thinking in through' meditation
Chapter 20-Language mysticism in Shaivism III-Mantra
The power of the mantra; Chaitanya mantra; The mind is mantra; Meditation-Om nama shivaya
Chapter 21-Being presen-Deocnonstrucion time and space
Begin where you are; Meditation I-Being present; Shiva process and Layabavana; Deconstructing time; Meditation II-Subtle language; Deconstruciong space; Meditation III-A variety of possibliites; An important hint for the meditatior
Chapter-Shakti chakra-The collective whole of energies
Lord of he Shaktis; Shiva asana; The shaktis; Meditations on the shakti chakra
Chapter 23-Anupaya
The fourth upaya; The natual state; bondage and liberation; Living in satsaqng; Shaktipat; Meditation-Divine acceptance
Chapter 24-Love
Fiste person, second person, third person; Douglass Harding and first personism; Martin Buber and I-Thou; Kashmir Shaivism and devotion; Heart-to-heart meditation
Chapter 25-Conclusion-The living spirit of Shaivism
Approaching the turth; Inquiry; Shaivism as the path of the heart; May thre be welfare for all!
Appendix A Shiva sutras
Appendix B Pratyabhijnahridayam
Appendix C Spanda Karikas
Appendix D G-Statements
Selected notes
Bibliography… (altro)