Sadhguru explains Sri Vidya Sadhana is not just a practice; it is the path to transforming the mind’s limitations into the boundless awareness of divine consciousness.
Article | October 11, 2024
Sadhguru: Consciousness is the central essence of our being. It governs the way we perceive reality, think, feel, and act in the world. While modern psychology often addresses the mind’s intricacies, Eastern spiritual traditions have long explored the deeper dimensions of mental consciousness, recognizing it as a doorway to transcendence. Among these traditions, Sri Vidya stands as one of the most profound and ancient practices aimed at transforming and uplifting human consciousness.
Sri Vidya Sadhana, rooted in the Tantric tradition, offers a pathway to experience the union of the individual self (Atman) with the Supreme Consciousness (Brahman). Its methodology is centred around worshipping the divine feminine (Shakti) and is designed to dissolve the limitations of mental consciousness, allowing one to experience a heightened state of awareness, often described as divine or supramental consciousness.
This article delves into the concept of mental consciousness, how it can limit our experience of reality, and how Sri Vidya Sadhana serves as a transformative practice that shifts our angle of perception, uplifting and expanding our consciousness.
Mental consciousness perceives the world in fragments, but Sri Vidya unites those fragments, revealing the oneness of existence.
Mental Consciousness: An Overview
To understand how Sri Vidya Sadhana transforms mental consciousness, we must first explore what mental consciousness is.
Mental consciousness refers to the level of awareness in which we engage with the world through the mind. It encompasses thoughts, emotions, memories, and perceptions, creating the internal framework through which we understand and interact with reality. This form of consciousness is governed by the mind, which is inherently dualistic—categorizing experiences as good or bad, right or wrong, pleasurable or painful. The mind is also bound by time and space, limiting our ability to perceive the greater reality that exists beyond mental constructs.
While mental consciousness allows us to navigate daily life, it also restricts our ability to experience the deeper layers of existence. This limitation creates a fragmented view of reality, often leading to suffering, attachment, and ignorance of our true nature. The mind’s habitual patterns—formed through past experiences, societal conditioning, and genetic inheritance—further entrench this limited viewpoint.
Limitations of Mental Consciousness
Duality and Separation: Mental consciousness perceives the world in opposites—light and dark, good and evil, self and other. This perception creates a sense of separation between the individual and the universe, fostering ego-driven behaviour and emotional turbulence.
Attachment and Aversion: The mind clings to pleasant experiences and avoids unpleasant ones. This creates a cycle of attachment, desire, fear, and suffering, as the mind becomes enslaved by transient emotions and situations.
Temporal and Spatial Constraints: The mind operates within the boundaries of time and space, focusing on past memories and future projections. This prevents the individual from experiencing the eternal present moment, which is the true nature of reality.
Conditioned Responses: Mental consciousness is shaped by conditioning—family, culture, society, and personal experiences. These conditionings form rigid patterns of thought and behaviour, limiting the ability to see beyond preconceived notions and beliefs.
Sri Vidya Sadhana: A Gateway to Transcendence
Sri Vidya is a highly revered path within the broader scope of Tantric and Vedantic traditions. The term "Sri Vidya" translates to "Auspicious Knowledge" or "Sacred Wisdom." It is not merely a set of rituals but a comprehensive spiritual discipline designed to unveil the highest truths of the universe and the self.
The central deity in Sri Vidya is the goddess Lalita Tripurasundari, often depicted as a beautiful and benevolent form of Shakti, the divine feminine. She embodies the ultimate truth and the supreme consciousness, and her worship represents the acknowledgement of the divine nature inherent in all existence. Sri Vidya Sadhana (spiritual practice) is therefore an intimate and transformative process aimed at realizing the oneness of Shakti and Shiva, the unity of matter and consciousness.
How Sri Vidya Sadhana Works
Sri Vidya Sadhana is rooted in the principles of Tantra, which views the universe as a divine interplay of energy (Shakti) and consciousness (Shiva). The practice of Sri Vidya involves multiple layers, including mantra, yantra, and ritualistic worship. However, the deeper significance of the practice lies in its ability to uplift and purify the mind, enabling it to transcend its limitations and attain a higher level of consciousness.
Mantra Japa (Chanting): Mantras are sacred sounds or phrases that carry vibrational frequencies designed to awaken higher consciousness. In Sri Vidya, specific mantras associated with the goddess are chanted to purify the mind and dissolve negative karmic patterns. Through continuous practice, the vibration of these mantras penetrates the subconscious, removing mental blockages and conditioning. The mind, which is usually restless and chaotic, becomes calm and focused, facilitating the expansion of awareness beyond its normal boundaries.
Yantra Worship: A yantra is a sacred geometric diagram used in Tantric rituals. In Sri Vidya, the most important yantra is the Sri Yantra, a complex geometric pattern representing the cosmos and the body of the goddess. Meditating on the Sri Yantra helps align the practitioner’s energy with the universal energy. The Sri Yantra symbolizes the union of opposites—Shiva and Shakti, mind and matter—and meditating upon it dissolves the illusion of duality.
Visualizing the Deity: In Sri Vidya, the practitioner is encouraged to visualize the form of the goddess, Lalita Tripurasundari, with reverence and devotion. This visualization serves as a tool for connecting with the divine essence within oneself. Over time, the practitioner begins to experience the non-separation between their own consciousness and that of the goddess, leading to a direct experience of unity with the divine.
Ritualistic Worship: Sri Vidya Sadhana involves various forms of ritualistic worship, including offering flowers, fruits, and incense to the goddess. These external rituals are symbolic acts of surrender and devotion. They remind the practitioner that the divine resides in everything, even in the material world, and that liberation can be attained by recognizing this truth.
Meditation: Sri Vidya Sadhana emphasizes deep meditation, where the practitioner withdraws the senses from external objects and turns the focus inward. This inward journey dissolves the distractions of the mind, leading to the experience of the “Turiya” state, or the fourth state of consciousness, which transcends waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. In this state, the practitioner experiences pure awareness, beyond the limitations of time, space, and individuality.
True liberation comes when the mind surrenders to the divine, allowing the soul to lead with wisdom beyond mental constraints.
Transformation Through Sri Vidya Sadhana
Sri Vidya Sadhana has the power to radically shift the angle of perception, leading to a transformation in mental consciousness. As the practice deepens, the mind begins to shed its layers of conditioning, attachments, and dualistic thinking, revealing a higher state of consciousness that is free, expansive, and divine.
Key Transformations Brought by Sri Vidya Sadhana
Shifting from Duality to Oneness The foundational principle of Sri Vidya is the union of Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (energy). Through continuous practice, the practitioner moves beyond the dualistic view of the world, where everything is divided into opposing categories. Instead, one begins to perceive the unity in all things. This experience of oneness dissolves the sense of separation between self and other, individual and universe, leading to an expansive and liberated state of being.
From Egocentric to Soul-Centric Living Mental consciousness is largely ego-driven, with its constant need for validation, control, and attachment. Sri Vidya Sadhana encourages surrender to the divine, where the ego is seen as an illusion that obscures our true nature. As the ego dissolves, the practitioner begins to live from the soul, experiencing life with detachment, compassion, and divine purpose.
Inner Purification and Release of Vasanas The mind, over lifetimes, accumulates attachment impressions (vasanas) that create patterns of thought, emotion, and behaviour. These attachment patterns bind the individual to a cycle of suffering and limitation. Through Seva, Mantra Jagaron, Meditation, and worship, Sri Vidya Sadhana purifies the mind, gradually releasing these deep-rooted impressions. This purification process allows for a greater flow of divine energy, uplifting the individual into a state of inner freedom and clarity.
Expanded Awareness and Heightened Intuition Sri Vidya Sadhana expands the practitioner’s awareness beyond the confines of mental consciousness. This heightened awareness leads to the development of intuition, where the practitioner begins to perceive truths that are not accessible to the ordinary mind. Decisions and actions arise from a place of inner wisdom, rather than from the analytical mind, leading to a more harmonious and aligned way of living.
Living in the Present Moment One of the greatest limitations of mental consciousness is its preoccupation with the past and future. Sri Vidya Sadhana brings the practitioner into the present moment, where the eternal now is experienced as the only true reality. In this state, time and space lose their hold, and the practitioner experiences the timeless, infinite nature of existence.
How Sri Vidya Uplifts Consciousness
Sri Vidya is not merely about achieving personal spiritual growth; it is a cosmic process of aligning with the greater forces of the universe. Through this alignment, the practitioner’s consciousness is uplifted, allowing for direct experience of the divine in every aspect of life. The boundaries of individuality dissolve, and the practitioner experiences the truth of “Aham Brahmasmi” – I am the universe.
The Concept of Mental Upliftment
Uplifting consciousness means transcending the mental structures that bind us to ordinary experiences. It is about moving beyond the five senses, the intellect, and even the ego to tap into the higher states of being. Sri Vidya Sadhana, with its combination of mantras, yantras, visualizations, and meditation, systematically leads the practitioner toward these higher states.
Mantras stimulate the mental centres, purifying the thoughts and making the mind receptive to higher energies.
Yantras function as symbols that align individual consciousness with cosmic patterns.
Meditation clears the clutter of mental consciousness, allowing access to deeper wisdom and universal truths.
Visualization of the goddess and surrender to the divine leads to an experiential realization of oneness, as the mind loses its grip on dualistic thinking.
Sri Vidya Sadhana lifts us beyond time and space, reminding us that the eternal present moment is the only true reality.
Sri Vidya and the Shifting View of Angle
In the language of Sri Vidya, a "shifting view of angle" refers to the transformation in perception that occurs when one’s consciousness expands. Before the practice, the mind views reality from a limited, ego-based perspective. After the practice, the mind shifts to a divine angle, seeing the world through the eyes of the goddess. The shift is from limitation to limitlessness, from separation to unity, and from ignorance to enlightenment.
This shift in angle also means that the practitioner no longer sees challenges, emotions, or life situations from a fragmented or fearful perspective. Instead, every experience is recognized as a play of divine energy, a part of the cosmic dance of Shiva and Shakti. The practitioner becomes a participant in this divine dance, fully immersed in the present moment, while also connected to the infinite.
A Journey of soul-centered consciousness
Sri Vidya Sadhana offers a profound and transformative journey into the depths of consciousness. By engaging in its sacred practices, the limitations of mental consciousness are transcended, leading to an expanded awareness of the divine reality. The shift in perception—from ego-driven consciousness to soul-centred consciousness—brings about deep inner purification, heightened intuition, and an abiding sense of oneness with the universe.
As the practitioner of Sri Vidya moves beyond the confines of the mind, they experience life from a new angle—an angle that reveals the divine presence in all things. Through this process, consciousness is uplifted, and the ultimate truth of existence is realized: that the individual self and the universal self are one and the same.
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