Ep 14 ~ The Three Stages of Awakening

This week’s solo episode explores the teaching of the three stages of awakening, or three samāveśas, rooted in the 7th-century Mālinīvijayottaratantra and further elaborated by Abhinavagupta in Tantrasāra. This teaching, preserved both in the scriptures and through oral transmission, clarifies the multifaceted nature of spiritual awakening. Each of the samāveśas, which means ‘immersion,’ represents an immersion into a fundamental aspect of ultimate reality. This episode unpacks these stages to provide a clearer understanding of the spiritual awakening process, which, while not always linear, shares commonalities across different traditions and ways people experience it.

The 3 Immersions:
āṇava-samāveśa – immersion into one’s essence-nature
shākta-samāveśa – immersion into the total field of energy
shāmbhava-samāveśa – immersion into the divine Absolute (the field of absolute potential)

Terms:
anuttara – ultimate
citta – heart-mind
mahāśūnya – the great void
pralaya – disappearance
pratibhā – intuitive insight, embodied instinct, creative inspiration
saṃbodha – awakening
śūnyātiśūnya – the void beyond void
svabhāva – essence nature
viśrānti – repose in the ground of one’s being

The 3 Impurities
āṇava-mala – the impurity of individuality
māyīya-mala – impurity of differentiation
kārma-mala – the impurity of action

References:
Tantrasāra, The Essence of The Tantras (see episodes 4, 8, and 12 of this podcast)

Academia: Somadeva Vasudeva, The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottaratantra.

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