Tantra Illuminated with Dr. Christopher Wallis

This week’s episode features an archival interview with Amisha Ghadiali , founder of a conscious jewelry brand, speaker, author, and facilitator. Her podcast, All That We Are (formerly known as The Future is Beautiful), explores the intersections of activism, the sacred, creativity, and regeneration—spaces where our inner and outer worlds dance. From healing trauma to connecting with nature, embra...

This week’s episode is a scriptural reading from the Spanda-kārikā, or the Stanzas on Divine Pulsation, by the great 9th-century tantrik master Kallaṭa from Kashmir. The Spanda-kārikā is a foundational text of Kashmir Shaivism or nondual Shaiva Tantra, and it explores the dynamic nature of consciousness and how we can access it to live an awakened and liberated life. This episode presents a straig...

This week's episode features a conversation with Artur Appazov , a Stanford graduate international criminal lawyer who experienced a really profound shift during one of our immersion programs. The shift led to a year and a half of intensive integration practice to stabilize, ground, and fully integrate his realization. Artur shares his journey, detailing how the awakening process initially unfolde...

This episode features a scriptural reading from Chapter Five of Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," The Essence of Tantra. In this chapter, titled “Illumination of the Individual/Embodied Method (ānava-upāya),” we receive specific practices that you can incorporate into your daily practice sessions. These practices engage the body-mind through imagination ( buddhi ) with powerful meditative visualizatio...

This week’s episode features an archival interview by Ashton Szabo, dedicated yogi and co-founder of The Alchemy Yoga Center in Bali. The interview was recorded just before the release of The Recognition Sutras. It centers around this 11th-century tantric text, the Pratyabhijñāhṛdaya, which means “The Essence of the Recognition Philosophy”—recognition, that is, of oneself as a direct expression of...

This week's solo episode clearly and precisely explains the energy body, or subtle body (sūkṣma-śarīra), as understood in Classical Tantra—the tradition that originated these terms. I share precise definitions of terms such as nādī (energy channels), chakra (energy centers), and bindu (essence point), while addressing some of the most widely held myths and misunderstandings related to these concep...

This week's episode features a conversation with Chandra Easton , also known as Lopön Yeshe Dawa Zangmo, a Dharma teacher, author, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. Since 2001, she has taught Buddhism and Hatha Yoga. In 2015, she was awarded the title of Vajra Teacher, Dorje Lopön (Vajrāchārya), signifying a tantric master in Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, by Lama Tsultrim Allione and H.E....

This episode concludes our reading of Chapter Four of Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," which we started reading in Episode 16. This part of the śākta-upāya or “Illumination of the Empowered Method” is particularly esoteric, presenting some of the most significant and traditionally secretive teachings of the non-dual Shaiva Tantra tradition. Abhinavagupta explores the various names and aspects of the...

In this episode, recorded in March 2023 for the  Deconstructing Yourself podcast hosted by Michael Taft, we look at the similarities and differences between Tantrik Shaivism, Tantrik Buddhism, and Vedanta. Alongside Michael - spiritual teacher, bestselling author of " The Mindful Geek " and co-founder of  The Alembic  in Berkeley - we debunk a few myths and misconceptions about thes...

This episode offers another guided meditation foundational to the Tantrik path, inviting us to explore the sacred cave of the heart. In this traditional meditation, we guide the center of consciousness or selfhood—often felt in the head or between the eyes—to descend to the mysterious and quiet region at the heart's base. Here, we can immerse ourselves in the stillness and silence within, experien...

This episode is a conversation with Hameed Ali, who publishes under the name of A.H. Almaas . Hameed is founder of The Diamond Approach to Self-Realization , a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychology theories. He has authored 18 books about spirituality and realization, including the Diamond Heart series, The Pearl Bey...

This episode is a scriptural reading and continues our exploration of Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," focusing on Chapter Four, entitled “Illumination of the Empowered Method (śākta-upāya)”. The text is a magnificent description of the śākta-upāyas, the contemplative process that can refine one’s understanding of reality, ultimately leading to the experiential realization of one's true nature....

In this episode, we speak with Dr Ben Williams , an intellectual historian specializing in Indian religions and Shaiva Tantra. His academic focus has primarily been on Abhinavagupta. He holds extensive training in Indian philosophy, literature, and aesthetics, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Hinduism at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where he also leads the newly launche...

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 three samāveśas, which literally means 'immersion...

This week's episode features a conversation with philosopher and scientist Dr. Bernardo Kastrup , a prominent figure in the renaissance of metaphysical idealism—the view that reality is fundamentally mental, meaning to say that everything that exists is consciousness or Mind. Bernardo Kastrup is also the Executive Director at the Essentia Foundation , a new foundation dedicated to exploring the na...

This week, we continue our journey through Abhinavagupta's "Tantrasāra," focusing on Chapter Three , entitled "Illumination of The Divine Method," or śāmbhava-upāya. This chapter wonderfully explains how spiritual realization—whether referred to as enlightenment, awakening, or liberation—can unfold through intuitive, non-conceptual insights, without reliance on conceptual understanding. Presented...

This week’s episode features a conversation with Andrew Holecek for his podcast ‘ Edge of Mind ’, recorded a few years ago. Andrew is an acclaimed author, spiritual teacher, and long-time practitioner of Buddhism. He's also an expert on lucid dreaming, and the author of Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep and Reverse Meditation: How to Use Your...

This week's episode is a solo episode about the understanding and practices necessary to actualize the goal of spiritual path, specifically focusing on the path that we call Nondual Shaiva Tantra. Recorded live during a satsang, this candid, off-the-cuff talk draws upon Abhinavagupta's teachings. My aim is to present the most coherent understanding of how spiritual practices function and their lim...

In this episode, Hareesh welcomes Dr. Kavithā Chinnaiyan, a practicing cardiologist, Professor of Medicine, and an international educator in cardiac imaging, preventive cardiology, and women's heart disease. She is the acclaimed author of several books, including The Heart of Wellness , Shakti Rising , and Fractals of Reality: Living the Śrīcakra , a Tantric initiate and adept. As the founder...

In this episode, we delve into Chapter Two of 'Tantrasāra' by Abhinavagupta, titled 'Illumination of Spontaneous Realization.' The chapter explores the concept of spontaneous modes of realization without methods or practices, a rare but profound occurrence. Such immediate insight into the nature of reality can lead to permanent immersion in divinity, independent of formal spiritual practices. Disc...

In this week’s episode, recorded in late 2023, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ashtanga yoga teacher Adam Keen from the Keen on Yoga podcast . Adam and I delve into my latest book, ' Near Enemies of the Truth ,' examining spiritual clichés such as 'You create your own reality,' 'Be your best self,' and 'Follow your bliss,' and unpack their deceptive nature. The conversation offers insig...

This episode features one of the foundational meditations of Tantrik yoga. 'Reposing in the Silent Ground' invites you to relax into a posture of wakeful serenity, encouraging deeper, slower breaths that ease you into comfort. In this practice we allow the perceived center of consciousness to descend from the head to the heart's base, fostering a sense of self anchored in the heart space. This tec...

This episode is a conversation with Eshwar Segobind . Eshwar shares his unexpected and rapid spiritual awakening journey, which unfolded over less than a year without him being steeped in any religious or spiritual background. He relates pivotal moments during his stay at a recovery house that led to a shift in perspective and deep personal insights. Eshwar's story is one of the spontaneous emerge...

This episode features a scriptural reading from Abhinavagupta 's " Tantrasāra " ("The Essence of the Tantras" or “The Essence of Tantra”), titled "Illumination of the Modes of Realization." It is considered one of the most impactful works of tantrik philosophy and practice. Abhinavagupta distills his insights into the nature of consciousness, the inherent divinity within all beings, and the journe...

This episode is an interview recorded in late 2023 for the Deconstructing Yourself podcast, founded and hosted by Michael Taft. Michael, a seasoned meditator, meditation teacher, and author of the bestseller " The Mindful Geek ," as well as co-founder of The Alembic in Berkeley, engages in an in-depth conversation about my latest book, " Near Enemies of the Truth ," which addresses the complexitie...