Kashmir Shaivism: The Supreme Secret (Swami Laksmanjoo)
Engaging Elaboration of Kashmir Shaivism
[My 4-star Amazon review (NDA) of “Kashmir Shaivism: The Supreme Secret†by Swamo Laksmanjoo.]
Swami Laksmanjoo (1907-1991) was the last living master in the Kashmir Shaivism (KS) lineage, and in this text (which consists of excerpts from talks he gave), he displays his knowledge of the elaborate KS Dharma. Though I hardly agree with everything he says, the Swami is a veritable fount of information. I’ve read a dozen or so KS texts, and I learned more than a few things from these talks, which are competently edited and organized, making this an enjoyable as well as educational read.
None of the previous KS book I’ve read described the 9 levels of Grace and the 3 levels of Kundalini yoga in KS, but Laksmanjoo does. Moreover, he’s not shy about describing specific details of the Awakening project, even though these details are often dubious. For example, regarding the breath, he writes:                                                “If you maintain your practice continuously with intense devotion, your breath stops. What happens is thar four passages meet at the center of what we call “lambhika sthana†which is known in Engish as the “soft palate. This lambhika sthana is found on the right side near the pit of the throat. In ordinary breathing, two passages are open and two are closed. When the breath is about to stop, the passages of ordinary breathing stop. You experience this symptom when you feel that you are choking and that your breath is about to stop. At this point your breath becomes centralized and moves about one point, just like a whirlpool. The aspirant experiences that his breath is neither moving out nor coming in. He feels that his breath is moving round and round, that it is rotating at that one point which is the junction of the four passages. This state is callrd Brahmananda, which means, ‘that state which is all-pervading.’â€
I would hardly describe this state as Brahmananda, as Laksmanjoo does. Though Laksmanjoo provides lots of information, the flaws in it are legion. And when it comes to his description of the Four Means (Upayas), I take major issue with him. Regarding Sambhavopaya, he writes, “
“When you reside only in the meant [in Sambhavopaya], it is the grace of your Master that carries you. You must reach that state where only your Master shines for you. This means that you must merge in your Master’s consciousness. In this state, you do not exist; only your master exists. Master selects disciple for this upaya who are highly developed in awareness. Until then, they will not be accepted by the Master for this upaya. In this upaya, the Master functions more than does the disciple.â€
I practice Sambhavopaya, and no Master is necessary for one to practice it, Morover, wheresas Laksmanjoo doesn’t provide specific directions on how to practice this upaya (other than depending on the Master), others do.
I read this book simultaneously with Laksmanjoo’s “Shiva Sutras: The Supreme Awakening†(which I don’t plan on reviewing), and I much preferred this book as a presentation of his Dharma, which, despite its flaws, is worth a read by serious students of KS.
[My 4-star Amazon review (NDA) of “Kashmir Shaivism: The Supreme Secret†by Swamo Laksmanjoo.]
Swami Laksmanjoo (1907-1991) was the last living master in the Kashmir Shaivism (KS) lineage, and in this text (which consists of excerpts from talks he gave), he displays his knowledge of the elaborate KS Dharma. Though I hardly agree with everything he says, the Swami is a veritable fount of information. I’ve read a dozen or so KS texts, and I learned more than a few things from these talks, which are competently edited and organized, making this an enjoyable as well as educational read.
None of the previous KS book I’ve read described the 9 levels of Grace and the 3 levels of Kundalini yoga in KS, but Laksmanjoo does. Moreover, he’s not shy about describing specific details of the Awakening project, even though these details are often dubious. For example, regarding the breath, he writes:                                                “If you maintain your practice continuously with intense devotion, your breath stops. What happens is thar four passages meet at the center of what we call “lambhika sthana†which is known in Engish as the “soft palate. This lambhika sthana is found on the right side near the pit of the throat. In ordinary breathing, two passages are open and two are closed. When the breath is about to stop, the passages of ordinary breathing stop. You experience this symptom when you feel that you are choking and that your breath is about to stop. At this point your breath becomes centralized and moves about one point, just like a whirlpool. The aspirant experiences that his breath is neither moving out nor coming in. He feels that his breath is moving round and round, that it is rotating at that one point which is the junction of the four passages. This state is callrd Brahmananda, which means, ‘that state which is all-pervading.’â€
I would hardly describe this state as Brahmananda, as Laksmanjoo does. Though Laksmanjoo provides lots of information, the flaws in it are legion. And when it comes to his description of the Four Means (Upayas), I take major issue with him. Regarding Sambhavopaya, he writes, “
“When you reside only in the meant [in Sambhavopaya], it is the grace of your Master that carries you. You must reach that state where only your Master shines for you. This means that you must merge in your Master’s consciousness. In this state, you do not exist; only your master exists. Master selects disciple for this upaya who are highly developed in awareness. Until then, they will not be accepted by the Master for this upaya. In this upaya, the Master functions more than does the disciple.â€
I practice Sambhavopaya, and no Master is necessary for one to practice it, Morover, wheresas Laksmanjoo doesn’t provide specific directions on how to practice this upaya (other than depending on the Master), others do.
I read this book simultaneously with Laksmanjoo’s “Shiva Sutras: The Supreme Awakening†(which I don’t plan on reviewing), and I much preferred this book as a presentation of his Dharma, which, despite its flaws, is worth a read by serious students of KS.
