Editor: A friend told me that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was going to give a discourse on Vigyan Bhairav Tantra. What is that?

Excerpts from an article in Speaking Tree, “We can translate the expression Vigyan Bhairav Tantra as the technique of developing insight into the pure consciousness. This expression is actually the title of a text from ancient India gathered from a book entitled Rudrayamala Tantra. This book offers 112 highly simple but profound meditation techniques that can help develop an awareness about the inner Self of a person.

This is one of the most widely commented book on which a lot of authors have written treatises and explanatory notes. The book occurs as a conversation between Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. The dialogue is an attempt by Lord Shiva to talk on some of the profound issues asked by Parvati including the nature of the Supreme Intelligence, Ultimate Truth and the Source of All Things in the Universe.

The central message of all the Vedic truths indicate that all the beings have evolved from the common source that is the absolute reality. The essence of life on this earth consists of understanding this profound truth and going back to the same source from which we came thereby completing the cycle of births and deaths.

The most profound key concept of Hinduism acknowledges that though God is worshipped, enjoyed, interacted with and heralded in several forms, all these forms are but the manifestations of the same absolute reality that is beyond the perception of the ordinary senses.”  

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As I searched the net found this wonderful commentary by OSHO. Downloaded book from www.oshorajneesh.com and sharing with you. Courtesy and copyright them

This was the first book by Osho that I read. Enjoyed every minute of it, so much wisdom in his words. It was now obvious to me why he was so popular. Since the motto of my life is sharing present volume one of this wonderful book.

The book is a series of talks given from 01/10/72 pm to 01/03/73 pm. It has 40 chapters and is 541 pages. Credit and copyrights lie with the OSHO Ashram.

For your benefit have highlighted words of wisdom in yellow in attached PDF. Here are some beautiful quotes from the book -

TANTRA means technique. So this treatise is a scientific one. Tantra is science, tantra is not philosophy.

pg 6 The very words VIGYANA BHAIRAVA TANTRA mean the technique of going beyond consciousness. VIGYANA means consciousness, BHAIRAVA means the state which is beyond consciousness, and TANTRA means the method: the method of going beyond consciousness. This is the supreme doctrine – without any doctrine.

pg 33 Yoga also works on breath, but the work of yoga and tantra is basically different. Yoga tries to systematize breathing. Tantra is concerned not with any systematization of breath,

but with using breath just as a technique to turn inward.

pg 35 Buddha tried particularly to use this method, so this method has become a Buddhist method. Because this technique is the first technique mentioned by Shiva, many Buddhists have claimed that this book, VIGYANA BHAIRAVA TANTRA, is a Buddhist book, not a Hindu book. The whole Zen technique is based on the 4th technique of Shiva.

This fifth technique was given to Pythagoras. It was given in Egypt but the technique was Indian.

pg 60 The gland between the two eyebrows is called the pineal gland, is the third eye of the Tibetans - SHIVANETRA: eye of the Shiva, of the Tantra.

pg 81 For Indian thought everything is just a device for meditation. We are not concerned about it being true or untrue. We are concerned about its utility in transforming man.

pg 87 There are two source religions Hindu and Jewish. All religions born out of Hinduism believe in rebirth. All religions born out of Jewish thinking - Islam and Christianity believe in one life.

pg 104 Now you can understand why so much attention is given to a straight spine, because with a straight spine less and less is covered, so gravity affects you less.

pg 18 Accept, move deep, go to the very roots. This is tantra. Tantra stands for deep experiences. Anything experienced can be transcended. Anything suppressed can never be transcended.

pg 127 That is why Zen monks consider tea to be sacred.

pg 129 In the old tantra and yoga schools they used many bones. Even now a tantric is found with a man's skull. Really, ie to help concentration from inside.

pg 133 In a deep embrace in an act of sex a women will close her eyes. Really they cannot love with open eyes. With closed eyes, they feel the body more within.

pg 152 The third eye is the infinite space which has penetrated in you. Once this space is known you will never be the same again.

pg 156 There exists no such thing as meditation in Christianity.

pg 168 That is why Mahavir and Buddha talked about nonviolence. It was to create a more loving attitude towards life.

pg 176 By centering I mean your consciousness not moving in different directions.

pg 177 Love means giving, lust means getting. Love is surrender, lust is aggression. In devotion you surrender yourself completely.

pg 197 This Vigyan Bhairava Tantra was translated into English by Paul Reps. He wrote a book ZEN FLESH, ZEN Bones and in the appendix included Vigyan Bhairava Tantra.

pg 202 Tantra says in the sex act be meditative. Feel the whole phenomena as holy; do not feel guilty.

pg 208 When you reflect at the end of the day look at the whole thing as if you were looking indifferently at a film.

pg 220 Do not do anything with anger. Suppression is nothing but postponing.

pg 224 Western psychology does not believe in the being of man, it believes only in the mind.

pg 226 Now the East is penetrating the Western mind deeply and that too without any violence. And sooner or later Western psychology will have to come with concepts on how to transcend the mind.

pg 229 Nagarjuna was one of the great masters India has produced - of the calibre of Buddha, Mahavir and Krishna.

pg 233 George Gurdieff learnt made these techniques popular in the West. He learnt these techniques from Buddhist lamas in Tibet. Many seekers in the West came to realize the center through these techniques. He called them stop exercises, but source of these exercises was Vigyana Bhairava Tantra. Buddhist and Sufis both borrowed from this book.

pg 269 That is why psychology could not be developed in India.

pg 282 Love gives you feeling of being needed. That is why in love one becomes or feels less afraid.

pg 286 So those traditions which are against sex will be against the body.

pg 287 Tantra says, if you move into meditation sex will disappear completely.

pg 308 The third eye belongs to the subtle body. With the third eye functioning, when you look at a person, you look at the soul not the body. With the third eye you begin to see auras.

pg 309 What was the reason Buddha would not initiate women?

pg 310 Tantra makes no differentiation between man and woman.

pg 311 In Tibet there were even surgical operations for the third eye. In India we have been using sandalwood powder and other things, ghee and other things, just on the third eye spot. We call this mark a TILAK.

pg 315 Remember never use your energy to dominate anyone.

pg 320 When your energy moves through the third eye, you will come to know a light without source. That is why Upanishads say God is source less light.

pg 341 Buddha focuses on the end - death. Tantra focuses on the beginning - life. And tantra is more scientific than Buddha because it is always good to begin at the begining.

pg 346 Modern physiology is known through dissection, but ancient physiology was known through meditation, not dissection.

pg 371 Tantra says do not try to control, try to understand.

pg 382 The whole thinking of Tantra is positive. That is why the term used is 'soundfullness'.

pg 409 So the Christian attitude of condemnation, of sin, or of such other religious attitudes is totally a lie to tantra, because if you condemn something you also become divided internally.

pg 413 Why GARBHABRAHA in a temple.

pg 424 Tantra says whatever you are accept it, do not create any ideals.

Read chapter 33 'The spirituality of the Tantric sex act'.  

Read chapter 34 'Cosmic orgasm through Tantra'.  

pg 499 Shankara has based his whole philosophy based on this technique.

pg 509 The role of the Guru is to give you a glimpse of the real - not a teaching but give you an awakening.

pg 523 In India we have called this world not a creation of God but a play, a game, a LEELA.

pg 571 A buddha is without moods.

To read book in PDF format.