The Best Tāntrik Philosophy | & How Pūjā Works

After our second day of talks at the Atlanta retreat, I was feeling particularly charged and inspired and so I insisted on hosting the Monday night zoom satsangh and this is the discussion we happened to have! In this talk, I first sketch out some foundational metaphysical principles of pūjā, Tāntrik ritual worship which is at the heart of the tradition.

Then, I compare various schools of thought within the wider tradition to make a case, like Abhinava Gupta and Ramakrishna, that the broadest, most capacious and most inclusive philosophy is the "best" because it afford the fullest & deepest realization! As such, I argue why our somewhat Śrī Vidyā coded reading of Kālī, which is unique to our lineage, is just such a philosophy!

Giving this talk in the Swami's room at the Vedanta Center, where my Guru and many great spiritual beings stayed I think lent the discussion a special fire. This was to me, one of our finest and most inspired discussions yet! If any good comes of this talk, it is by the grace of the Guru alone! May it be an offering!

You can watch all the videos from the retreat here.