The Śhiva-sūtra is a tantric text of 77 teachings: mysterious and powerful terse phrases that point us beyond the mind and deep into our own conscious experience. These teachings were revealed by the awakened ones of the Śaiva tradition, the siddhas, and yoginīs who lived in the mountains on the east side of the Valley of Kashmīr in the ninth century.

The Śiva-sūtras were gathered and compiled by a great master named Vasugupta, who, the tradition says, was one “whose heart had been purified by the spiritual transmissions that he had received from numerous Śaiva Yoginīs and Siddhas.” It was these awakened ones who taught Vasugupta the secret of the principle of Pulsation (spanda-tattva), that is, the innate dynamism of consciousness that manifests the divine play of conscious experience. The tradition says, “the outflow of the nectar of the principle of Pulsation—that is the hidden essence of all the esoteric teachings—was transmitted to the Guru Vasugupta from the mouths of the Siddhas, the accomplished ones.”

In this day and age people seek teachings that are easily understood. But such teachings can only be superficial. Are you curious to explore the depths of consciousness through these transmissions, crafted in a far distant time and place yet pointing to that which is universal in human experience and fundamental to the nature of reality?

These teachings are not self-help platitudes but pulsations of pure awakened awareness. They are for those who want a radically transformed experience of life itself.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “these teachings sound interesting, but are they practical? Will they connect to my life?” In which case we would respond: they connect to Life itself, and so, if you’re a living being, they will connect to your life, if you are open enough to embark on this journey. And what could be more practical than a teaching that liberates you from your fears and worries, and gives you access to the source of all joy and freedom? Would that not impact your daily life?

This sublime nectar has been transmitted through the centuries and now it is available to you. This revelatory text was carefully guarded, copied and recopied by hand for 1100 years until it reached the modern world, so precious are its teachings. They cannot be summarized easily, for each of the 77 sentences of this scripture can be contemplated for weeks or months on end and still reveal more wisdom. Here are four of the sūtras as examples:

• The stages of yoga are wondrous.

• All that is perceptible is the Body.

• Through contemplation of the Pure Principle, Energy comes to rest in her own abode.

• When the energies unite, the Body arises.

Such aphorisms were never meant to be understood on their own; they were designed to require the explanation of a qualified teacher. For the tradition of classical Tantra is and always was primarily oral in nature. The transmission from teacher to student through living language the student can understand is sacred; it is the heart of the Tantric tradition.

When these sutras are expounded by a scholar-practitioner who has devoted his life to these traditional teachings, they come alive and then enliven every aspect of your lived experience.