I was reading something I wrote years ago.

“Sri Anandamayi Ma plucked elaborate rituals, whole scriptures and languages from the wisdom-laden air. All teachings of the one wisdom teacher, the Guru tattva, were hers. I know it’s insane, but I want to be like Ma.”

Ok, that was a bit over the top. But my point is this: Ma manifested, as she put it, because of our aspirations.

Other than sex, power is the most sought-after Tantrik commodity. What kind of power?

I grew up in an environment that was often at odds with my natural orientation to life. As is true for most of us, some of the useful survival skills I learned as a child became self-defeating habit patterns when I reached maturity.

April 30 is Sri MA Anandamayi’s jayanti, or birthday. When MA was alive, her devotees celebrated her birthday with lavish ritual.

A Jaya Kula reader asked how he could become a Guru. Lots of people these days want to be Gurus. Here’s how.

A reader asked about the role of bhakti and karma yoga in Trika Shaivism. According to Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, “Karma Yoga is performance of actions dwelling in union with the Divine, removing attachment, and remaining balanced ever in success and failure. Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity.” Karma Yoga is often called the “yoga of action.”

A reader of my blog asked me why I don’t write more about the “complexities of the Trika system” and about “Trika sadhana.” First, many of you will want to know: What is Trika Tantra?

For some reason, this week several readers have asked about the meanings of “Shambhavi.” Let’s talk first about spiritual names in general. Why do we have them? What are they for?

In the ancient, Vedic view, all life is food, and everything and everyone is eventually eaten. Only those who rediscover the timeless continuity that pervades existence become immortals and escape the endless round of dining, diners, and dinner.

The following exchange took place via e-mail between Sayan Banerjee, a reader of Jaya Kula, and myself. I asked for Sayan’s permission to reproduce it here as I feel it may be helpful to others.

Many Indian-affiliated practitioners, especially those in Advaita Vedanta traditions, have great affection for closed-eye expressions of ecstatic bliss. Some teachers are revered for their ability to enter such states, rightly or wrongly deemed “samadhi.”

You may never meditate, prostrate, or circumambulate. You may not know asana from ascii, or kriyas from Krispy Cremes. But if you have spent any time at all hanging around Hindu or Tantrik types, you have likely performed achamanam.

How can I start practicing Tantra? What if I don’t have a teacher? These are questions I am frequently asked. It’s easy, but I have to warn you that some people have not taken to my answer.

Tantra has a bad reputation, especially in India where it’s associated with “black” magic and general unsavoryness.

Sanskrit words generally carry multiple meanings. The word “Tantra” is no exception. Here is a handy dictionary-ette with the most important definitions of Tantra.

Tantra has enjoyed many different forms of expression in many times and places. Various streams of Tantra have been seeding Asian countries for centuries, and Tantra is now becoming a global phenomenon.