We aspire to Self-realize. Ma shows us where we are going. Precisely because she is human, she demonstrates that realization is within human reach.

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. 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.