- Sri = Divine Energy as Feminine
- Vidya = Feminine Chants
- Tantra = Methods for Oneness with Divine
Sri Vidya Tantra is a systematic set of chants with the transformative power to lead you to spiritual awakening (mindfulness) and unite you with the Divine Energy worshipped as the Feminine—Sri, also known as Devi or Sri Devi.
This vast spiritual system has many different lineages, infinite chants, and disciplines. However, all of that is for the intellectual enthusiasts to explore. What I write in this series is sufficient for those focused on the final goal of oneness with Sri Devi.
I have divided this intro into nine steps to make learning easier. Before we get there, let’s discuss the similarities between Sri Vidya and Zen and the role of a guru in this system.
Sri Vidya and Zen
Interestingly, the first sections of Sri Vidya and Zen are almost identical. Both include caring for your body and emotional well-being by cultivating healthy habits.
Sri Vidya practices Karma Yoga as part of its habits, and Zen talks about self-improvement. What Karma Yoga and self-improvement accomplish are rather similar. Then, the focus moves to building mindfulness, which leads to a state of mind called spiritual awakening.
After this, Zen practices pure concentrative meditation alongside chanting just Om or Om Mani Padme Hung, which leads you to Nirvana or final emancipation. If you don’t want a guru, Zen is the best path for you, but be prepared for hours, months, and years of meditation.
The Guru in Sri Vidya
Unlike Zen, Sri Vidya blends meditation with devotion and complex mantras. This drastically reduces meditation time because mantras can be practiced throughout your daily routine.
Further, this system needs initiation from a guru, who takes on your Karma as part of this process, which helps them cleanse you. Then, they transfer some of their spiritual merits to you through mantras, which already carry a lot of energy, making your progress faster.
Hence, gurus play a crucial part in Sri Vidya. Because of their selfless sacrifices, your spiritual journey to liberation is shortened—one or two lifetimes instead of tens of thousands! If your guru is liberated and you dare to drop your ego, you can achieve it in this lifetime.
As Sage Agastya, a revered Sri Vidya saint, says in his Sri Chakra Raja song, the feet of such a sage (guru) belong on our heads. That’s the respect a guru deserves for what they do for us.
Honoring My Guru
Anyone who transfers Sri Vidya to you becomes your guru. When my beloved Om Swami shared Sri Vidya with me, he automatically became my guru. I am deeply grateful to him for taking me miles ahead with this wisdom.
I have reached the final stage of Sri Vidya, where I experienced Sri Devi sitting in my Sahasrara. This means that I cannot bow down to anyone. Yet, making an exception, I place my guru’s feet on my head as I venture to share this series that Sri Devi writes through me.
Sri Gurubhoya Namaha. Sri Matre Namaha.
Love,
Sri Devi Om
Image: Me at a retreat in Rishikesh with Om Swami – my friend, mentor, and now guru.
