The Vijñāna BhairavaTantra is a key Tantra text of the Trika school of Pratyabhijna/Kashmir Shaivism in Sanskrit language. Cast as a discourse between the god Bhairava and his consort Bhairavi, it briefly presents 112 Tantric meditation methods or centering techniques. These include several variants of breath awareness, concentration on various centers in the body, non-dual awareness, Mantra chanting, imagination and visualization and contemplation through each of the senses. A prerequisite to success in any of the 112 practices is a clear understanding of which method is most suitable to the practitioner.
The text
The text is a chapter from the Rudrayamala Tantra, a Bhairava Agama. Bhairavi, the goddess, asks Bhairava to reveal the essence of the way to realization of the highest reality. In his answer Bhairava describes 112 ways to enter into the universal and transcendental state of consciousness. References to it appear throughout the literature of Kashmir Shaivism, indicating that it was considered to be an important text in the monistic school of Kashmir Shaiva philosophy. Trika and Kashmiri Shaiva tradition names the Absolute Reality as Bhairava. Combination of three syllables bha + ra + va form the word ‘’Bhairava”. Each of these three alphabets means three different acts of God. ‘bha’ means sustenance of the universe, ‘ra’ means dissolution of the universe and ‘va’ means manifestation of the universe. Vijnana Bhairava Tantra is the knowledge about the highest state of consciousness. It describes methods to merge the human consciousness with the divine consciousness or the individual consciousness with cosmic consciousness.
The text appeared in 1918 in the Kashmir Series of Text and Studies. The Kashmir Series published two volumes, one with a commentary in Sanskrit by Kshemaraja and Shivopadhyaya and the other with a commentary, called Kaumadi, by Ananda Bhatta. In 1957, Paul Reps brought the text to wide attention by including an English translation in his popular bookZen Flesh, Zen Bones. Reps' translation was the subject of a voluminous commentary by Osho. Several other translations and commentaries have since become available:
Sri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra: The Ascent, by Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati
The Manual for Self Realization: 112 Meditations of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, by Swami Lakshmanjoo, edited by John Hughes
Vijnana Bhairava: The Practice of Centring Awareness, by Bettina Baumer & Sarla Kumar, commentary by Swami Lakshmanjoo
Vijnanabhairava or Divine Consciousness: A Treasury of 112 Types of Yoga Sanskrit Text with English Translation, Expository Note, Introduction and Glossary of Technical Terms by Jaideva Singh
Tantra Yoga: Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, by Daniel Odier
112 Meditations for Self Realization: Vigyan Bhairava Tantra by Ranjit Chaudhri
So You Wanna Meditate: A Concise Guidebook With Commentary on the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Swami Anantananda Giri
Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder and Delight by Lorin Roche
Vijnanabhairava or Techniques for Entering Liminal Consciousness by Dmitri Semenov
The Book of Secrets: 112 Meditations to Discover the Mystery Within by Osho
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, by Mike Magee, a commentary on Jaideva Singh's translation
Handbook of Consciousness: Vijnana Bhairava Meditations by Jnani Christian Karl
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, Insight into reality by Swami Nischalananda
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Paramhansa Nithyananda
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Satya Narayanan Sarma Rupengunta
