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- Deities and AI
In the classical Tantrik tradition, deities are vibrations of consciousness, energy patterns of a certain flavor and with very distinct qualities. As such, there are clear guidelines as to how these images are represented - both visually (as yantras or pictures) and sonically (mantras). The nature of the collaborative process with AI bots means that I have cannot control every single detail of the image generated by AI. To me, this is part of what makes the whole process interesting and fun. However, it also means that deities are more often than not represented in a way that is not aligned with traditional guidelines. This is most apparent in faces and, importantly, eyes and hands. In traditional deity depictions, eyes are one of the most important elements as they give life to the image and transport so much of its svabhāva. Deitiy images with faulty or entirely missing eyes, if placed on your altar, could invite spirit-entities into your practice space that are simply masquerading as the deity the image approximates. Therefore, I do not recommend you use any of these images as altar images! On the other hand, I find that it is precisely the lack of face that appeals to me in so many of these images. In classical nondual tantra, the practitioner is always invited to see themselves as the deity they are contemplating. I find this is easier to do if that image has just a very vague facial expression. I leave it up to you to decide!
- The Kaula-Sūtras
~ compiled by Śitikaṇṭha, approx 1100AD (transl.: Christopher Hareesh Wallis) This concise text summarises the main teachings of the Krama lineage. Some of the verses are quite mysterious and require further explanation and contemplation to fully understand. There is a strong energy to it that goes beyond words and makes it so special to read... avicchinam ovalli-kramāyāta-marīci-saṅkramaṇam evaiko guruḥ || 1 || There is but one Guru, the unbroken transmission of the rays of awakened awareness that are received through the succession of lineage. tad-upalabdham eva tattvam eko devaḥ || 2 || There is but one deity, the Reality perceived by virtue of that [transmission]. tasyaikā sahajāhambhāva-bhūmiś cicchaktiḥ || 3 || It has only one Power of Awareness: the ‘ground’ that is the innate & natural I-sense (ahambhāva). citaḥ prathamaṃ prāṇe pariṇāmāt prāṇaḥ kuleśvaraḥ || 4 || As a result of the transformation of Consciousness into Prāṇa as its first evolute, [we can say that] Prāṇa is the Lord of the Kula (Body). tat-prapañco viśvam || 5 || Its expansion is everything [in the living world]. bhāva-svabhāvavat svataḥ svātantryaṃ kuleśituḥ || 6 || The autonomy of the Lord of the Body is innate just like the essential nature of all being(s). samādhānād vyuthānavat tu śivād viśvodayaḥ || 7 || The world arises from Śiva as if coming out of deep meditative absorption. vaṭa-dhānāvidhāraṇena viśva-vyavahāra-satattvānumānam || 8 || By breaking open the seed of the banyan tree, we can infer the essential reality of the everyday affairs of the world. paṭṭakodghāṭaṇaṃ pustakopadeśaḥ || 9 || The teaching on the Manuscript concerns the opening of the boards. tatra ṣaḍdhāturasapānamattāntaś cakreśvarī vijṛmbhate || 10 || The Goddess of the wheel(s) of powers, intoxicated by drinking/savouring the essence of the six elements [of the body], unfolds internally in that [context]. drāvakākārānukāraṃ kulam || 11 || The body is represented by the letter A, the [underlying] flux/flow. pūrṇakṛśāmadhyago bhairavaḥ || 12 || Bhairava is present in the center of the Voluptuous [/all-embracing fullness] and Emaciated [/all-devouring emptiness] [Goddesses]. kandabindusaṃghaṭṭān madhye sauradhāmodayaḥ || 13 || The arising of the luminosity of the solar in the center is due to the friction of the Bulb and the Bindu. raśmikulodayo bhavodbhavo dinam apavargo raśmiviśrāmo niśā || 14 || The arising of the totality of the rays, the genesis of worldly experience, is ‘day’. Liberation, which is the reposing in the rays, is ‘night’. ~ Śitikaṇṭha, approx 1100AD (transl.: Christopher Hareesh Wallis)


