VBT is a specified book for teachers as a practical training guide rather than a theoretical exposition.
Rhetorically it is said that if a person is given freedom in a medical store to find out which medicine is the cure the person may go on experimenting with various medicines until one finds out what kills him.
Historical background of the VBT book and other publications.
The original Sanskrit textbook VIGYAN BHAIRAVA was published in 1918 as volume 8 in the Kashmir series of texts and studies authenticated by revered master sw. Lakshmanjoo.
HERE WE ARE USING THE AUTHENTICATED CLASSIC BOOK AS A TRAINING GUIDE VIGYAN BHIARAVA- THE MANUAL FOR SELF-REALISATION REVEALED BY SW. LAKSHMANJOO.
Dedicated to sw. lakshmanjoo with profound respect books in English might be helpful to teachers are:
Zen flesh, zen bones by Paul Reps was published in 1959.
Vigyan Bairava or divine consciousness by Jaidev Singh in 1979.
Vigyan Bhairava- The practice of centring in 2002.
Why this book is universally accepted?
The VBT does not propose rituals (karmakanda) and beliefs rather it mocks over. You may belong and be attached to any religion, caste, creed, and nation the book guides you beyond that. It is a VBT technical exposition to experience the ultimate reality. These techniques are the means through that one can have self-realisation. So, this book is universally accepted. Philosophically VBT is put under monistic philosophy.
As common sense, everyone is a doctor and starts one own medication first, when complication grows one rushes to the doctor.
SOME OF THE GROSS TECHNIQUES WE ARE USING HERE FOR THERAPEUTIC USES IN COMMON PSYCHOSOMATIC ISSUES AS WELL SOME UNCOMMON AND UNRESOLVED ISSUES IN MEDICAL SCIENCE.
The categories of meditation techniques.
One way to categorise meditation techniques is active meditation techniques and passive meditation techniques. Active meditation techniques involve the use of motor organs and sense organs. Passive meditation techniques do not involve motor organs and the practitioner waits until sense organ function minimises by itself.
In Kashmir Shaivism the meditation techniques are categorised into four sets of techniques. Hence VBT is a classic text in Shaivism and it describes in the book three sets of techniques.
- SAMBHAV UPAYA (Upaya meaning is meant to accomplish a task undertaken/a prop, a tool. A technique, a trick which is essential to reach the goal.)
The highest is called Sambhav Upaya. Here higher and lower or superior and inferior techniques are part of talking language. The result and final fruit of all three sets of technique are the same.
You may correlate Sambhav upaya with practising Mahamudra in buddhism . You can meditate directly without any support. Here support means holding on to intelligence, ego, mind, sense organs or motor organs.
Beyond sambhava is anupaya like everything is meant for meditation or nothing is necessary for meditation. Anupaya is not something which can be technically improvised. The Anupaya is not our part of the study here. - SAKTA UPAYA
In sakta upaya support is taken with intelligence, ego, and mind system. The techniques can be elaborated and improvised to practice. - ANAV UPAYA
Anav uspayas are based on the perception of sense organs and motor organs.
Here we will work over an upaya which is more concrete and can be analysed discussed and improvised for the people to practice.
We will discuss nearly 17 techniques. And learn to improvise for different students.
Eastern and western psychological perspectives in understanding the student:
And with each technique, we can diagnose the student with an eastern psychological perspective combined with yoga and ayurveda.
Sense organs’ response capacity can be measured. It means each person makes a picture of the world around them and responds to it. Creating the idea about the self who am I the western psychological approach will be to measure and diagnose how the person’s sense organs are functioning as well reporting to the mind. And perception is built.
Satisfaction pain and pleasure in life is depending on your sense of perception. And this perception can be measured through the response capacity of the sense organs.
How the sense organs are interacting. Like you make the idea about yourself and the world while you are living your life.
Like while you are looking at me you are perceiving how I am dressed up, how I am looking so this is your perception. How is my sound? How is the smell? So, all the sense organs are reporting but you may not be aware of using all the reports to determine who I m and who are you.
You may be very much an expert in listening to my tone accent grammar voice you are creating an idea about me and who am I. you are creating a picture. You may use smell. And just by smelling you may decide to come closer to another person. The person is a friend or enemy.
I should come closer or run away. Sensitivity can be measured. Western psychology is more concrete.
The techniques can be categorised using these methods.
Ayurveda can correlate to Vikriti.