Human Meets Divine
I’ve been planning to share a passage or two from a book by Lorin Roche, The Radiance Sutras, a poetic and contemporary translation/interpretation of Vijnana Bhairava Tantra – a sacred Hindu text of tantric meditations, honoring human sensory and sensual experience as a doorway to divine connection. I’ve been touched deeply by the power and beauty of so many of the Sutras and have been puzzling about which to share with you.
Last night, I hosted a fondue dinner for a small group of dear old friends. Our meal lasted nearly 6 hours. With fondue forks in hand, we speared morsels of meat and various vegetables, cooked them in pots of boiling aromatic vegetable broth and dipped them in one of several spicy, flavorful sauces.
The leisurely pace of the fondue meal allowed us time to savor the fragrances and flavors and textures of each bite and to enjoy the laughter and lively conversation that peppered our main course, sweetened our dessert and energized the time in between. Dessert featured a warm, candle-heated, creamy, dark chocolate fondue sauce, in which we dipped strawberries and bananas - and which, as the evening ended, we spooned over Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.
Remembering last night’s delights and re-reading the Sutras today made my decision much easier. Here are Sutras 72, 73 and 74.
Sutra 72
Tasting dark chocolate,
A ripe apricot,
A luscious elixir –
Savor the expanding joy in your body.
Nature is offering herself to you.
How astonishing
To realize this world can taste so good.
When sipping some ambrosia,
Raise your glass,
Close your eyes,
Toast the Universe.
The Sun and Moon and Earth
Danced together
To bring you this delight.
Receive the nectar on your tongue
As a kiss of the divine.
Sutra 73
All around you, in every moment,
The world is offering a feast for your senses.
Songs are playing,
Tasty food is on the table,
Fragrances are in the air,
Colors fill the eyes with light.
You who long for union,
Attend this banquet with loving focus.
The outer and inner worlds
Open to each other.
Oneness of vision, oneness of heart.
Right here, in the midst of it all,
Mount that elation, ascend with it,
Become identical
With ecstatic essence
Embracing both worlds.
Sutra 74
Wherever, whenever you feel carried away,
Rejoicing in every breath,
There, there is your meditation hall.
Cherish these times of absorption –
Rocking the baby in the silence of the night,
Pouring water into a crystal glass,
Tending the logs in a crackling fire,
Sharing a meal with a circle of friends.
Embrace these pleasures and know,
“This is my true body.”
Nowhere is more holy than this.
Right here is the sacred pilgrimage.
Live in alertness for such a moment, my Beloved,
As if it were your one meeting with the Creator.
Embodied, present, here, now – human meets divine!
