Aghoris

Convictions, morals, other societies and religions.
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Fomalhaut
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Aghoris

Post by Fomalhaut »

I only know some wikipedia and google search information about Aghoris. If anyone in here has more deeper knowledge and information about Aghoris, it would be great to read them in here :)
"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."
— C.G. Jung
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Nefastos
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Re: Aghoris

Post by Nefastos »

Maybe you should try R.E. Svoboda's book, "Aghora - At the Left Hand of God". It's not great in every respect, but it's worth a look.

In his "Gods of Love and Ecstasy - The Traditions of Shiva and Dionysus" Alain Daniélou writes the following (the notes in brackets are mine):

"The magic Aghora rites

Aghora, the 'Non-Terrible, is a name given to the destroyer-aspect of Shiva in order to appease [? or it can be taken more philosophically...] him. The Aghora rites serve mainly for black magic, and for ruining or destroying the enemy [nota bene: 'mainly' - we have a wider range of possibilities here]. They are described in the Linga Purâna for the use of court magicians, but are generally used by private individuals even today. [Then comes a description for the cursing ritual that uses hairs, nails, skull, corn (a taboo of sorts in more orthodox Hinduism), poisonous snakes, &c., taken from aforementioned Purana text.] The Aghora mantra is made up of thirty-two syllables [...which I omit here. It translates as:] 'I adore Aghora the terrible, more terrible than the terrible. I adore all the divine archers (sharva), the form of Shiva the destroyer.' In a mantra of this kind, the apparent meaning has only [?] a mnemo-technical value. Some of these syllables have a magic and secret meaning. The rhythm of elocution, which plays an essential part, can only be learned orally."

I wouldn't say "only", and I wouldn't say "some" in that last sentence, but these things are of the secondary importance. The more important is that this kind of black magic, as well as others, can be purified & used on the path of ascension.

I think that trying to understand Shiva is the greatest possible help for us Westerners to understand the real splendour of Satan.
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
Fomalhaut
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Re: Aghoris

Post by Fomalhaut »

Thank you very much for your answer, it was really useful for me.
Nefastos wrote:

The more important is that this kind of black magic, as well as others, can be purified & used on the path of ascension.

I think that trying to understand Shiva is the greatest possible help for us Westerners to understand the real splendour of Satan.
I totally agree with you about these last sentences. On the other hand, I think that the path to descension is easier way for many people. But realising such points from path of descension and using them on the path of ascension is not an easy thing to do.
"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."
— C.G. Jung
Nox
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Re: Aghoris

Post by Nox »

There is an interesting note I made a while ago when I was watching a documentary about Aghora-path from Youtube (http:// http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=W0bGrvKVxac).

The first thing young aghori-initiate is asked to do by his guru is to find a human skull and make it into a kapala; this is his first initiation. Kapala is an interesting object; as you perhaps know, it is a cup made of a top piece of a (usually) human skull. This top piece of a skull is turned upside down and used as bowl for begging, eating and as a container for all manner of things. It basicly becomes a base of all important actions in life such as eating, drinking and worship.

The top of the head is in usual, exoteric eastern symbolism known as place of Sahasrara chakra; the dwelling place of absolute God. At the beginning of path (the first initiation given by guru) this dwelling place of absolute God is turned upside down and becomes a cup - a mother like, nurturing base of life.

This little curious notion somehow opened me a lot the whole idea of what tantra, satanism and actually whole left hand path seem to be; they are paths of complete renunciation; they are the actual 'religion' of understanding God as Absolute and as a living reality.

From the mentioned book by Robert Svoboda, I found one curious part talking about the same thing:

"...when you can eat your own feces with real love for it, you have achieved a tiny bit. I don't mean perversion; I am talking about true onesness with all existence. You have produced the feces; it is a part of you; you enjoyed eating the food which produced it, and the only thing between the food and the feces is you. Why should you find it so repugnant?" Feces is just as much a part of the Atma as your body and your consciousness are; who is feeding what to whom? The Atma. When an Aghori reaches this stage, he eats whatever he finds: dead dogs, offal, slops from the gutter, his own flesh. He finds whatever he eats equivalent to the tastiest dishes, all because he does not falsely discriminate. He sees everything as One; no attraction or repulsion. When the body demands food, he eats whatever is available."

Apart from the actual acting out of this specific teaching, feces could also mean the "excrement of existence"; the impermanence, being born without any possibility to change it, karmic exintence, wordly duties for no reason, ignorance etc, etc. And although as a word "left hand path", or vamamarga, usually refers to sinister, taboo-breaking practices of those sects, in a wider approach, I believe, the left hand path could also be understood as a path of honest and complete opening to the immanence; the path in which God is understood to be the actual, living and existing reality itself. Therefore the vital thing is in realizing life itself to be full of deepest possible meaning and always attempting to act accordingly; this kind of mental attitude and approach toward life could also be understood as a breaker of one of the greatest taboos of our present time: the fact that we don't actually exist in a way we believe we do.

The reason why I wanted to have in this message both, the Sahasrara (top of head) as well as Muladhara (anus), is that in chakra-system they are the extremes of human microcosm. And the main thing in many left hand practices and tantras which I have come across, seems to be this internal similarity of those opposites and an attempt to find further applications of this similarity in order to come one with it.
Kenazis
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Re: Aghoris

Post by Kenazis »

Nefastos wrote:Maybe you should try R.E. Svoboda's book, "Aghora - At the Left Hand of God". It's not great in every respect, but it's worth a look.
Above mentioned book is part I of "Aghora trilogy". Svoboda has also part II and Part III. Part II is titled "Kundalini" and part III is "Law of Karma". Haven't read the Part III, that is some horse-racetrack stuff (don't ask more), but I warmly recommend the Part II - Kundalini.
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Jiva
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Re: Aghoris

Post by Jiva »

Like you, I have only ever read the first two of the trilogy and can recommend them both, although as I read them back-to-back it's difficult for me to distinguish the books apart to prefer one above the other.

As I guess the Aghori trilogy is going to be is most Westerners' first introduction to Aghori practices, I also recommend taking them with a pinch of salt, kind of like how people view Aleister Crowley. For example, there's a section stating that Aghoris sleep as little as possible, without explaining that this is the metaphorical sleep of self-delusion rather than literal sleep. One quickly gets the impression that Vimalananda and Svoboda are quite mischievous.

One lesson of the Aghoris that I value highly is to go against conventions, although I interpret these as personal rather than societal conventions, even though personal conventions are themselves likely to have been shaped by wider society. Drinking alcohol and smoking pot are perfectly acceptable to me and probably most other Europeans. Experimenting with stuff like Tarot, ceremonial magic etc. was something that was initially difficult for me to do as I was and still am quite empirically minded.

A good book to read for two different Indian interpretations of Aghori practices is Ron Barrett's Aghor Medicine; Pollution, Death, and Healing in Northern India. One is the stereotypical wide-eyed, constantly drunk/stoned ascetic; the other is to act as a more philanthropic personal dumping group for others' bad karma or impurities. Neither is mutually exclusive.
'Oh Krishna, restless and overpowering, this mind is overwhelmingly strong; I think we might as easily gain control over the wind as over this.'
nevermore218
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Re: Aghoris

Post by nevermore218 »

I enjoyed Svboda's books, however I realized that they probably have quite a bit of sensationalism in them. Interesting view on things, all the same.
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SanatKumara
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Re: Aghoris

Post by SanatKumara »

Jiva wrote: Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:09 pm . For example, there's a section stating that Aghoris sleep as little as possible, without explaining that this is the metaphorical sleep of self-delusion rather than literal sleep. One quickly gets the impression that Vimalananda and Svoboda are quite mischievous.



Actually, i have to partially disagree on that. I have been in very close ties with real initiated Vaishnava Aghori for years (we even had a band) and he sleeps 6hrs max. From 9pm-3am. When i was heavily into Vaishnavism and used to practice Bhakti yoga mainly. My "mentor" who was the president of the temple, stated that the awaken one needs to sleep only 6hrs. They were pretty concrete on this. I did that too, until i found out that it didnt suit me. Nowadays i do sleep 6-7hrs max, but i dont put alarm anymore. I just sleep that little and im fine with it.

That may be only with Vaishnava Aghoris, since im still learning some of their stuff. If they have these kinds of restrictions at all. Since Vaishnava Aghoris are a little known bunch of people. The stories the Aghori i know, are pretty intresting. Like almost dying in a cave, since he didnt want to use his diabetes meds and then his guru sended him back to europe.

What i found intresting, is that they share the habit of using Kapala. But what makes this intresting, is that Vaishnavism is known (atleast i have been told and what i have understood) about the almost neurotic level of cleanines. If you take a dump, you have to go to shower and if you dont you are not able to perform pujas, serve prasadm, offer anything on altar, touch anything on kitchen etc. And everything that is from dead animal or human, is considered filthy by anyone, but the Aghoris, even the Vaishnva ones.
My heart is Your home! O Mother! Dance in the Charnel ground of my heart which You created and turn me into a warrior of Yours!
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