Teacher's book review: The Radiance Sutras

Anyone who knows me well knows that I call this little red book “the bible”.  Part philosophical transcript, part meditation guide, part juicy poetic indulgence, The Radiance Sutras is a life-changing piece of literature. My love affair with this book started eleven years ago when the original draft found it’s way into Shiva Rea’s teaching training manual. The words struck a chord, and the poetry was as transformational as the training I was undertaking. I am blessed to have been trained and mentored by author Lorin Roche and his gorgeous wife Camille over the last seven years. 

The Radiance Sutras is a modern-day poetic interpretation of an ancient tantric text, The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, which is essentially a guide to 112 tantric meditation practices.  Lorin Roche is a long-time meditator with some 40-plus years of practicing and teaching meditation, a Sanskrit scholar, prolific author and great lover of the pranashakti, the  life force that flows through us all.  

What I love about this book is that it’s not only inspirational, but also highly practical.  There are beautiful sutras that you can read in your yoga classes to inspire your students. There are techniques that can help you dive deeper into meditation.  There are passages that remind you to celebrate life as a human being in a magical world.  There are mini-essays that help to embody ancient wisdom and gain clarity into the mysteries of life.  I invite you to explore these teachings for yourself, and allow them to become a part of your living library of inspiration!

Adorable One,

Sit or lie down, completely immobile,

Beholding the cloudless sky — 

Or if there are clouds, the sky beyond.

 

As vastness envelops you, 

The body vanishes,

Thoughts forget to come.

In this moment, 

You are the nature of the great sky.

~ Radiance Sutra 61

 

Find out more about The Radiance Sutras and about author Lorin Roche PhD