The 36 Tattvas, A Non-Dual Tantric Map of Reality
The 36 tattvas (principles, or levels of reality) are a metaphysical map of the totality of the inter-connected levels of the Supreme. It was devised by the spiritual masters of the Kashmir Shavism of northern India more than a thousand years ago. The tattvas reveal the spectrum of reality from the highest sublime consciousness to the most rudimentary earth element. They reveal how the One creates the many and how all are connected through an energetic pulse of descending and ascending energy: spirit into matter and matter into spirit. It reveals how the highest modulates its power into a contracted state so as to experience itself in the paradoxical play of Supreme Consciousness expressed as both the absolute world of pure spirit and the relative world of the physical. This map has relevance for the individual because it helps to shape an understanding that from our most earthly layer of being up through the ever-more subtle experience of the senses, mind and individual consciousness we remain connected to the divine, even in our contracted and limited form. Also, the map shows how the Supreme cloaks its absolute powers to descend into differentiated form ultimately for its own delight in the individual’s awakening into empowerment and self revelation.
The Absolute becomes the many for the purpose of experiencing itself through all the diverse levels of the relative world as we go through the gradual process of Self-discovery. This is the highest goal and purpose of life: the revelation and integration of the highest within our every-day life. Ultimately, the 36 principles of reality show us how this process of concealment and revelation is an aspect of the divine experiencing existence through our limitless diversity. The tattva chart delineates the masking of supreme will, knowledge and action into the ever-denser fields of spirit and nature so that we can refine them within our life and reveal the highest from the inside out.
We are given body, senses and mind as tools for discovery in each of our individual journeys. We were given these gifts to explore and experience the breadth of existence with as much joy as possible. Through relationship with ourselves and the world we have the opportunity to cultivate a sacred awareness that we are all equal expressions of the highest, that we are spirit undergoing the human experience. Our thoughts, desires, passions and emotions are not obstacles to spiritual awakening that should be suppressed or eliminated, but rather, are a God-given means to glorify and expand our experience of being alive. This deeper realization helps us to make peace with ourselves, our community, and ultimately with God, the Supreme Consciousness.
The Tantric teaching behind the metaphysical tattva map is that embodiment is not some sort of karmic punishment, something we need to transcend. Nor is it an illusion, a mistake of one’s perception, but rather, it is a blessing to be used for our spiritual growth. Tantric philosophy holds that through skillfully playing with the limitations of the body, senses and mind ultimate freedom can be experienced in one’s embodiment. The conscious process of our spiritual practice and the expanding awareness of the intrinsic goodness within can foster the experience of joy and freedom. In this light, having material form is an asset, not a liability. Indeed, the Tantrikas implore us to move deeper into the intimate experience of the creative energy of Shakti, or mother nature, moving in, around and through us so as to recognize it as a sublime gift of the Divine.
Our practice becomes a spiritual journey (sadhana) when we actively look for that which is life affirming and reflects the intrinsic goodness and absolute nature of the universal. We align with the divine on the matt and off by cultivating an attitude and alignment that takes us into our deepest partnership with Spirit; through mindful practice we can cultivate an awareness of the ever-more subtle layers of our being and see the presence of the Highest within all things, including ourselves. We can then celebrate that insight through our life expression; our skillful actions polish the mirror that reflects the clear presence of the Highest in all of creation. Indeed, the tattva map reveals that the reflection, the mirror, and the space in which they all reside are all interconnected aspects of the One.
