Shri Gurudev Mahendranath (April 29, 1911–August 30, 1991) was a British occultist, mystic, writer, poet, sannyasi, tantric guru, Avadhut and founder of the spiritual organization known as the International Nath Order. April 29 is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses of this term, see occult (disambiguation). ... Mysticism from the Greek μυστικός (mustikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, μυστήρια (musteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is one... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... Sanyasa (pronounced sanyaas) symbolises the conception of the mystic life in Hinduism where a person is now integrated into the spiritual world after wholly giving up material life. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र weave denoting continuity[1]), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... Guru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Avadhut is a term from the spiritual traditions of India. ...

Biography

Born Lawrence Amos Miles in London, England on April 29, 1911, his interests in the area of spiritual investigation and the Pagan way of life began at an unusually early age. During his childhood, he had a number of unique experiences which began the course of his inner development and later led to his spiritual attainment and recognition by a vast public. Look up pagan, heathen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

As a young man, Shri Mahendranath met and exchanged ideas with the advanced thinker and mystic, Aleister Crowley. Personal experiences and the advice of Mr. Crowley suggested that he might gain valuable insight by the deeper study of meditation and the I Ching oracle with Indian and other Asian Masters. Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947; the surname is pronounced // i. ... A large statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating Meditation describes a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness. ... Alternative meaning: I Ching (monk) The I Ching (Traditional Chinese: 易經, pinyin y jīng; Cantonese IPA: jɪk6gɪŋ1; Cantonese Jyutping: jik6ging1; alternative romanizations include I Jing, Yi Ching, Yi King) is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. ...

After some years, Shri Mahendranath arrived in India in 1953. On the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima, he was given initiation (diksha) as a sannyasi into the Adinath Sampradaya by H.H. Shri Sadguru Lokanath, the Avadhut of the Himalayas. He was later given Tantric initiation by Shri Pagala Baba of Ranchi into the Uttara Kaula sect of Northern Tantrics and became his successor. The day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh of the Hindu calendar is traditionally celebrated as Guru Purnima by Hindus. ... In Hinduism, diksha is the ritual of initiation into the worship of some deity by a guru (diksha guru) who bestows mantra(s) and takes the karma of the initiate - at least in case of Vaishnava diksha, as per Hari Bhakti Vilasa 1. ... Sanyasa (pronounced sanyaas) symbolises the conception of the mystic life in Hinduism where a person is now integrated into the spiritual world after wholly giving up material life. ... The Sanskrit term Adi Nath means first or original Lord, and is therefore a synonym for Shiva, Mahadeva, or Maheshvara, and beyond these mental concepts, the Supreme Reality as the originator of all things. ... Avadhut is a term from the spiritual traditions of India. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र weave denoting continuity[1]), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... , For the ship, see SS Ranchi. ...

During his life as a sannyasi, Shri Mahendranath traveled to Ceylon, Thailand, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Australia. He also received initiations as a Bhutanese Lama, Meditation Master in Soto Zen, as well as into Taoism and both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism. Sanyasa (pronounced sanyaas) symbolises the conception of the mystic life in Hinduism where a person is now integrated into the spiritual world after wholly giving up material life. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the vegetable, see Celosia. ... Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom—particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen—in the attainment of awakening. ... Taoism (Daoism) is the English name referring to a variety of related Chinese philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. ... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ... Theravada (Pāli: theravāda; Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद sthaviravāda; literally, the Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand). ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...

Shri Gurudev Mahendranath died on August 30, 1991. His last residence was his hermitage—Shambhala Tapowan—near the Vatrak river, in the state of Gujarat, India. It was his stated belief that he was the last guru of both the Adinath sub-sect of the broader Nath Sampradaya and the Uttara Kaula tantric sub-sect into which he had been initiated; both of these sub-sects became defunct with his passing. Kalachakra [1] thangka from Sera Monastery (private collection). ... Guru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Sanskrit word Nath is the proper name of an initiatory siddha tradition and literally means Lord, Protector, a Refuge. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र weave denoting continuity[1]), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ...

International Nath Order

In 1978, Shri Gurudev Mahendranath founded an organization now known as the International Nath Order (originally the Western Nath Order) in order to share his own spiritual development with other sincere people in the West. As a sadhu, bhikkhu, and sannyasin, Shri Mahendranath received many initiations during his years of travel in India and Asia. Among these traditions, Shri Gurudev's greatest personal interests have been with the Adinath and Uttara Kaula sects. It was Shri Mahendranath's stated belief that he was the final Guru and Sannyasi member of both these sects. In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga (yogi) who has given up pursuit of the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth and power) and even dharma (duty). ... A Buddhist Monk in Sri Lanka In Pāli, a bhikkhu (male) or bhikkhuni (female) is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. ... Sanyasa (pronounced sanyaas) symbolises the conception of the mystic life in Hinduism where a person is now integrated into the spiritual world after wholly giving up material life. ... ...

As Guru of these ancient sects, Shri Mahendranath resolved not to pass on the Indian Sannyasi initiation into these sects. He made no new Indian sadhus. This decision was made in response to changes in Indian socio-religious patterns and the difficulty experienced by sadhus of tantric traditions to be welcomed and supported outside of areas where they were well known and loved. The spiritual pattern of sadhu or sannyasi life and its support by a broad public is foreign to the social structures of the West and most other countries of the world. Guru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga (yogi) who has given up pursuit of the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth and power) and even dharma (duty). ... Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र weave denoting continuity[1]), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ...

To meet this situation and to give occult spiritual pursuits greater expression in Western lands, Shri Gurudev put into motion the formation of the International Nath Order. The Guru tradition and initiation which he has passed on includes not only wisdom teachings from Indian, Bhutanese, and Soto Zen sources, but also includes gems of Taoism, and such wisdom as is rediscovered by the science and yoga of meditation and contemplation. In Hinduism, diksha is the ritual of initiation into the worship of some deity by a guru (diksha guru) who bestows mantra(s) and takes the karma of the initiate - at least in case of Vaishnava diksha, as per Hari Bhakti Vilasa 1. ...

A Nath or Devi of the International Nath Order is not bound by the rules of Asian sadhus, and may work for gainful employment, marry, and live the normal way of Western patterns. The International Nath Order is for people who want, and will work for: The Sanskrit word Nātha (Hindi Nath) is the proper name of a siddha sampradaya (initiatory tradition) and the word itself literally means lord, protector, refuge. The related Sanskrit term Adi Natha means first or original Lord, and is therefore a synonym for Shiva, Mahadeva, or Maheshvara, and beyond these... For other uses see Devi (disambiguation). ... In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga (yogi) who has given up pursuit of the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth and power) and even dharma (duty). ...

1. Spiritual Development toward Awakening.
2. The development of Occult attainment (Siddhi).
3. A new, better, and more enlightened Social Order based on the Pagan past.

Before his death, Shri Gurudev Mahendranath appointed Shri Kapilnath as his successor as head of the International Nath Order,^[1] giving him the title Gurunath.^[2] Look up awakening in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Siddhi (Sanskrit:; ) is a Sanskrit word that literally means accomplishment, attainment, or success.[1] It is also used as a term for spiritual power (or psychic ability). ... Gurunath, a term used in the Hindu tradition for last several centuries as a shortened from of Guru Gorakhanath, and the term finds wide reference in the tradition of the Naths. ...

Writings

Shri Gurudev Mahendranath wrote numerous articles and essays on tantra and the spiritual life, including the Twilight Yoga Trilogy, the Levogyrate Tantra, and The Londinium Temple Strain, subsequently collected under the title The Scrolls of Mahendranath in 1990. These works present the essentials of spiritual life and the tantric path in a humorous, non-dogmatic and non-sectarian manner. In 2002, an expanded online version of The Scrolls of Mahendrath & Other Writings was published at by the International Nath Order. This online version contains Gurudev's poetry and earlier essays which were not included in the original print edition. Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र weave denoting continuity[1]), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र weave denoting continuity[1]), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Notes

1. ^ Mahendranath (1990), The Ultimate Promulgation & Pronunciamento of H.H. Shri Gurudev Mahendranath
2. ^ Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. Personal correspondence, 1987–1989

References

• Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev (1990). The Scrolls of Mahendranath. Seattle: International Nath Order.

External links

• The Scrolls of Mahendranath
• The International Nath Order
• Letters from Dadaji in The Open Door