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living the pratyabhijñāhṛdayam : a virtual study group

2022 Study group registration has ended. Next group dates TBA. Email if interested.
"Both personal and non-personal, both immanent and transcendent, both universal and particular, The Heart of Being is none other than Our Own. And it is this identity that the Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam invites us to recognize as we move toward living the text." - Joan Ruvinsky, The Recognition of Our Own Heart," p. 15-16

The 11th c. Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam, a primary text of Kashmir Shaivism, is the one I return to over and over, as it has helped me to make sense of what we all question in some way: our meaning, purpose, and longing for Truth. At only 20 verses, it is arguably the most accessible text of the tradition and it is extraordinarily relevant to our contemporary lives, particularly during this dramatic re-shifting of our world.

Ultimately, the study of a text is the study of ourselves. This will be our approach — we will “interact” with the verses, discuss how they relate to our lives, situate them in the philosophy of Self-recognition in Kashmir Shaivism and explore various practices that deepen our understanding.

We will be using the translations and commentaries of six contemporary teachers, including Joan Ruvinsky’s The Recognition of Our Own Heart.

All that is required to participate is an interest in Consciousness in its play as ourselves and a willingness to commit to an extended period of engagement with the text.

Format: Fifteen 2-hour Zoom study sessions, offered every other week, on Thursday afternoons from 1 to 3PM (eastern time).

Cost: TBA
If you would like to participate but are unable to pay the full amount,
please contact Kathleen.

registration is closed

download material

A short document of the 20 verses in Sanskrit, transliteration and interpretive translation, which can be of support when studying this sacred text.

Click on the image to download.

participant reflections

I'm so very grateful for these sessions. They been an anchor these past few months and so meaningful to bring the teachings alive in daily life, while connecting within the community. You've done a wonderful job - the depth of your offering each session has been remarkable, your love for this text and Truth radiates through you. Thank you for such an in-depth, rich, and engaging study group. I could sense your passion and devotion in each session. What a joy to be on the receiving end of your teachings. 
Stephanie Lopez
What a wonderful time! Our study group was so enriching, fostering me to open to other possibilities. Thank you for your eloquence and ability to bring the text into view, so we can see it more clearly and more easily digest the meaning. Kathleen, you are extremely gifted at what you do, in so many ways!
Patricia Carroll
It has been a joy to travel through this wonderful text again with you.  I loved the format AND community that you created.  Thank you so very much. I have looked forward to each and every PBH meeting.
Anne Douglas
Thank you, Kathleen. I loved the structure of the course, especially the interaction between you and the group, and the interactions between the group members! Consistently reviewing what we learnt at various steps of the program and asking review questions were really valuable to me as a learner. The practical exercises also really helped solidify my current understanding of the verses in the text. I also loved the pace of the seminar, starting off slower and building progressively allowed me not to be intimidated by the depth and vastness of the text. 
Melanie Brosseau
How to express my profound gratitude for the blessing of participating in the pbh exploration over the last 6 months? I am enriched beyond measure by your generous, elegant, and gentle wisdom.
Sheila Clark
Merci Kathleen! Thank you, for your presence, for your authentic self, for sharing your knowledge and for providing a safe and loving space for this journey.
Josée Marceau
A warm feeling of being welcome, connected, and always looking forward to this week's appointment. In a slightly tender way, I got a deeper understanding of the teachings.
Beate Maaß
 This class came at a tumultuous time in my life and was such a guiding light. Not only the time spent together but the permission to seriously study was joyous. I have been practicing Zen on and off for quite a few years, alongside Yoga Nidra. On and off mostly because I wasn’t sure of the teacher, and maybe I am not sure the teachings are what really floats this particular incarnation's boat. I did, however, dive in over this past year and, after studying the PBH with you and this community it feels much more like home.  With so much love and appreciation for you, for the amazing job you did leading us through this text, for your practice and devotion that has brought you so far, and to me.
Kim Lawrence
Always a fresh look at an ancient question, “Who Am I and how did it all come to be?” Thank you so much Nandi for allowing the space for us to be together as a community, a sangha, where we feel safe to share our deepest longing of coming Home to our Own Heart. 
Susheela Bouthillier
Thank you for being a warm and thoughtful guide through the PBH. The study group provided a much-needed refuge during a challenging year. I loved spending time with each of the 20 verses and letting them soak into my soul. Much gratitude.
John Scott
Having spent over two years studying this text, I still find it is a revelation each time; each line an opening to something at once profound and yet wondrously simple. It is a joy to explore this as practice in all its forms: through group discussion, reading comparative translations, somatic exercises, silent sitting and chanting. Each session is an opportunity to see through the eyes of the heart, to understand a language that is beyond words, to sit with others in the wonder.
Sonia Osorio
I have gained so much from touching it’s wisdom.  In sitting with the text I am often transported into the bliss of being and LOVE. My life feels so much more enriched since discovering the teachings. Thank you, Kathleen, for bringing them to us.
Glenda
Explorer le Pratyabhijñahrdayam m’a permit de démystifier l’étude d’un texte, c’est une pratique. Capter l’essentiel de chaque sutras aide à toutes les sphères de la vie. C’est un texte qui réconforte l’âme.
Carole Bessette
Text study sounds boring to some people, but… it really is a marvellous way of being together with friends (sangha/community) and, in the context of this text, looking at the great questions of our lives:  Who am I ?   What is it all about ?  What is this that calls to me… this yearning… ? and through the discussion, chant, practice  to live the questions.
Tina Koskelo
Studying this text with this wondrous group of people has given me a chance to reconnect with a deep language within that is not spoken to in the day-to-day consumer society I participate in. It gives me new techniques and tools with which to remind myself of this language, in turn offering my moment-to-moment experiences a vibrancy and openness I did not think possible.
Kit Malo
I had the great good fortune of attending many of Kathleen Knipp’s classes on the Pratyabhijnahrdayam over the years. The text itself is well worthy of serious study, but what attracted me over and over again was the love and tenderness with which Kathleen conveyed these teachings. The Pratyabhijnahrdayam is all about love and like any true teacher she not only spoke with authority, but more impactful still was how she embodied the teachings in her beingness.
Kathryn Harvey, PhD
There is a kind of spiritual transmission that simply flows from a person because s/he is true and generous and serious in her/his pursuit of the pearls beyond price. I was so longing to be with that kind of person and experience that kind of teaching … suddenly, to my amazement and delight, there it was right in front of me. Thank you, Kathleen.
Veronica Policaric
I want to express my loving appreciation for making this happen. Truly this sangha and knowing you have enriched my life. I look forward to continuing.
Tim Derry
My life has been blessed by the all the emanations of our beautiful gathering. And dearest Kathleen, there are no words to express my gratitude for you and all that I learn from you.
Mary Walters
I feel gratitude for Kathleen’s dedication and depth of experiential knowing of the teachings. The whole class has been a prayer.
Gabrielle Duebendorfer
I have enjoyed being a part of this group and experiencing the teachings living through and being expressed by you, Kathleen. You make them so “real.” Thank you.
Janice Sack-Ory
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