Transgressive (antinomian) rituals and practices were designed for a particular culture at a particular time. They were meant to help practitioners break through adherence to group identities and compliance to social pressure. Repeating them in the traditional way while living in a different time and place may render them weak or even useless. They were designed for a purpose. Staying with the tradition means to protect and seek what they were seeking. Redesigning the structure and specifics of traditional practices is unavoidable.
This research line is an investigation and reactivation of the practice of avadhūta: radically embodying the meditative insights of non-duality and non-localised awareness, to become utterly free of worldly concerns and without consideration for the standard social etiquette. The end state is hypothesised to be total spontaneity and unconstrained self-expression, with neither desire for representation nor fear of social rejection. Research questions include:
- What preparatory practices facilitate the development and expression of avadhūta awareness?
- How do transgressive practices contribute to this development? What are their effective components?
- Is a collective development and expression of avadhūta awareness possible?
- What are necessary individual and collective conditions to reach this trans-individual avadhūta awareness?
This inquiry is inspired by Tantrik Shaivism (Trika, Krama and Kula lineages) and Tibetan Buddhism (Mahamudra, Dzochen).