A New Direction

Risi and Anuttarabhavana

A New Direction
by Dharmanidhi Sarasvati

It has been 12 years since my teacher asked me to teach and begin a new householder aspect of our tradition as an autonomous school. And during those years I’ve worked to put together a systematic body of knowledge and teaching that would be comprehensive and inclusive of all students regardless of aptitude, capacity and experience.

The system, and my way of presenting it, has been anything but static. The model I was given was that of a monastic training institution deeply informed by Indian cultural and religious values as well as more superfluous aspects of the culture and modernity. It was obvious to both my teacher and me that this non-sequential monastic approach to Tantrik Yoga would never work in the west, nor would it actually suit the householders I was intending to teach.

So I worked on a method of progressing through the teachings and practices, structuring the system into 6 levels of initiation. My teacher added a 7^th level, gave the school its name “Wisdom-Fire Family of Practitioners” (in Sanskrit – Jnanagni Kula), and told me to begin teaching in San Francisco (at that time I was then a 10 year resident and citizen of Australia).

There was much to learn about teaching classical Tantrik Yoga and meditation to the west. Students’ mindsets were different than in India, even different from New York to California. It became clear after a year or two that no one would ever progress through the 7^th level. Not because the students weren’t as deep or sincere as their Indian counterparts, but simply because their religious, cultural, and educational training made them unable to benefit from the classical system of teaching and initiation we had devised.

This realization was powerful and caused me to research and study even more deeply to understand better how to make this profound system (that has crossed many cultural and religious boundaries since it’s inception) accessible to modern people of both west and east.

Many times during the last 12 years I mistakenly thought that I’d finally arrived at the proper way to: 1) preserve the authentic essence of Tantra while, 2) accommodating the very different and real needs of the modern western student, only to discover some limitation or flaw and have to go back to the work of re-structuring the teaching system and the student body.

As many of you know, 12 years is an astrological cycle of completion and I am pleased to announce that these years were not in vain – they were merely in development. 7 years ago my senior teacher made the prediction that I, and therefore the school, would struggle for 7 years through many obstacles and difficulties, and then it would become smoother and easier to present this Dharma, and that the school would flourish.

I’m glad to say that I sincerely believe that the development of our Thailand retreat and learning center (Kailash Akhara) and the new re-structuring of the school that has come together this year (presented below) is the fruition of that prediction, and heralds the real birth of our school.

To all of the students who have supported the school through these years of change you have my heart-felt gratitude. I know that it hasn’t been easy for those of you who dislike change. I’m sure that when you take the time to learn the new school structure you’ll agree that these changes are for the best and will give the most people access to the teachings while preserving the tradition’s integrity, wholeness, and profundity for generations to come.

What follows is a short description. I will be meeting with the student body in person this year in Thailand, Berkeley and Brazil to answer any remaining questions, so please don’t email Kiranamayi and I with questions.

If you find that you have burning questions about the new structure, please ask your local kula administration group first and if they cannot answer to your satisfaction hold tight as it is only a matter of weeks until I arrive in the U.S.A. and Brazil. If students who live far from a Jnanagni kula center have questions after reading this article, please email Kiranamayi at kiranamayi108@yahoo.com.

Again, I’m confident that you’ll see just how good this new structure is and how it immensely simplifies things for us all.

The New Structure

The major change is that the school will now offer two ways of studying, two ways of engaging with the tradition.

The first track of study, called “Parishioner-Student,” is for your own education in Tantrik Yoga as a philosophy and practice. You study and practice to satisfy your own intellectual and spiritual needs without taking a working role in the school itself. No name change or initiation is involved in this first track and there are no obligations to the school or the teacher.

The second track is a type of vocational training, which we will call “Vocational-Student”. In this track of study the student is preparing to become an acarya (senior instructor and lineage representative), or a permanent resident of a Jnanagni Kula retreat center, or a hermit residing in a Jnanagni Kula
hermitage. In this track the progressive system of initiations is used to impress upon the student their ever-greater commitment to the preservation and transmission of the teachings. Because these students will be lineage representatives they will be given a practice name and the Sarasvati surname. In the Vocational-Student track, the student is in training to be of service to the Parishioner-Students and the Dharma Itself.

At summer TYSG retreat in Thailand I unveiled a 7-level re-structuring of the kula. This structure has been re-worked and is now only utilized in the vocational-student track of study.

Looking at a historical time-line will help to clarify as well. When Swami Sivananda wanted the teachings to expand in post-British empire India he initiated foreigners as well as women (even foreign women, e.g. Swami Radha of Canada) into the monastic aspect of the yoga tradition called sanyas. These people became celibate nuns and monks. At that time there was no other way to be involved in the tradition.

Then Swami Satyananda wished to further extend the spiritual and health benefits of the tradition to an even wider circle. To do so he created “karma sanyas”. Karma sanyasins were initiates in the Sarasvati order of monasticism who were allowed to be in public life, even being a householder with family, but they were to maintain an inner austerity reflected in an outer austerity (without denying their family obligations) and they maintained the monastic dress code of burnt-orange robes and shaven head. They were also obliged to spend a week or more per year in the ashram.

Jnanagni Kula was the next logical step in bringing this tradition to the general public. Our school was to be an autonomous layperson branch of the tradition. Jnanagni Kula was to re-establish the most ancient form of spiritual training before the invention of monasteries and celibate orders. Our school was to reflect the tradition of the Rishis and Tantrik Mahasiddhas who were extraordinary spiritual adepts while being householders or hermits. They were often male and female practitioner couples (reciprocal consorts), e.g. Vasistha and Arundhati, who had children who also attained great heights of spiritual accomplishment.

The reason that everyone who went to the ashram got initiated, received a new name with the Sarasvati last name, and wore specific color robes etc., was that they were in training to be servants of the ashram and the teacher. They were being trained as integral parts of the school, as lineage representatives.

In modern times the majority of people going to my teacher’s ashrams for initiation do not actually want to become teachers, nuns or monks. They actually desire to learn spiritual practice and to be involved in a spiritual community.

I have found over these 12 years that it is confusing to initiate everyone who comes for meditation instructions or yoga class, etc. It creates a situation where people think that to receive the deepest teachings they have to be initiated into progressively higher levels. They also mistakenly surmise that to progress to deeper levels of spiritual attainment they must become involved in the school administration. I want to correct that misperception with this new school structure.

I want the students of the school to understand that they don’t need to be initiated and change their name in order to receive the deepest and best instruction in Tantrik practice and philosophy. The courses and classes are open to all people.

The student who is not seeking Tantrik vocational training to become a part of the school’s teaching staff, or to become a permanent resident of a center or hermitage should think of themselves as a parishioner-student. That is, they are part of a large body of practitioners of the tradition who attend school functions.

Implementing The New Structure

This means that if you have already been initiated as a Visesasamaya diksite and you do not want to enter the 7 level system of training to:

1. become an acarya
2. become a hermit, or
3. reside permanently at a retreat center serving the school,

you should no longer use the Sarasvati last name. The Sanskrit practice names and the Sarasvati surname will be used now to designate only those students undergoing vocational training.

If you have already gone to the trouble of legally performing a name-change then please feel free to keep your initiated name as your legal name. I’m not asking those people to go through the hassle of reversing that legal process. Also, if you use your sanskrit first name within work and social circles and wish to maintain that continuity, please feel free to keep using that name if you so desire.

Those previously initiated students not going the vocational-student route with initiations should remember that this change is merely external.

No longer using the Sarasvati lineage name does not say anything about your inner commitment to your path, the teachings, the school, nor does it reflect on your relationship with the teacher, nor on your level of spiritual attainment.

This last point is very important. Many students feel that unless they are initiated at higher levels they won’t receive as strong a spiritual benefit from the teacher’s instructions. This is false. Whether a person is a parishioner-student or 7^th level lineage representative initiate has zero to do with their ability to connect to the lineage and the teachings.

It is up to each of us, regardless of outer trappings, to have our own experience. Whether it is spiritually deep or shallow is wholly up to our purity, motive, and diligence in practice, not whether we have a Sanskrit name or not, and not even whether we have ever spoken to the teacher one-on-one.

In my own case I was deeply devoted to Swami Satyananda and performed intense guru-yoga for 7 years, BEFORE I EVER MET HIM IN PERSON. Not knowing him on a personal level did not prevent me from receiving some spiritual awakenings and attainments. This is because our spiritual development comes from within us – not from outside. It comes from our inner purity of heart and dedication – not from how close we think we are to their body.

Choosing Parishioner or Vocational Expression

The question may now arise as to which of the 2 tracks of study is appropriate for you.

This should not be difficult since most of those who want to be acaryas, hermits, or permanent residents at a Jnanagni Kula retreat center have already made their decision known to me.  But to be very clear, and so that we can begin to keep accurate records I am requesting that anyone in the kula who wants to be a hermit, a permanent retreat resident, or an acarya write a letter of application, including your birth data; date, time and place, and send a hard copy to:

595/147 Sukhumvit Soi 77, OnNut
Lumpini Tower, Bldg. E, #915
Suan Luang,  Suan Luang
Bangkok, Thailand 10250

and an email copy to:
kiranamayi108@yahoo.com

Once we receive and accept your application you’ll be sent a detailed description of the curriculum requirements etc. and after assessing the materials you can make a final decision and notify us of your intention.

If anyone who is new (or old) to the school develops the desire to train in the vocational track in the future you may apply at that time. This is not a one-time only admission. But please remember to consider your choice deeply before requesting the vocational track. You can see some basic requirements below in the simplified description of the vocational-student curriculum.

Adi-Yoga Teachers

Anyone interested in teaching Adi-Yoga Introductory and levels I and II courses and classes, need not apply for the vocational track. To be certified as an Adi-Yoga teacher at level III and above will necessitate the vocational track of study completed at a Jnanagni Kula residential retreat center.

The new school structure is very similar to what Chogyam Trungpa and Nomkhai Norbu came up with when they started teaching in the west. All students have equal access to the teachings and there is a specific track for those students who will become teachers. What our school teaches and the way we teach is very similar to these 2 schools. Both are lay practitioner schools preserving and transmitting Tantra in the west. We are in good company.

The Pandita Program

For parishioner-students who want a deeper education in Tantra I’m working on creating a 5 – 7 year Tantrik Pandita Program. This program will be an intensive education in Tantra at Jnanagni Kula residential retreat and learning centers like the Thailand center – Kailash Akhara.

The program is inspired by the ancient degree of “Pandita” that was given after many rigorous years of study in a residential temple of learning. The Tibetan Tantrikas of the Buddhist and Bon sects still offer the 7 year “Geshe” and “Khenpo” degrees which are the equivalents of the old world Pandita degree.

The Pandita degree program will give parishioner-students the opportunity to study and practice for 5 – 7 years as a resident of a retreat and learning center, moving through progressive, sequential stages of study without taking any initiations or commitments. Though practices are taught as part of the study, the student decides if they will do the practices and how much of them they will do.

I am currently looking for teachers for the departments of Ayurveda, Jyotisha (astrology), Puja, Sanskrit, and Philosophy. Once these teachers are in place the first class admission will be announced. I estimate taking the first students in 2010 or 2011.

This program is mostly geared to parishioner-students but is also open to the students of the vocational track (a sort of double-major).

Below is the basic outline of the 7 levels of the vocational track.

I: Parishioner

All vocational-students start out as parishioners. A parishioner is a friend of the school who participates in community ceremonies and teachings as they wish. No financial obligation, no mandatory karma-yoga.

General Principle:

One need not “climb the ladder” of commitment to gain access to the “real” or “effective” teachings and practices of Tantra. What one learns as a parishioner will assuredly bring self-realization if practiced sincerely. One need not do more. One should continue onwards to different levels of commitment in Jnanagni Kula because of genuine desire to be of service to the teachings/the Dharma itself. No essential missing secrets exist that could be revealed at later levels.

Overview:

1. Cultivate health as entry point to Tantrik practice – as the way of showing up.
2. Psychological Wholeness. Developing a clear sense of self within a fully integrated personality that is able to discern between what is and what is not appropriate for you and your path. Healing patterns of addiction, seeking approval from others, and any tendency to “follow the crowd” without proper self-reflection on one’s needs and boundaries. Gaining psychological wholeness may be best facilitated by working with a qualified therapist. The importance of psychological wholeness cannot be overemphasized. Tantra is a path that requires the student to be completely self-possessed, otherwise the ego-dissolution that is purposefully invoked at more advanced stages of Tantrik practices may cause the student with a dis-integrated personality to become mentally unstable.
3. Experiment with Foundational Tantrik practices by learning basic Adi-Yoga, prostrations, basic Ayurveda for daily routine and the basic purification mantras: Mahamrityunjaya and Gayatri.
4. Familiarize yourself with the basic view teachings of non-dual Tantra.
5. Wear a white dhoti to pujas and teachings.

To enter the next level of commitment one must spend a minimum of 2 years at parishioner level studying and completing pre-requisite courses, prostrations and mantra repetitions.

Course Requirements:

• Adi-Yoga Intro
• Ayurveda Dinacarya course
• Tantra Loka I

II: Samaya

Samaya is the first step in formalizing the student’s relationship to the Tantrik path in general and Jnanagni Kula in specific. The student studies at the Samaya level for a minimum of 3 years before applying for the Visesasamaya level if it is their desire to do so. Samaya level is a foundational level of study wherein the student lays down a solid basic understanding of Tantrik view teachings and practices.

Overview:

1. Study: View teachings, texts, history of Tantra and our lineage/our Vidya.
2. Mandatory kula seva – karma yoga: 4 hrs/month administered by local kula, or if living in a remote area – volunteering locally or internet help.
3. Complete 100,000 prostrations and 100,000 rounds of Gayatri or Mahamrtyunjaya mantra.
4. Demonstrate:
   1. Total Responsibility for one’s situation: past, present, future.
   2. Total Acceptance of others ways and beliefs as long as they do not directly threaten your life or your families life.
   3. Respect – for self (health, vajra pride/dignity) and others.
   4. Resourcefulness – able to meet your needs and offer generosity to others.
   5. Gratitude for this precious human birth, your parents, the dharma, the kula, your teacher and the lineage masters.
5. Daily study of the 21 Precepts: trying one’s best to live the precepts and to study them deeply, not expecting perfection of the precepts yet – but by the end of 3+ years at Samaya one should be keenly aware of breaks and review the day each evening and make a sankalpa to do better each day.
6. Effort at 2^nd Attention
7. Developing habit of 1 practice session a day. Same time each day.
8. Begin to decide on hermit, permanent retreat center resident volunteer, or acarya path.
9. Ending self-absorption/indulgence.
10. 1^st line of work completed.
11. Wearing yellow dhoti.
12. Minimum 3 years

Course Requirements for Samaya Level:

• Tantra Loka I & II
• Adi-Yoga levels I & II (if appropriate)
• Deeper studies in Ayurveda for self-care
• And more…

III: Visesasamaya

1. VOW to keep precepts without break.
2. Dissolution of emotional reactivity at thought formation level before expressing it.
3. Nama samskaram – Dharma name + Sarasvati surname given.
4. Proper assessment of kundalini awakening – or not and taking the appropriate upaya.
5. Choose acarya, hermit or resident volunteer path.
6. Karma Yoga – Kula Seva = 8 hours/month (unless living at a retreat and learning center.)
7. VOW to keep 2 practice times per day (length up to you).
8. Certain amount of time will be spent at a Jnanagni Kula retreat center for training. An average of 6 months/year to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
9. 3 years minimum as Visesasamaya and confirmed kundalini awakening before applying for Nirvana diksa.
10. 2^nd line of work = WORK FOR OTHERS & WORLD COMPLETED.
11. Wearing a red dhoti at pujas and teachings.
12. Plus deeper relevant studies assigned by the head teacher.

IV: Nirvana (Sisya)

• Confirmed kundalini awakening.
• Confirmed No-Returner/stream-enterer.
• Precepts as instinct. Impossible to break.
• Complete commitment to 3^rd line of work = WORK FOR THE TEACHINGS THEMSELVES/FOR THE DHARMA.
• VOWS:
  • Minimum 2 practice times daily (length up to you)
  • Mandatory period of residence at a Jnanagni kula retreat center.
  • KEEPING ALL PRECEPTS
  • And more…
• No minimum for karma yoga-Kula seva.
• Wearing a red dhoti with linga and tri-rekha symbol on it at pujas and teachings.

V: Permanent Resident, Acarya and Hermit Initiations

Hermit – Temporary

• Diksa required. Must apply with Tantracarya.
  
• Limited time period to spend at Jnanagni Kula hermitage.
• Wear medium blue, navy blue or black clothes only.
• Maximum vow of 3 yrs + 3 months.
• Specialized hermit course of study.

Hermit – Permanent

• Live at Jnanagni Kula hermitage or be self-sustaining in nature. No urban hermits allowed.
• Wear blue/black clothing only.
• Specialized hermit course of study.

Acarya

• Diksa required. Must apply with Tantracarya.
• Wear blue-maroon clothes only.
• Must choose which acarya path to take:
  • View Acarya
  • Method Acarya
  • Combined
• Completion of appropriate course of study.

VI: Purna & Maha Purna Diksa Abhisekha

VII: Mahadigambara Siddha Diksa

• Complete, irreversible renunciation of all societal roles such as husband, wife, acarya, student etc. This is the Tantrik equivalent of the Paramahamsa diksa of the sanyasin tradition. One wanders solo in union with their essence until they die or transmogrify.

F. A. Q.’s

After presenting the school’s new way of organizing the student body’s tracks of study to a small group at Kailash Akhara, some refining questions were generated. In the following FAQ section you will find some answers to questions that you may have.

1. Q: If I am on the vocational track for becoming a permanent resident of a retreat, when do I have to actually take up residence permanently?

A: A student may desire to take up residence immediately as a parishioner-student while they complete the required courses of study and time-period based sequence of initiations. Or the student may need to gather their resources first for a period of time before they can reside permanently at a retreat center because there is a fee. During the vocational track of study, the student is required to have longer periods of residence at the retreat center as they progress through the training.

By the Visesasamaya level of study (after a minimum of 5 years) the vocational-student will probably be required to reside for an average of 6 months per year at the center. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis. This will allow them time to gather resources for the next period of stay and a nest egg for the period of permanent residency.

2. Q: We’ve been taught that there is no Tantra without guru. If we are parishioner-students now (without the lineage name Sarasvati), is Dharmanidhi no longer our guru? Are we really practicing Tantra then?

A: I’ll answer this by reminding you of a story that I’ve been relating in teachings the past 2 years.

A yogini of the Bon Tantrik tradition attained the rainbow body while in her 30’s recently in northeastern Tibet. She was not a resident of a monastery or hermitage and was not a lama. She was not a lineage representative by initiation or training. Using our terminology she would be considered a parishioner-student. She studied with a lama (Tibetan for guru) but did not follow the vocational path, did not have a lineage name, and yet still experienced the greatest Tantrik attainment – the light body.

She learned and perfected (from her lama) that which is necessary to attain the rainbow body without having to become part of a hierarchy of the Bon religion as a teacher or a nun.Being a parishioner-student is not a demotion or a loss.

In the same way, parishioner-students have me as their teacher and can learn any of the methods of Tantra or its philosophical teachings and may progress along the path as they wish. If a student knows in their heart whom their guru is – nothing external can change that.

I think it is important to note in this example that the yogini attained the light body and her lama or guru did not!

Swami Niranjanananda, my junior Guru Maharaja, taught me that there is no initiation or course of study to make one a Tantrik Guru. He said that training makes teachers – God makes gurus. Then he explained that “teachers” know the teachings, “masters” are living embodiments of the teachings, and “gurus” are able to change the karma, the fate, of a student for the better through contact with them. This last capacity cannot be learned. And what I’m talking about here is very different than what passes in the modern yoga circles for “saktipat”, i.e. sitting for Rudi’s double-breath sessions with a teacher or getting bopped on the head with a peacock feather and feeling emotionally overwhelmed. The deeper sense of connection and positive influence on the student’s karma that I’m talking about is a far more grounded, more practical, and demonstrable experience that shows up over time.

A parishioner-student decides if their relationship with the teacher is based on external study or an “internal communion” that Tantrikas call “guru-yoga”. It is up to the student to know their own heart.

The student makes the teacher the guru; the teacher cannot make themselves a guru.

How does a parishioner-student know if the teacher is their sat-guru? Swami Satyananda Paramahamsa, my senior Guru Maharaj, has poetically said in answer to the same question posed to him, “How does one know their beloved? . . . They just know, it is not about thinking.”

I am a firm believer that no matter how much Tantra adapts to modern conditions, the function of the guru-student relationship will always define Tantra at its essence. (See the article entitled “Resurrecting the Guru-Disciple System in the West” by Dharmanidhi Sarasvati on the Bihar School of Yoga website).

3. Q: If you were initiated into Visesasamaya level of study before this re-organization of the school and are now a parishioner-student, do you revert to the name you used before?

A: If you’ve already legally changed your name then by all means use it. If you have a strong identity with your Sanskrit name then you may continue to USE THE PRACTICE NAME which is the first name, but from here onwards ONLY LINEAGE REPRESENTATIVES WHO HAVE UNDERGONE THE ENTIRE COURSE OF VOCATIONAL-STUDENT TRAINING and have PASSED THE EXAMINATION and have RECEIVED THE INITIATION as the sign of having done so, MAY USE THE SARSVATI SURNAME. The authorized acaryas will be listed on the Jnanagni Kula website.

4. Q: Is there a probationary “feeling out” period for a student desiring to become a permanent resident of the retreat center or hermitage?

A: Yes. In the Visesasamaya period of study the student will spend large chunks of time each year at the retreat center during which the student’s suitability for permanent residency will be assessed. The length of the time-period will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

5. Q: What defines “permanent resident”?

A: Permanent resident is defined as a vocational-student whose life purpose is to serve the school, the dharma itself, and the parishioner-students. That service may be through perma-culture expertise, gardening, construction, book editing and publishing, cleaning, doctoring, administrating courses, etc. A permanent resident has the retreat center as their only residence. They do not live part-time at the center and part-time somewhere else.

If a permanent resident desires to go to India to study more, or on a yatra (pilgrimage), or to travel with the acarya on a teaching tour, to visit family, or any other purpose, they will put in an application for a period of leave from the retreat center. A decision will be made on a case-by-case basis to ensure the workload on the land will be evenly maintained.

Of course, no one will be forced to stay. Kailash Akhara will not have broken glass on top of the walls and no one will take your passports when you stay there as in some Indian ashrams at which I’ve resided do.

But if a vocational-student is residing at the retreat center while secretly wishing to be somewhere else, they shouldn’t be in that program and would be happier as a parishioner-student.

6. Q: Can you be a permanent or semi-permanent resident of a retreat center if you’ve just started the path?

A: Yes, with some conditions. Kailash Akhara, and any future Jnanagni Kula retreat and learning centers (not hermitages) that develop, exist for the purpose of being used by the student body.

There may be times when the retreat center is closed to visiting students due to running a course at full capacity, but a good portion of each year will be open for students to take retreat.

A parishioner-student may reside at a retreat center for a period of time and may re-apply to extend their stay when the time is up. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The fee structure for an extended stay parishioner-student is TBA.

7. Q: What are the “vows and commitments” for the students of the vocational track? Are they possible to keep as an “in the world” householder?

A: Obviously the vows for the hermits are not possible to keep while “in the world.” The permanent resident vocational-student desires to live permanently at the retreat center so it is not an issue for them either, but of course their vows, especially concerning practicing in isolation, are not nearly as severe as they are for the hermits, because permanent residents will come into contact with people when buying supplies in town and when serving the parishioner-students who come to study.

Acaryas have a similar situation to permanent residents, but will be able to keep their vows and commitments while living as a householder if they desire.

8. Q: How will the parishioner-students learn in the new system?

A: Parishioner-students may take any course open to the public whether at a retreat center like Kailash Akhara or at a non-residential center. The administration group of the local area (the parish) will meet with the parishioner-students regularly to hear what the students would like to learn. Then, the request can be made to the head acarya for a teaching. He or she will either teach it themselves or designate a junior acarya to give the teaching.

In cases where an authorized acarya other than the head acarya is residing in the local parish area, the parishioner-students will have a regular schedule of teachings decided on by the students, the local admin group and the local acarya.

We will also be following the old system of Tantra where the parishioner-student(s) make the request to receive a specific teaching, empowerment, etc. and then they sponsor the program as well. Sponsoring means to make all the arrangements, do all the planning and organizing.

9. Q: How will the Jnanagni Kula functions be funded?

A: The parishioner-students and local vocational-students will designate which parish they belong to and that parish administration group will collect a yearly fee from them so that regular programs such as the full moon healing fire ceremonies, temple rituals, social activities, newsletters, etc. can continue.

The amount of the yearly contributions is to be decided by the individual parish.

10. Q: In this new organization, who is considered kula?

A: Any parishioner-student or vocational-student who comes to courses, anyone who attends the regular calendrical rituals of the school, anyone who is associated with Trika Institute or Jnanagni kula or who considers themselves to be a practicing Tantrika who attends the school’s courses regardless of how many or how few, is kula.