About this episode
Kavitha Chinnaiyan, MD, is a cardiologist, meditation teacher and tantrika. She became drawn to the Direct Path through the teachings of Greg Goode and Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, and has studied yoga, Sri Vidya Sadhana, Vedanta and Tantra through the teachings of Chinmaya Mission, Sri Premananda, Sally Kempton, Paul Muller-Ortega and Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati. She blends her expertise in cardiology with her knowledge of Ayurveda, yoga, Vedanta, Tantra, and the Direct Path in her approach to healing, enabling patients to discover bliss amid chronic illness. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, MI. She is the author of Shakti Rising: Embracing Shadow and Light on the Goddess Path to Wholeness (2017) and The Heart of Wellness: Bridging Western and Eastern Medicine to Transform Your Relationship with Habits, Lifestyle, and Health (2018). Website: kavithamd.com Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group Transcript of this interview Interview recorded January 20, 2018 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:34 - The Direct Path vs Progressive Path 00:08:27 - The Direct Path and Neo-Vedanta 00:12:05 - Witnessing in Tantra 00:16:25 - Discovering the Unobservable through Spiritual Path 00:21:18 - Redefining Gender Roles and the Divine Feminine 00:26:15 - The Mahavidyas: Goddesses of Darkness and Light 00:30:14 - Reconciling Ahimsa with the Reality of the Universe 00:33:55 - The Intelligent Universe and the Mahavidyas 00:38:26 - Shiva and Shakti: The Creative Power 00:42:53 - The Misunderstanding of Kali 00:47:42 - The Black Goddess Kali and the I-Self 00:51:36 - Refinement of the Sense of Self in Tantra 00:55:19 - Tantric Philosophy and Rewiring the Body-Mind 00:58:52 - The Role of Nadis in Kundalini Awakening 01:02:50 - Differences between Vedanta and Tantra 01:07:14 - Sri Yantra and Sri Vidya 01:11:33 - The Power of Bija Mantras in Consciousness 01:15:00 - The Use of Aum Mantra 01:18:36 - Tara's Shadow and Light Aspects 01:22:54 - Chinnamasta: The Concealing and Revealing Power of the Divine 01:27:05 - Stories of Delusion and Awakening in Hinduism 01:31:38 - The Ashrama System and the Four Stages of Life 01:36:08 - Elements of the Path of the Mahavidyas 01:39:20 - The Ethics of Tantra 01:43:54 - The Path of Tantra and Work in Progress 01:48:26 - Cultivating Discernment and Discrimination 01:52:39 - The Divine Feminine and the Shadow Side 01:57:37 - Surrendering in Softness and Sweetness 02:01:11 - Exploring Wellness through Ayurveda and Yoga 02:04:10 - Music Introduction