This week’s episode is a conversation with accomplished artist and scholar-practitioner Christian de Vietri about his journey from the contemporary art world to the study and practice of Tantric sacred art. Christian, known for his large-scale public installations and fine art, shares how he came to know and practice non-dual Shaiva Tantra, how this transformed his approach to artistic expression, and how it led to the publication of his groundbreaking book, Trika Maṇḍala Prakāśa: Illuminating the Mandalas of Abhinavagupta's Tantrāloka—the first detailed and comprehensive study of all the mandalas presented and taught in Abhinavagupta’s Tantrāloka. The conversation explores the process of reconstructing these mandalas, including the challenges of decoding encoded texts, the significance of mandalas in Tantric initiation, and the precise methodologies required to ensure their correct construction. Christian describes the artistic and spiritual insights that emerged through this work and reflects on the broader role of sacred art in preserving and transmitting the wisdom of the tradition.

Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.