Tantra Illuminated was created in 2019 by Christopher Wallis, also known as Hareesh.
Christopher Wallis is a Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner of Classical Tantra with thirty years of experience. He was initiated by a traditional Indian guru at the age of sixteen, and received education at yoga āshrams, both in India and the West.
Subsequently, he engaged in fourteen years of formal education in Sanskrit, South Asian Studies, and classical Indian religions.
He combines his own practice of more than 25 years with a rigorous inquiry into the original Sanskrit sources to accurately translate and bring to modern practitioners this ancient non-dual wisdom. The practices aim to facilitate both spiritual awakening and enhanced well-being for people in all walks of life. His community of students frequently praise his deep love for the tradition and the clarity of thought and expression.
His teachers, mentors, and gurus, in chronological order, include: Gurumayī Chidvilāsānandā (root-guru), Paul Muller-Ortega (Śaiva Tantra and Classical Yoga); Alexis Sanderson (Śaiva and Śākta Tantra and Sanskrit); Marshall Rosenberg (Nonviolent Communication); Somadeva Vasudeva (Śaiva Tantra), Adyashanti (Meditation), and others who wish to remain anonymous.
His degrees include a B.A. in Religion and Classics from the University of Rochester, an M.A. in South Asian Studies from U.C. Berkeley, an M.Phil. in Classical Indian Religions from Oxford, and a Ph.D. in Sanskrit from U.C. Berkeley. See below for more about his education and publications.
Education
Ph.D. in South Asian Studies (Sanskrit), University of California-Berkeley, 2014
M.Phil. with Distinction in Classical Indian Religions, University of Oxford (UK)
M.A. with Honors in South Asian Studies (Sanskrit), University of California-Berkeley, 2003
B.A. magna cum laude in Religion and Classics, University of Rochester, 2001
Published Work
Near Enemies of the Truth: : Avoid the Pitfalls of the Spiritual Life and Become Radically Free. Wonderwell, 2024
“Alchemical Metaphors for Spiritual Transformation in Abhinavagupta’s Īśvarapratyabhijñā-vimarśinī and Īśvarapratyabhijñā-vivṛti-vimarśinī” in Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions: Essays in Honour of Alexis G.J.S. Sanderson. Gonda Indological Studies, vol. 22. Leiden: Brill, 2020
The Recognition Sūtras: Illuminating a 1000-year-old Spiritual Masterpiece. Boulder: Mattamayura Press, 2017.
Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition, Mattamayura Press, Petaluma, CA, 2013.
"The Decent of Power: Possession, Mysticism, and Initiation in the Shaiva Theology of Abhinavagupta" in the Journal of Indian Philosophy (Springer Verlag), published online in 2007; print version published in 2008.
"The Descent of Power: Possession, Mysticism, and Metaphysics in the Shaiva Theology of Abhinavagupta" in Evam: Forum on Indian Representations vol. 4 (Samvad India, New Delhi), 2006.
Forthcoming Publications
Classical Tantra (tentative title for a more accessible, much shorter version of Tantra Illuminated)
The Practice of Tantrik Yoga (VBT & Svabodha-mañjari)
The Philosophy of Classical Tantra (Tantrasāra Chapters 1-5 & 11, and Tantrāloka Ch. 1)
The Innate Dynamism of Consciousness: The Spanda-kārikā (& Spanda-sandoha)
Oral Transmission of the Tantric Yoginis (Chummās & Vātulanātha Sūtras & Kaula Sūtras)
Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment (poems of the Krama masters)