Crazy wisdom: a needed "agent provocateur"

I was recently asked what lineage my wisdom came from. Although I do not identify with any particular lineage, with my natural tendency to provocation, I feel close to what is usually described as "Crazy Wisdom".

Crazy wisdom serve as a powerful antidote to the collective delusion of separation that humanity currently faces—separation from the planet, from each other, and from our own deeper selves. In this delusional state, we have lost touch with the profound intelligence that flows through all forms of life, forsaking the intuition that guides us toward harmony with the whole. This disconnection from the natural world and our fellow beings weakens the diversity and individual sovereignty that foster our resilience, adaptability, and balance. We are at a precipice, where continuing along this path leads to a profound disconnection and ultimately, destruction.

Crazy wisdom, as an "agent provocateur," has the potential to disrupt this delusion and break the narrative of separation. By confronting us with paradoxical, unorthodox, and even chaotic actions, it shakes us out of our habitual patterns and rigid belief systems, allowing us to return to the divine guidance within ourselves. Through this disruption, we are called to move beyond the constructs of ego and societal norms, reconnecting with the intuitive wisdom that unites us with all life forms and the cosmos itself. As Voltaire so aptly put it, "God is a comedian playing for an audience too scared to laugh." In our rigidity, we have lost the ability to laugh with the divine dance of life, missing the cosmic joke that invites us to dissolve our separateness and embrace the absurdity of our illusions.

Although some may argue that disruption is not a constructive way forward, I can only ponder how we might conceive a different path when the current, supposedly more moderate narrative creates so much destruction, violence, wars, and injustice. It seems to me that embracing the disruption is a more masterful way forward than being on the receiving end of it as a result of our delusion. The so-called moderate approach is what has led us to this precipice, and crazy wisdom offers a conscious, intentional way of engaging with change, rather than waiting passively for collapse.

I recently stumbled on Daniel Odier's apt translation of the famous classic of Kashmiri Shaivism "the Yoga Spandakarika". In the introduction Odier's encapsulate in a single paragraph what I think is the most radical and exquisite description of Crazy Wisdom. 

Odier illustrates the path to true harmony with the cosmos requires shedding layers of false beliefs and confronting reality directly. His calls us to "rid yourself of all belief," "confront life without the bric-a-brac of religion and spirituality," and "dare to be alone". It suggests that the key to overcoming our disconnection lies in breaking free from the limiting narratives we've constructed, be they spiritual, materialistic, or intellectual.

Crazy wisdom invites us to see beyond dualities, to "play with our own limits" and understand that everything is real—embracing the wholeness of existence without clinging to any single belief or identity. It provokes us to reclaim the sovereignty of each being, human and non-human, restoring the natural diversity that is at the heart of our collective harmony. Through this unsettling, yet liberating process, we are led back to the inner silence and cosmic alignment that our modern world has forgotten.

In this way, crazy wisdom becomes a radical tool for awakening, pushing us past the delusions of separation and toward a state of deep interconnectedness, where the divine intelligence behind all life can once again guide us.

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Spanda (स्पन्द) means "vibration," "pulsation," or "movement," referring to the subtle, creative pulse of the universe or the dynamic aspect of consciousness in Kashmir Shaivism. It conveys the idea that all of existence is a constant, living vibration. Karika (कारिका) means "verses" or "stanzas," referring to a structured poetic composition.

Spanda Karika can be translated as "Verses on the Divine Pulsation". It refers to the nature of reality as a dynamic, vibrating energy, exploring how this universal "spanda" is both the source of creation and the core of individual consciousness. I see this as a reference to keep ourselves in tune with the pulse of the universe.

Extract from Daniel Odier "Yoga SpandaKarika":

How to be in harmony with the cosmos. It seemed that certain preliminaries are indispensable.

• Rid yourself of all belief,
• Leave metaphysics to the sectarian of the absurd,
• Understand that hope is fear gone bad,
• Confront reality directly,
• Stop upholding the romantic dream of realization,
• Forget sentimental neurosis,
• Play with your own limits,
• Look at your confusion,
• Confront life without the bric-a-brac of religious and the spiritual, without for all that, becoming a narrow minded materialist who would make a new God out of rationalism,
• Dare to be alone,
• Do not oppose essence against reality,
• Give yourself over to the pleasures of pure subjectivity,
• Understand that everything is real,
• And finally, one day, know exhilarating silence.

(...) In fact, all it takes is to say no to everything, or to say yes to everything, and to be an iconoclast who goes so far that he forgets the vehicle that brought him to his form of radical thinking. In short, it takes. Crazy Wisdom