Christopher Wallis, also known as Hareesh, 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.
Hareesh teaches classical Tantric philosophy and Tantric practices, meditation, Sanskrit, and mantra-science to an engaged online community of practitioners. He is the Founder of Tantra Illuminated Online, an online learning portal where all his courses and teachings are available. He also offers workshops, retreats and classes in person in Portugal and around the world.
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 nondual 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.
Hareesh is the author of Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition, the first comprehensive and accessible introduction to Classical Tantra in English (also available in Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian), and of The Recognition Sutras, a translation and commentary on a 1000-year-old masterpiece on experiential recognition of oneself as a direct expression of universal divine Consciousness.
His new book Near Enemies of the Truth comes out on November 14 and is available for pre-orders now.
Christopher D. Wallis
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
“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
Near Enemies of the Truth - November 14, 2023
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 Sutras & Kaula Sutras)
Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment (poems of the Krama masters)
Professional Activity
“Alchemical Metaphors for Spiritual Transformation in Abhinavagupta’s Īśvara-pratyabhijñā-vimarśinī and Īśvara-pratyabhijñā-vivrti-vimarśinī,” at Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions: A Symposium in Honour of Alexis G.J.S. Sanderson, University of Toronto, March 2015.
“Theories of Mind and Consciousness in ancient India and their relevance for the modern period,” at the International Conference on Consciousness, Mind and Body II: Paradigms and Integrative Practices in Education and Health, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), Brazil, October 2013.
“One Being with the Universe for its Body: Logical arguments in nondual Tantric Śaivism for the primacy of Consciousness and the unity of God and the Self,” at the International Conference on Consciousness, Mind and Body: Eastern and Western Perspectives, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Federal University of Rio de Janerio), Brazil, August 2011.
“Samāveśa: Possession or Liberation?“ at the annual South Asia Conference, University of California at Berkeley, Spring 2007.
“Consciousness in Shaiva Theology” at the Consciousness in Religion and Science colloquium, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, 2005.
Professional Teaching Experience
Freelance Lecturer in Yoga Teacher Trainings on the international circuit (USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Brasil, UK, Denmark, etc.), 2008 - 2022
Graduate Student Instructor, Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of California at Berkeley, 2002 - 2008
Lecturer in Yoga Philosophy and Sanskrit language, Yoga Mandala (Berkeley) and Yoga Tree (San Francisco), 2005 - 2007
Lecturer in Yoga Philosophy Curriculum and Sanskrit language, YogaKula (Berkeley) and Triyoga (London), 2003 - 2005
Religion Fellow, Department of Religion and Classics, University of Rochester, 1999 - 2001
Awards, Grants and Honor Societies
(with year of election)
Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society (2001) Magistretti Fellowship, UCB (2001-09)
Golden Key National Honor Society (2000) Beinecke Brothers Scholarship (2003-05)
Departmental Writing Award (2001, UR) Humanities Special Fellowship, UCSB (2005)
Barth-Crapsey Research Grant, UR (2000)
Areas of Specialization
South Asian Studies: Classical Indian Philosophy, The Yoga Traditions, Medieval Philosophical Theology, The Tantric Traditions, Shaivism
Religious Studies: Buddhism, Sufism, Early Christianity, Mysticism in World Religions
Sanskrit: Classical, Purānic, Medieval, and Scholastic varieties