KRIYA — A Scholarly Treatise

This insider account of the book KRIYA (2026) explicates Kriya Yoga as a living tradition and technology of the energy body, drawing on the authors' rare cross-initiatory authority as a Yoruba/Ifa high priest, a Thai Buddhist Ajarn, a Dravidian Shaiva-Siddha initiate, and a Ph.D. scholar-practitioner. Using emic autoethnography and textual-historical analysis, it traces the Lahiri Mahasaya lineage's modern codification, situates techniques like breath, bandha, mantra, and kriya sequencing within South Asian siddha and tantric matrices, and compares energetic anatomies across South Asian, Southeast Asian, Kemetic, and West African systems. The findings articulate a model of energy-body activation centered on guided antakarana alignment, cyclical pranayama-bandha work, and psycho-spiritual initiation, concluding with reflections on cross-cultural transmission and appropriation.

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Abstract

KRIYA Authors: Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola, Ph.D. | Ajarn Shaman Shu | Shri Suryanarayana Swamikal | Robert Shumake, Ph.D. Affiliation: Buddha University® & Orisha University This article presents an authoritative, initiated-insider account of the methods, lineage history, and embodied practices synthesized in the book KRIYA (Osainbola, Ajarn Shaman Shu, Swamikal, & Shumake, 2026). Writing from a rare cross-initiatory vantage—combining a Yoruba/Ifa high priest (Oluwo), a Thai Buddhist Ajarn and master teacher, a Dravidian Shaiva-Siddha initiate (Swamikal), and a Ph.D. scholar-practitioner (Shumake)—we deploy an emic autoethnography integrated with textual-historical analysis to explicate Kriya Yoga as both a living tradition and a living technology of the energy body. We trace the Lahiri Mahasaya lineage's modern codification and transmission, situate central techniques (breath, bandha, mantra, and kriya sequencing) within the longer South Asian siddha and tantric matrices—particularly Dravidian tantric practices—and compare energetic anatomies across South Asian, Southeast Asian, Kemetic, and West African (Ifa) systems. The findings articulate a model of energy-body activation that centers guided antakarana alignment, cyclical pranayama-bandha work, and psycho-spiritual initiation as core features of effective Kriya. We conclude by reflecting on cross-cultural implications for transmission, appropriation, and the potential for respectful, initiatory dialogue between traditions. The paper frames the contributions of KRIYA (2026) as both scholarly synthesis and practical manual, and provides critical apparatus for scholars and practitioners interested in historically grounded, experientially validated teachings. A Note on Scholarly Positioning: The lead author writes from a position that is virtually unprecedented in academic scholarship, holding initiatory titles across multiple living spiritual traditions simultaneously — Ajarn (Thai Buddhist authority and master teacher), Oluwo (Yorùbá/Ifá high priest, the highest rank of initiation in the Ifá tradition), and Swamikal (Hindu/Dravidian spiritual authority and initiate) — in addition to standing as a PhD scholar. This tri-lineage, cross-initiatory authority makes this paper authentic insider scholarship, written from inside the tradition rather than as comparative observation by an outside academic. Full Book Access (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ajarn_Shaman_Shu_KRIYA?id=5XjxEQAAQBAJ Author Catalog (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=Robert+S.+Shumake Author Authority Site: https://robertshumake-authority.manus.space/