From the Calendar
Join us on Thursdays from 7:30-9:00 PM (PST) for weekly meditation practice, bi-monthly for day-long intensives, and twice annually for our New Year’s and Summer Solstice retreats.
The Hard Light Center of Awakening conducts weekly meditation practice and dharma teaching Thursday evenings from 7:30-9:00 PM (PST).
03/05/2026 – Weekly Program
03/12/2026 – Weekly Program
03/19/2026 – Weekly Program
The Hard Light Center of Awakening conducts bi-monthly, day-long meditation intensives. Check the calendar for upcoming events.
03/21/2026 – The Spring Equinox Intensive
The Hard Light Center of Awakening conducts our twice yearly meditation retreats at the New Year and Summer Solstice.
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Meditation Master Mark Griffin
Mark Griffin was an American spiritual teacher in the lineage of Bhagawan Nityananda, as well as a practicing artist and musician. Born on August 28th, 1954 in the Pacific Northwest, Mark would go on to attend the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (1976-1979) and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In 1976, he met his Guru, Swami Muktananda…
Hard Light Center of Awakening
In 1989, Mark Griffin founded the Hard Light School of Awakening in Los Angeles, California. A teacher of extraordinary ability, Mark spoke with incredible power and precision regarding the inner and outer dimensions of spiritual training. The transmission of the Shaktipat awakening, or Kundalini energy, was at the heart of Mark’s connection with his students and…
Meditation
Through the Hard Light Center of Awakening Mark Griffin taught meditation with great depth, technical insight, and theoretical clarity. Here you will find an introduction to a fundamental process of meditation rooted in the breath. Begin your practice today.
Teachings
Mark Griffin provided expert insight into the essentials of spiritual life and the Yoga Tantras which lie at the theoretical heart of his training. Here you will find fundamental instruction to help you begin and sustain your spiritual inquiry and daily meditation practice.
The Awakening Archives will be a sacred gateway into the teachings of Mark Griffin (1954–2018), a realized master in the tradition of the Siddhas and founder of the Hard Light Center of Awakening. Mark was not only a brilliant spiritual teacher—he was a living embodiment of Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the ultimate state of yogic realization beyond thought, time, and form. Through talks, guided meditations, and transmissions of consciousness, he illuminated topics like Kundalini, breath as a vehicle of realization, and the non-dual wisdom of Mahamudra—making even the most esoteric truths accessible to modern seekers. Soon you will be able to explore a vast library of audio, video, and written teachings—starting with our free 8-week introduction, The Fundamentals of Spiritual Practice.
The Hard Light Center of Awakening exists today because of the generosity of those called to the path of yoga, meditation, Tantra, and self-realization. Your donation supports not only our ongoing offerings—weekly meditations, intensives, and retreats—but also fuels the creation of the Awakening Archives, a digital home for the complete body of teachings by Meditation Master Mark Griffin.
Mark Griffin (1954-2018) was a Los Angeles-based artist working across various mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and experimental music. From his early days as an art student in San Francisco in the mid ’70s, painting and drawing were the mainstays of his varied practice. Throughout his career he amassed thousands of works on canvas and paper, large-scale photographic pieces, lost wax bronze sculpture, and a voluminous collection of home recorded music.
Fire Mountain Retreat & Ayurveda is located in Village Nimboli, near Ganeshpuri in Maharashtra, India. Tucked away in a natural landscape below Mount Mandagni and a short walk or rickshaw ride to the Nityananda Samadhi Temple in Ganeshpuri, the center anchors a long heritage of accomplished spiritual masters of the Siddha Lineage who have practiced sadhana on and near its slopes. Providing guests and groups a serene place of refuge to deepen their practice of yoga and meditation, Fire Mountain also offers scheduled Ayurveda Retreats as well as custom designed programs. Additionally, you can enjoy the natural geo-thermal hot springs on the property, as well as farm-to-table organic vegetarian meals three times daily.
While the Retreat Center plays host to international guests, its roots lie closer to home in the Tansa River Valley. Established in 2005, the Shri Nityanand Education Trust provides basic educational, medical, and agricultural support to its surrounding communities. Having identified 31 villages in which to concentrate its seva (selfless service), the trust provides programs in education, vocational training, and employment. Additionally, SNET’s sister project, Erth Enterprises is working with local farmers to determine which locally cultivated essential oil crops will be the most profitable. Currently under cultivation are: citronella, vetiver, lemongrass, geranium and mogra (aka jasmine). For more about the activities at Fire Mountain Awakening, follow the link below.
YouTube
Visit the Hard Light Center of Awakening YouTube page. Throughout Mark Griffin’s teaching career a video camera was used to record his sessions. As we delve deeply into Mark’s archive we will make available some of these many recordings, adding to the rich collection of talks, short films, and ephemera already there.
Vimeo
Visit the Hard Light Center of Awakening Vimeo page. We currently use Vimeo to broadcast and archive our weekly meditation meetings which air most every Thursday night from 7:30-9 PM (PST). If you miss a meeting you can always find it archived and ready for your own broadcast. Additionally, Vimeo hosts some excellent talks from Meditation Master Mark Griffin.