Shri Gurudev Mahendranath (29 April 1911–30 August 1991) was a Nath guru, tantric guru, sadhu, sannyasin, writer, poet, and Avadhut. He was born Lawrence Miles in London.
Pagan life and inner experiment began early. As a young man he met Aleister Crowley. That meeting, and his own work, pointed him toward meditation and the I Ching with Asian masters. He arrived in India on Guru Purnima, July 1953.
Initiations and travel
In 1953 Shri Sadguru Lokanath gave him sannyas diksha into the Adinath Sampradaya and the name Mahendranath. In 1963 Shri Pagala Baba of Ranchi gave him Tantric initiation into Uttara Kaula. He became that seat’s successor.
As a sannyasin he traveled in Ceylon, Thailand, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia. He received initiation as a Bhutanese lama, was regarded as a meditation master in Soto Zen and in Taoism, and held initiations in Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.
The Order
He founded the Western Nath Order, later the International Nath Order, so the tantric teaching of those two streams could be lived by Western householders. The founding is dated 1 January 1978, at Shambhala Tapovan, Mehmadabad. Initiates of this Order are Naths or Devis. The Indian Adinath and Uttara Kaula sadhu seats ended with him. He would not give that sannyas diksha in the West. This Order is not those seats under another name.
In 1989 he appointed Sri Kapilnath Imperator Magus Mundi. The living work of the Order is there. The letters of those years are a separate document.
Writings
The teaching is in The Scrolls of Mahendranath: the Twilight Yoga Trilogy, Levogyrate Tantra, The Londinium Temple Strain, and the rest. The full list is on the writings page. The tone is his: humor, no creed, experiment.
Mahasamadhi
He entered mahasamadhi on 30 August 1991 at Shambhala Tapovan, near the Vatrak river, Mehmadabad, Gujarat.
His principal essays and instructions are in The Scrolls of Mahendranath.
Further reading
The Order he founded is the International Nath Order. How a person meets it is the Petition for Initiation & FAQ.