The Roots Of Tantra

Author : Katherine Anne Harper,Robert L. Brown
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2012-02-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780791488904

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The Roots of Tantra by Katherine Anne Harper,Robert L. Brown Pdf

Among the many spiritual traditions born and developed in India, Tantra has been the most difficult to define. Almost everything about it—its major characteristics, its sources, its relationships to other religions, even its practices—are debated among scholars. In addition, Tantrism is not confined to any particular religion, but is a set of beliefs and practices that appears in a variety of religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. This book explores one of the most controversial aspects of Tantra, its sources or roots, specifically in regard to Hinduism. The essays focus on the history and development of Tantra, the art history and archaeology of Tantra, the Vedas and Tantra, and texts and Tantra. Using various disciplinary and methodological approaches, from history to art history and religious studies to textual studies, scholars provide both broad overviews of the beginnings of Tantra and detailed analyses of specific texts, authors, art works, and rituals.

Author : Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D.
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 1998-07-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780834825451

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Tantra by Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D. Pdf

A leading yoga researcher offers a clear and lively introduction to the history, philosophy, and practice of the Tantric spiritual tradition Tantra—often associated with Kundalini Yoga—is a fundamental dimension of Hinduism, emphasizing the cultivation of “divine power” (shakti) as a path to infinite bliss. Tantra has been widely misunderstood in the West, however, where its practices are often confused with eroticism and licentious morality. Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy dispels many common misconceptions, providing an accessible introduction to the history, philosophy, and practice of this extraordinary spiritual tradition. The Tantric teachings are geared toward the attainment of enlightenment as well as spiritual power and are present not only in Hinduism but also Jainism and Vajrayana Buddhism. In this book, Georg Feuerstein offers readers a clear understanding of authentic Tantra, as well as appropriate guidance for spiritual practice and the attainment of higher consciousness.

Author : Yuthok Yonten Gonpo
Publisher : Mentseekhang Documentation & Publication
Page : 375 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2011-03-23
Category : Health & Fitness
ISBN : 9788186419625

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The Root Tantra and The Explanatory Tantra from the Secret Quintessential Instructions on the Eight Branches of the Ambrosia Essence Tantra [Men-Tsee-Khang - སྨན་རྩིས་ཁང་།] by Yuthok Yonten Gonpo Pdf

PREFACE The Tibetan medical system, more popularly known as Sowa Rigpa (Knowledge of Healing), is undoubtedly as old as Tibetan civilization itself. The earliest inhabitants of Tibet were confronted with a host of difficulties due to the way they had to live during those ancient times. The only means of sustenance and survival was to rely on the various natural resources around them. These early people gradually learned the uses and medical efficacy of natural resources. The inherent discernment of these early people led them to discover natural remedies for various healthrelated problems. Their innate urge to overcome physical discomfort, combined with their curiosity about the world around them, made them create some effective natural remedies for many common illnesses. Drinking and sprinkling cold water against fever, compressing cold stone on an inflamed swelling, using heated oil to stop bleeding, drinking hot water for indigestion, eating boiled foods rather than eating them raw - these insights1 and many others have proven their effectiveness and have continued to be of use even to this day. The development of the Tibetan science of healing is based on the wisdom of such ancient medical practices. The application of a medical remedy against poisoning2 as pronounced by Tsiblha Karma Yolde to the first king of Tibet Nyatri Tsenpo (circa 300 B.C.) clearly demonstrates that the early inhabitants of Tibet had knowledge of the therapeutic value of herbs and minerals even during that time. Medical knowledge continued to be passed on by means of various oral traditions and has kept alive the knowledge of numerous remedies over many centuries. Before Buddhism and the present Tibetan script were introduced to Tibet, the Bon religious and cultural traditions flourished in the region of Shang Shung in southwestern Tibet. The legendary Bon master and cultural founder Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche was born in Purang, Tibet, at the time of the Lord Buddha. The Bon master authored many important medical literatures such as Sojay Kyi Do Ghu, Sorig Chegyud Daser, Sojay Nadbum Nagpo3, Sojay Manbum Karp4, Sothab Chedbum Trawo5, and Tsawa Thukbum Khangon6 and he established the foundation for the development of the Bon medical tradition. His eldest son, Chebu Trishey, learned the art of medicine from his father and later became a very important figure in the development of the Bon medical system. At that time, Bon religion and culture were at their height and shamanistic ways of healing were very popular throughout Tibet. They undoubtedly influenced the existing Tibetan medical knowledge and practices. The Gyueshi (Four Tantras) which is the fundamental text of Tibetan medicine, contains mantras and the names of some medicinal substances, compounds, and diseases in the original Bon language. This is a clear indication of the influence of Bon on Tibetan medicine. We can therefore assume that there was knowledge and practices of medicine before the reign of King Lha Thothori Nyentsen and before the introduction of the present Tibetan script during the 7th century.

Author : Christopher D. Wallis
Publisher : Mattamayura Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0989761304

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Tantra Illuminated by Christopher D. Wallis Pdf

This book takes readers on a fascinating journey to the very heart of Tantra: its key teachings, foundational lineages, and transformative practices. Since the West's discovery of Tantra 100 years ago, there has been considerable fascination, speculation, and more than a little misinformation about this spiritual movement. Now, for the first time in the English language, Tantra Illuminated presents an accessible introduction to this sacred tradition that began 1,500 years ago, in the far north of India. The book uses translations from primary Sanskrit sources, offers a profound look at spiritual practice, and reveals Tantra's rich history and powerful teachings.

Author : Christian K. Wedemeyer
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 338 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2014-05-06
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780231162418

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Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism by Christian K. Wedemeyer Pdf

Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism fundamentally rethinks the nature of the transgressive theories and practices of the Buddhist Tantric traditions, challenging the notion that the Tantras were “marginal” or primitive and situating them instead—both ideologically and institutionally—within larger trends in mainstream Buddhist and Indian culture. Critically surveying prior scholarship, Wedemeyer exposes the fallacies of attributing Tantric transgression to either the passions of lusty monks, primitive tribal rites, or slavish imitation of Saiva traditions. Through comparative analysis of modern historical narratives—that depict Tantrism as a degenerate form of Buddhism, a primal religious undercurrent, or medieval ritualism—he likewise demonstrates these to be stock patterns in the European historical imagination. Through close analysis of primary sources, Wedemeyer reveals the lived world of Tantric Buddhism as largely continuous with the Indian religious mainstream and deploys contemporary methods of semiotic and structural analysis to make sense of its seemingly repellent and immoral injunctions. Innovative, semiological readings of the influential Guhyasamaja Tantra underscore the text’s overriding concern with purity, pollution, and transcendent insight—issues shared by all Indic religions—and a large-scale, quantitative study of Tantric literature shows its radical antinomianism to be a highly managed ritual observance restricted to a sacerdotal elite. These insights into Tantric scripture and ritual clarify the continuities between South Asian Tantrism and broader currents in Indian religion, illustrating how thoroughly these “radical” communities were integrated into the intellectual, institutional, and social structures of South Asian Buddhism.

Author : David Gordon White
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 393 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2006-07-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9780226027838

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Kiss of the Yogini by David Gordon White Pdf

For those who wonder what relation actual Tantric practices bear to the "Tantric sex" currently being marketed so successfully in the West, David Gordon White has a simple answer: there is none. Sweeping away centuries of misunderstandings and misrepresentations, White returns to original texts, images, and ritual practices to reconstruct the history of South Asian Tantra from the medieval period to the present day. Kiss of the Yogini focuses on what White identifies as the sole truly distinctive feature of South Asian Tantra: sexualized ritual practices, especially as expressed in the medieval Kaula rites. Such practices centered on the exchange of powerful, transformative sexual fluids between male practitioners and wild female bird and animal spirits known as Yoginis. It was only by "drinking" the sexual fluids of the Yoginis that men could enter the family of the supreme godhead and thereby obtain supernatural powers and transform themselves into gods. By focusing on sexual rituals, White resituates South Asian Tantra, in its precolonial form, at the center of religious, social, and political life, arguing that Tantra was the mainstream, and that in many ways it continues to influence contemporary Hinduism, even if reformist misunderstandings relegate it to a marginal position. Kiss of the Yogini contains White's own translations from over a dozen Tantras that have never before been translated into any European language. It will prove to be the definitive work for persons seeking to understand Tantra and the crucial role it has played in South Asian history, society, culture, and religion.

Author : Victor M. Fic
Publisher : Abhinav Publications
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Art
ISBN : 9788170174240

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The Tantra by Victor M. Fic Pdf

Bibliography Index The Tantra Is A Body Of Theories, Techniques And Rituals Developed In India In Antiquity, Which Has Two Fundamental Aspects. The First Aspect Of The Tantra Is The Theory Of Creation, Which Posits That The Universe Has No Beginning And No End, And That All Its Manifestations Are Merely The Projections Of Divine Energy Of Its Creator. The Second Aspect Of The Tantra Is The Belief That The Performance Of Tantrik Techniques And Rituals Facilitates Access To This Divine Energy, Enabling Their Practitioners To Empower Themselves, As Well As Empower Others Associated With Them In The Guru-Disciple Relationship. Thus The Knowledge And Proper Application Of Tantrik Techniques And Rituals Is Believed To Harness The Creator'S Cosmic Energies To The Promotion Of The Mundane As Well As Spiritual Goals Of Their Practitioners. Between The Vii And The Xii Centuries A.D. These Theories, Rituals And Practices Spread To Other Parts Of Asia. In These Parts Their Interaction With Indigenous Traditions Of Shamanism And Other Magical Cults Resulted In Potent Hybrids. These Not Only Served The Personal Needs Of Their Practi- Tioners, But Were Used By The Kings To Summon The Cosmic Forces To Legitimize Their Right And Power To Rule The Ancient Monarchies. Elaborate And Artistically Beautiful Icons Were Developed In Sculpture, Painting, Bronze And Bas-Relief To Portray The Basic Concept Of Tantrik Theories And Various Deities Of The Hindu And Buddhist Pantheons. This Book First Explores The Origin Of The Tantra In India, Its Development And Emergence Of Various Schools Of Hindu And Buddhist Tantrism Over The Centuries. Then It Explores Their Spread From Tantrik Universities In Bihar And Other Centres Of Tantrik Scholarship And Rituals Practised In West Bengal, Orissa And South India At That Time To Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan And Indonesia. The Coloured Plates Illustrate The Iconographic Presentation Of The Basic Theories And Concepts Of The Tantra, As Well As Various Deities Associated With The Pantheons Of Hindu And Buddhist Tantrism Drawn From Different Parts Of The World.

Author : Sures Chandra Banerji
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 688 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 1988
Category : Agamas
ISBN : UOM:39015015472460

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A Brief History of Tantra Literature by Sures Chandra Banerji Pdf

Author : Shashi Solluna
Publisher : Hay House UK Limited
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9781788172646

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Tantra Made Easy by Shashi Solluna Pdf

Previously published in 2016 under title: Tantra: discover the path from sex to spirit.

Author : André Padoux
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 238 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2017-03-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9780226424095

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The Hindu Tantric World by André Padoux Pdf

Tantra occupies a unique position in Western understandings of Hindu spirituality. Its carnal dimension has made its name instantly recognizable, but this popular fascination with sex has obscured its philosophical depth and ritual practices, to say nothing of its overall importance to Hinduism. This book offers a clear, well-grounded overview of Tantra that offers substantial new insights for scholars and practitioners. André Padoux opens by detailing the history of Tantra, beginning with its origins, founding texts, and major beliefs. The second part of the book delves more deeply into key concepts relating to the tantric body, mysticism, sex, mantras, sacred geography, and iconography, while the final part considers the practice of Tantra today, both in India and in the West. The result is an authoritative account of Tantra’s history and present place in the world.

Author : Imma Ramos
Publisher : National Geographic Books
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2020-09-22
Category : History
ISBN : 9780500480625

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Tantra by Imma Ramos Pdf

A captivating study of the ancient Indian movement that has influenced and intrigued the world for more than a millennium. The Tantras, a set of sacred manuscripts that emerged in India from around the sixth century CE, detail rituals for attracting spiritual, worldly, and supernatural power. These rituals, which focus on the power of fierce gods and goddesses and center around yoga, self-deification, sexual rites, and the consumption of intoxicants, became an integral part of the meditations and philosophical practices of Tantric Hinduism and Buddhism. This book examines the philosophies, core beliefs, and artistic expressions of Tantra, and its impact on religious, cultural, and political landscapes across the globe. In tracing the history of the movement, author Imma Ramos reveals Tantra’s origins and continued relevance in India, as well as its redefinition as it was adopted by Western popular culture during the 1960s. Tantra: enlightenment to revolution accompanies a major exhibition at the British Museum, and is illustrated extensively with masterpieces of sculpture, painting, print, and ritual objects from India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, dating as far back as the eighth century CE.

Author : Choying Tobden Dorje
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
Page : 640 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2017-11-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780834841062

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The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Book 13 by Choying Tobden Dorje Pdf

Chöying Tobden Dorje's magnum opus presented in English for the first time, in an authoritative translation prepared under the auspices of well-known and highly respected Tibetan teachers and translators. In 1838, Choying Tobden Dorje, a yogin and scholar of northeastern Tibet, completed a multivolume masterwork that traces the entire path of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism from beginning to end. Written by a mantra practitioner for the benefit of mantra practitioners living among the lay community, it was intended to be informative, inspirational, and above all, practical. Its twenty-five books, or topical divisions, offer a comprehensive and detailed view of the Buddhist path according to the early translation school of Tibetan Buddhism, spanning the vast range of Buddhist teachings from the initial steps to the highest esoteric teachings of great perfection. Choying Tobden Dorje’s magnum opus appears in English here for the first time. Book 13 presents the philosophical systems of India and Tibet, according to the writings of Longchen Rabjam and the revelations of Orgyan Lingpa. First, it discusses the views attributed to classical Hinduism, Jainism, materialism, and nihilism. Second, it describes the standpoints of the Vaibhashika and Sautrantika exponents of the lesser vehicle, exemplified by pious attendants and hermit buddhas, and the Cittamatra (“mind only”) and Madhyamaka (“middle way”) commentators of the great vehicle, exemplified by great bodhisattva beings. Third, it analyzes the inner and outer vehicles of the Buddhist tantras, with an emphasis on the three classes of the great perfection. Fourth, it documents the lines of philosophical transmission within Tibet, including Bon, Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Kadampa, and Geluk. It concludes with an extract from a well-known treatise of the Fifth Dalai Lama, applying the techniques of consequential reasoning to the first chapter of Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Phenomenology.

Author : Shashi Solluna
Publisher : Hay House, Inc
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2016-11-01
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781781807842

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Tantra by Shashi Solluna Pdf

In this accessible guide, Shashi Solluna breaks all preconceptions about Tantra and introduces us to the real philosophy behind this sacred practice. In traditional descriptions, Tantra is often defined as meaning "to weave", and can be compared to the weaving of a fabric. Tantra is therefore a path that weaves together. Ultimately, Tantra points us to the highest level of consciousness in which one merges into Oneness and no longer feels like a separate physical entity. This is sometimes called "Heaven" as opposed to the more tangible experience of "Earth". This book explains how Tantra can allow us to move from a physical solid experience of reality into the lighter more ethereal experience – or from Earth to Heaven – and then ultimately bring Heaven to Earth! This books explores: • The history of Tantra • The core principles of Tantra • An understanding of the tantric approach to sexuality • Practices to explore your own Tantric sexuality • A tantric understanding of relationship, love and intimacy • An understanding of Tantra as a spiritual path • Practices for creating spiritual experiences and higher states of consciousness …and much more!

Author : Jamgon Kongtru Lodro Taye
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
Page : 994 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2013-01-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781559393898

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The Treasury of Knowledge, Book Six, Parts One and Two by Jamgon Kongtru Lodro Taye Pdf

Jamgön Kongtrul’s encyclopedic Treasury of Knowledge presents a complete account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism. Among the ten books that make up this tour de force, Book Six is by far the longest—concisely summarizing the theoretical fields of knowledge to be studied prior to the cultivation of reflection and discriminative awareness. The first two parts of Book Six, contained in this volume, respectively concern Indo-Tibetan classical learning and Buddhist phenomenology. The former analyzes the traditional subjects of phonology and Sanskrit grammar, logic, fine art, and medicine, along with astrology, poetics, prosody, synonymics, and dramaturgy. The principal non-Buddhist philosophical systems of ancient India are then summarized and contrasted with the hierarchical meditative concentrations and formless absorptions through which the “summit of cyclic existence” can genuinely be attained. Part Two examines the phenomenological structures of Abhidharma—the shared inheritance of all Buddhist traditions—from three distinct perspectives, corresponding to the three successive turnings of the doctrinal wheel.

Author : Jamgon Kongtru Lodro Taye
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
Page : 992 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2013-01-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781559397315

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The Treasury of Knowledge: Book Six, Parts One and Two by Jamgon Kongtru Lodro Taye Pdf

Jamgön Kongtrul’s encyclopedic Treasury of Knowledge presents a complete account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism. Among the ten books that make up this tour de force, Book Six is by far the longest—concisely summarizing the theoretical fields of knowledge to be studied prior to the cultivation of reflection and discriminative awareness. The first two parts of Book Six, contained in this volume, respectively concern Indo-Tibetan classical learning and Buddhist phenomenology. The former analyzes the traditional subjects of phonology and Sanskrit grammar, logic, fine art, and medicine, along with astrology, poetics, prosody, synonymics, and dramaturgy. The principal non-Buddhist philosophical systems of ancient India are then summarized and contrasted with the hierarchical meditative concentrations and formless absorptions through which the "summit of cyclic existence" can genuinely be attained. Part Two examines the phenomenological structures of Abhidharma—the shared inheritance of all Buddhist traditions—from three distinct perspectives, corresponding to the three successive turnings of the doctrinal wheel.