Download or read book Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine written by David Kinsley and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-07-28 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hindu pantheon is rich in images of the divine feminine—deities representing a wide range of symbolic, social, and meditative meanings. David Kinsley's new book documents a highly unusual group of ten Hindu tantric goddesses, the Mahavidyas, many of whom are strongly associated with sexuality and violence. What is one to make of a goddess who cuts her own head off, or one who prefers sex with a corpse? The Mahavidyas embody habits, attributes, or identities usually considered repulsive or socially subversive and can be viewed as "antimodels" for women. Yet it is within the context of tantric worship that devotees seek to identify themselves with these forbidding goddesses. The Mahavidyas seem to function as "awakeners"—symbols which help to project one's consciousness beyond the socially acceptable or predictable. Drawing on a broad range of Sanskrit and vernacular texts as well as extensive research in India, including written and oral interpretations of contemporary Hindu practitioners, Kinsley describes the unusual qualities of each of the Mahavidyas and traces the parallels between their underlying themes. Especially valuable are the many rare and fascinating images he presents—each important to grasping the significance of the goddesses. Written in an accessible, engaging style, Kinsley's book provides a comprehensive understanding of the Mahavidyas and is also an overview of Hindu tantric practice.
Download or read book Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine written by David R. Kinsley and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. This book was released on 1998 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is one to make of a group of goddesses that includes a goddess who cuts her own head off, a goddess who sits on a corpse while pulling the tongue of a demon, or a goddess who prefers sex with corpses? Tantra visions of the Divine Faminine deals with
Download or read book Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine written by David Kinsley and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-07-28 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hindu pantheon is rich in images of the divine feminine—deities representing a wide range of symbolic, social, and meditative meanings. David Kinsley's new book documents a highly unusual group of ten Hindu tantric goddesses, the Mahavidyas, many of whom are strongly associated with sexuality and violence. What is one to make of a goddess who cuts her own head off, or one who prefers sex with a corpse? The Mahavidyas embody habits, attributes, or identities usually considered repulsive or socially subversive and can be viewed as "antimodels" for women. Yet it is within the context of tantric worship that devotees seek to identify themselves with these forbidding goddesses. The Mahavidyas seem to function as "awakeners"—symbols which help to project one's consciousness beyond the socially acceptable or predictable. Drawing on a broad range of Sanskrit and vernacular texts as well as extensive research in India, including written and oral interpretations of contemporary Hindu practitioners, Kinsley describes the unusual qualities of each of the Mahavidyas and traces the parallels between their underlying themes. Especially valuable are the many rare and fascinating images he presents—each important to grasping the significance of the goddesses. Written in an accessible, engaging style, Kinsley's book provides a comprehensive understanding of the Mahavidyas and is also an overview of Hindu tantric practice.
Download or read book Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine written by David R. Kinsley and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A far-ranging and impressively comprehensive book with exemplary iconographic analyses. Kinsley has drawn together a group of rare, stunning, and fascinating images."--Miranda Shaw, author of "Passionate Enlightenment"
Download or read book Hindu Goddesses written by David Kinsley and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. This book was released on 1998 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hindu Goddesses is a valuable sourcebook and reference work for students and scholars of Hindu goddesses and of Hinduism in general. Each goddess is dealt with as an independent deity with a coherent mythology, theology and, in some cases, cult of her own. Within the complex, diverse, and rich goddess traditions of Hinduism, one can find suggestions of nearly every important theme in the Hindu religion. In many ways, this book is as much a study of the Hindu tradition itself as it is a study of one aspect of that tradition. No other living religious tradition has displayed such an ancient, continuous, and diverse history of goddess worship.
Download or read book Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine The Ten Mahavidyas written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Chinnamast the Aweful Buddhist and Hindu Tantric Goddess written by Elisabeth Anne Benard and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first monograph which examines the rare Buddhist and Hindu Tantric goddess, Chinnamasta, her rituals, her names and forms (namarupa) and their symbolism by comparing and contra-sting her sadhanas (spiritual practices) in Hinduism and Buddh-ism. The entire Hindu Chinnamastatantra section from the Sakta Pramoda, the Buddhist Chinnamunda Vajra-varahisadhana and theTrikayavajrayoginstuti are translated for the first time into English. Since Chinnamasta is a rare goddess, her texts were not popularized or made fashionable according to the dictates of a particular group at a particular time. The earliest extant texts dated from the ninth and tenth centuries a time when Hindu and Buddhist Tantras were developing under common influences in the same place in India. Having such texts about Chinnamasta Chinnamunda from these centuries, one can begin to understand the mutuality of a general Tantric tradition and the exclusivity of a particular Hindu or Buddhist Tantric tradition. Hence the study not only examines Chinnamasta, but also attempts to under-stand what is a Tantric tradition.
Download or read book The Sword and the Flute written by David R. Kinsley and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. This book was released on 1995 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FOR SALE IN SOUTH ASIA ONLY
Download or read book Das Mahavidyas written by Som P. Ranchan and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the Tantric worship of Śakti, Hindu deity; a study.
Download or read book Tantra written by Andre van Lysebeth and published by Weiser Books. This book was released on 2002-10-01 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Known only for the virtues of its sexual practice, ancient Tantric ideology is a universal and wide-reaching ideology virtually ignored in the West. In Tantra: The Cult of the Feminine, one of Europe's foremost Tantric authors and teachers, Andre Van Lysebeth, gives readers a balanced, well-informed, modern examination of the secret teachings and symbolism of Tantra. Espousing no dogma, Tantra involves a search for reality that contradicts neither science nor religion. For Tantra, all of the myriad energy forms in the universe -- gravity, nuclear cohesion, electromagnetism -- exist throughout the cosmos. "Scientifically speaking, the universe is a gigantic continuum ranging from sub-atomic to astronomical dimensions. Tantrists have perceived this unity for over thirty-five centuries," points out van Lysebeth in his introduction. Originally published in 1992, Tantra has become the classic text on the subject, the source for serious students. Eight full-color illustrations and 36 line drawings complement a comprehensive and contemporary explanation of Tantra, complete with meditations. Andre does a remarkable job of bringing ancient theories into the modern world.
Download or read book A Complete Guide To MAHAVIDYA SADHANA written by Devarshi Dutta and published by . This book was released on 2019-08-10 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Dus Mahavidyas are Wisdom Goddesses. Dus means ten, Maha means great, and Vidya means wisdom. Ranging from the gentle to the horrific, each form of the Goddess has Her own name, story, quality, and mantras.Mahavidya Sadhana originated in India around 1700CE and is considered to be the most esoteric of all spiritual practices. It is a discipline meant only for the lion hearted!Mahavidya Sadhana is one of the best kept secrets of the Indian mystical traditions but not any more. This text provides a detailed, step by step guide to invoke, evoke and personally work with each of the Ten Mahavidyas. The results will be astonishing and life altering!Life is calling: Surrender NOW to the Grace of the Divine Feminine and experience unlimited power and bliss. Are you ready?
Download or read book Change Continuity and Complexity written by Jae-Eun Shin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-05-30 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mah?vidy?s are the representative Tantric feminine pantheon consisting of ten goddesses. It is formed by divergent religious strands and elements: the m?t? and yogin? worship, the cult of K?l? and Tripurasundar?, Vajray?na Buddhism, Jain Vidy?dev?s, ?aiva and Vai??ava faith, ?r?vidy?, the Brahmanical strand of Puranic traditions, etc. This volume is the first attempt to explore the historical process, through which these traditions culminated in the Mah?vidy? cult and the goddesses with different origins and contradictory attributes were brought into a cluster, with special reference to socio-political changes in the lower Ga?g? and Brahmaputra Valley between the 9th and 15th centuries CE. Based on a close analysis of Pur??as, Tantras and inscriptional evidence, and on extensive field research on archaeological remains as well as sacred sites, Jae-Eun Shin discusses the two trajectories of the Mah?vidy?s in eastern ??kta traditions. Each led to the systematization of Da?amah?vidy?s in a specific way: one, as ten manifestations of Durg? upholding dharma in the cosmic dimension, and the other, as ten mandalic goddesses bearing magical powers in the actual sacred site. Their attributes and characteristics have neither been static nor monolithic, and the mode of worship prescribed for them has changed in a dialectical religious process between Brahmanical and Tantric traditions of the region. This is the definitive work for anyone seeking to understand goddess cults of South Asia in general and the history of eastern ??kta traditions in particular. To aid study, the volume includes images, diagrams and maps. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Download or read book Srimad Bhagavata written by Swami Gitananda and published by Advaita Ashrama (A publication branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math). This book was released on with total page 815 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, India is an explanation of select verses of Srimad Bhagavata, the great devotional scripture. The focus of the text has been in presenting the episodes connected with Lord Krishna from the Bhagavata, The original text and translation of these select verses has also been given.
Download or read book Kiss of the Yogini written by David Gordon White and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2006-07-07 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book A Companion to Tantra written by S.C. Banerji and published by Abhinav Publications. This book was released on 2007 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tantra Is A Distinct Philosophical System Many Feel Eager To Know About It, But Few Love The Time And Energy To Understand. The Intricacies Of Tantra. So, A Short-Cut Is Necessary. In The Present Work, An Attempt Has Been Made To Set Forth The Highlights Of The Tantra Works And Their Authors. A Bibliography, Intended To Help Further Reading, Has Been Addes.
Download or read book Sex Magic Tantra Tarot written by Christopher S. Hyatt and published by New Falcon. This book was released on 2015-12-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With this book, the student of Western Tantra may attain the knowledge and inner truth that has been hidden from us since conception. Within this new, expanded edition you will find a wealth of practical and passionate Tantric techniques utilising the Archetypal images of the Tarot. Nothing is held back. Every method is explicit and clearly described.
Download or read book Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses written by David Frawley and published by Lotus Press. This book was released on 1994-03 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an excellent introduction to the essence of Hindu Tantrism, discussing all the major concepts and correcting many existing misconceptions.