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 The Goddesses Mirror written by David Kinsley and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1989-01-01 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the cultural background and meaning of ten goddesses, including Aphrodite, Isis, Athena, Durga, Laksmi, and Sita
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 Mother of the Universe written by Lex Hixon and published by Quest Books. This book was released on 1994-06-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Those who love poetry will appreciate the wildly metaphysical, allegorical, and yet intensely honest and personal songs of the eighteenth-century poet and saint Ramprasad. These songs vividly present the mystery of the Feminine Divine, an intimate experience of the Mother, and a vast play of energy sustained by the Goddess Kali.
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 Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine The Ten Mahavidyas written by David Kinsley and published by Motilal Banarsidass. This book was released on 2021-01-01 with total page 328 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 Feminine deal with a group of ten Hindu tantric goddesses, the Mahavidyas, who embody habits, attributes, or identities, usually considered repulsive or socially subversive. In the context of tantric worship, devotees seek to identify themselves with these forbidding goddesses. The Mahavidyas, who embody habits, attributes, or identities, are usually considered repulsive or socially subversive. In the context of tantric worship, devotees seek to identify themselves with these forbidding goddesses. The Mahavidyas seem to function as "awakeners" - symbols that help to project one's consciousness beyond the socially acceptable or predictable. Kinsley not only describes the eccentric qualities of each of these goddesses but seeks to interpret the Mahavidyas as a group and to explain their importance for understanding Tantra and the Hindu 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 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.
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 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mahāvidyās are the representative Tantric feminine pantheon consisting of ten goddesses. It is formed by divergent religious strands and elements: the mātṛ and yoginī worship, the cult of Kālī and Tripurasundarī, Vajrayāna Buddhism, Jain Vidyādevīs, Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava faith, Śrīvidyā, 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 Mahāvidyā 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 Gaṅgā and Brahmaputra Valley between the 9th and 15th centuries CE. Based on a close analysis of Purāṇas, 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 Mahāvidyās in eastern Śākta traditions. Each led to the systematization of Daśamahāvidyās in a specific way: one, as ten manifestations of Durgā 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 Śākta 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 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 Health Healing and Religion written by David R. Kinsley and published by Pearson. This book was released on 1996 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explicitly dealing with the religious aspects of healing and healers, this unique and intriguing book examines illness, healing, and religion in cross-cultural perspective by looking at how sickness is understood and treated in a wide variety of cultures. Centered around three principle themes, the text: A) illustrates how crucial it is to frame illness in a meaningful context in every culture and how this process is almost always bound up with religious, spiritual, and moral concerns; B) shows how many beliefs, strategies, and practices that characterize traditional cultures also appear in Christianity, putting healing in the Christian tradition in a broad, rational context, and; C) discusses the continuities between traditional, explicitly religious, and modern medical cultures -- demonstrating that many features of modern scientific medicine are symbolic and ritualistic, and that many aspects and practices of modern medicine are similar to healing as seen in traditional, pre-scientific medical cultures. For those in the religious, anthropological and medical professions.
Download or read book Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power written by Laura Amazzone and published by University Press of America. This book was released on 2010 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Amazzone's voice is strong and clear. Goddess Durga promises the transformation, empowerment, and dignity that is our birthright."--Marisa Tomei, Academy Award-winning actor.
Download or read book The Sophia Teachings written by Robert A. Powell and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 2007-03 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Robert Powell uncovers a secret stream of wisdom that flows through the heart of Christianity --the feminine principle, known in Greek as "Sophia," the being of Holy Wisdom herself. This sacred embodiment, named in the Old Testament as the first living being made by God, has comforted and guided seekers of truth in every age and in every human culture. Powell surveys the wonders and teachings associated with this unacknowledged treasure of Christianity's mystical past --a stream running from the Greek philosophers and King Solomon through the cosmic visions of Hildegard von Bingen, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the relation of Sophia to Mary the mother of Christ. The Sophia Teachings provides accessible and informative insights into the being of Sophia --generally overlooked by modern, patriarchal Christianity and misinterpreted by new age and and other movements that often trivialize the meaning and purpose of this significant cosmic entity.
Download or read book Sex Magic Tantra and Tarot written by Christopher S Hyatt, Ph.D and published by Original Falcon Press. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 188 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 The Heart of the Yogini written by Andre Padoux and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-12 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: André Padoux offers the first English translation of the Yoginihrdaya, a seminal Hindu tantric text dating back to the 10th or 11th century CE.
