Feuerstein - Tantra

EASTERN PHILOSOPHY

"Georg Fcuerstein, who is arguably today's foremost Yoga researcher, has given us yet another very valuable book. Tantra: The Art of Ecstasy is the first nonacademic but sound and well-rounded introduction to the Hindu Tantric heritage since Sir John Woodroffe's pioneering publications of the 1920s. It corrects many widespread misconceptions and shows Tantrism to be a complex and intriguing tradition that deserves deeper study. Recommended reading for all students of Hinduism, Yoga, and spirituality in general."-PROF. SUBHASH KAK, P H . D . , author of India at Century's End and coauthor of In Search of the Cradle of Civilization Tantraoften associated with KundaliniYogais 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 licen-tious morality. Tantra:The Path of Ecstasy dispels many c o m m o n 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 n o t 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.

G E O R G FEUERSTEIN, P H . D . , holds degrees in Indology and the history of religion. In addition to being the director of the Yoga Research Center, he is a contributing editor of Yoga Journal, Inner Directions, and Intuition. He has authored thirty books, including The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga and Teachings of Yoga.

Cover art: A Shri yantra, Nepal, seventeenth century. From Tantra: The Indian Cult of Ecstasy, by Philip Rawson, published by Thames and Hudson, Inc., New York.

Photograph by John W e b b . Reproduced courtesy of Thames and Hudson.

1998 Shambhala Publications, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.

SHAMBHALA

Boston & London

Tantra

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The Deeper Dimension of Yoga: Theory and Practice ( 2 0 0 3 ) *

The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga ( 2 0 0 0 ) *

Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy ( 1 9 9 8 ) *

Teachings of Yoga ( 1 9 9 7 ) *

Lucid Waking (1997)

The Shambhala Guide to Yoga ( 1 9 9 6 ) *

In Search of the Cradle of Civilization,

coauthored with Subhash Kak and David Frawley (1995) The Mystery of Light (1994)

Voices on the Threshold of Tomorrow,

coedited with Trisha Lamb Feuerstein (1993)

Sacred Sexuality (1993)

Living Yoga, coedited with Stephan Bodian (1993) Wholeness or Transcendence? (1992)

Sacred Paths (1991)

The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali (1990)

The Bhagavad-Gita: Its Philosophy and Cultural Setting (1983) The Essence of Yoga (1976)

* Published by Shambhala Publications

Tantra

T H E P A T H

O F E C S T A S Y

Georg Feuerstein

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Boston & London 1998

Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Horticultural Hall

300 Massachusetts Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02115

www.shambhala.com

1998 by Georg Feuerstein

The author thanks Princeton University Press for permission to quote from Religions of India in Practice, D. S. Lopez, Jr., ed., copyright 1995 by Princeton University Press.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without

permission in writing from the publisher.

17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9

Printed in the United States of America

This edition is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39.48 Standard.

Distributed in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada Ltd

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Feuerstein, Georg.

Tantra: the path of ecstasy: an introduction to Hindu tantrism /

by Georg Feuerstein.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-57062-304-2 (pbk.)

1. Tantrism. I. Tide.

BL1283.84.F47 1998 97-29983

294.5'514dc21 CIP

This book is dedicated to my kalyana-mitra Lama

Segyu Choepel, who opened my eyes to the realitybehind Tantra in the form of Vajrayana Buddhism,and to the memory of the great masters of the Tantrictradition whose potent liberation teachings have, for centuryafter century to the present time, been a bright lamp illumin-ing the steps of seekers in the trouble-filled Age of Darkness.

May modem seekers, pure in intent, walk safely andswiftly on the path of self transformation and discoverthe unsurpassable bliss of Reality, free from all concern,in their own hearts and in the hearts of all others.

Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: Tantra, the Great Spiritual Synthesis of India 1

1 Samsara: Cyclic Existence 20

2 T i m e , Bondage, and the Goddess Kali 3 2

3 This Is t h e O t h e r World: Samsara Equals Nirvana 42

4 T h e Secret of E m b o d i m e n t : As Above, So Below 52

5 T h e Divine Play of Shiva and Shakti 70

6 T h e G u r u Principle: Shiva Incarnate 85

7 Initiation: Bringing D o w n t h e Light 95

8 Discipleship: T h e Ordeal of Self-Transformation 110

9 T h e Tantric Path: Ritual and Spontaneity 120

10 T h e Subtle Body and Its Environment 139

11 Awakening t h e Serpent Power 165

12 Mantra: T h e Potency of Sound 184

13 Creating Sacred Space: Nyasa, Mudra, Yantra 201

14 T h e Transmutation of Desire 224

15 Enlightenment and t h e H i d d e n Powers of t h e Mind 250

Epilogue: Tantra Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow 268

Notes 275

Select Bibliography 295

Index 301

About the Author 315 .

I worship in my heart the Goddess

whose body is awash with ambrosia,

beautiful like lightning, who, going from her abode

to Shiva's royal palace, opens the lotuses

of the lovely axial channel