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The Yoga of Netra Tantra

Author : Shivam Srivastava

Publisher : DK Printworld (P) Ltd

Page : 342 pages

File Size : 32,40 MB

Release : 2023-03-06

Category : Philosophy

ISBN : 8124611076

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Book Description

The Netra Tantra "Tantra of the (Third) Eye (of Siva)", also called Mrtyujit (Conqueror of Death), is one of the fundamental scriptures of non-dualist Kashmir Saivism or Trika. It is the only Tantra having the Third Eye of Siva as title and theme, and it contains three important chapters on Yoga, relating to three ways of overcoming death. This book, besides giving an introduction to the Tantra, contains an interpretation of the three chapters; Chapter 1deals with the Eye of Siva, Chapter 7 with subtle Yoga, and Chapter 8 with supreme Yoga. The same texts are presented in Devanagari, transliteration and translation, including the eleventh-century commentary of Ksemaraja, illustrious disciple of Abhinava­ gupta . The Appendix contains illustrations of the theme of trinetra from different sources, mainly connected with Kashmir, as well as a comparative study on "The spiritual eye in the Christian mystical traditions". This book is an important contribution to the studies on non-dualist Saivism or Trika, and especially to its Yoga.



Illness and Immortality

Author : Patricia Sauthoff

Publisher : Oxford University Press

Page : 241 pages

File Size : 19,91 MB

Release : 2022-01-18

Category : Medical

ISBN : 0197553265

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Book Description

Illness and Immortality examines a medieval Sanskrit text, the Netra Tantra, which is devoted to health and healing through a yogic practice dedicated to the chanting of mantras, the building of mandalas, and meditation. Patricia Sauthoff examines the role of such ritual elements in rites to alleviate illness and death. She includes analysis of the various forms of the deity Amrtesa or Mrtyuñjaya (Conqueror of Death), the nature of mantra, and the relationship between the tantric practitioner and the patient. This work explores what is meant by immortality within the medieval context and how one goes about attaining it. It asks how ritual alleviates illness, what role the deity plays in health and healing, and finally who has access to the rites described within the text. Central to this study is the conception of a body vulnerable to demons and reliant on deities for continued existence, and how the three yogic bodies (sthula, suksma, and para) play a role in physical and spiritual well-being. Featuring new translations of large sections of the Netra Tantra, the book offers readers various points of entry into the text so that tantric practitioners and scholars alike can access the influential and important concepts and practices found within this long-revered but under-studied work.



Aspects of Tantra Yoga

Author : Debabrata Sen Sharma

Publisher :

Page : 174 pages

File Size : 16,41 MB

Release : 2007

Category : Kashmir Śaivism

ISBN :

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Book Description

Spiritual discipline or Yoga constitutes an inseparable partof the philosophy of every school, and especially the Tantricones, in which spiritual practices or sÈdhana kriyÈ dominate.This book opens with an account of the nature, origin anddevelopment of ’aiva-’akta Tantras, their classification underdifferent schools, the wealth of literature available belongingto these schools, etc., and sheds light on the principal metaphysicaltenets of ’aiva and ’Èkta Tantras. The book dealsalso with the concepts of divine Grace or aktipÈta, guru andhis different kinds, the process of initiation (dÏk È) and itsvarieties, mantra s nature and place in sÈdhana kriyÈ, etc.This book also attempts to remove the misconceptions widespreadin the academic world about the theory and practice ofTantra Yoga, which have been deliberately kept secret by thepractitioners to prevent their misuse by unscrupulous persons.Dr. Debabrata Sen Sharma is a well-known scholar of theAdvaita Shaiva thought of Kashmir.



Goddess Traditions in Tantric Hinduism

Author : Bjarne Wernicke Olesen

Publisher : Routledge

Page : 199 pages

File Size : 35,65 MB

Release : 2015-09-16

Category : Social Science

ISBN : 1317585224

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Book Description

Hinduism cannot be understood without the Great Goddess and the goddess-orientated Śākta traditions. The Goddess pervades Hinduism at all levels, from aniconic village deities to high-caste pan-Hindu goddesses to esoteric, tantric goddesses. Nevertheless, the highly influential tantric forms of South Asian goddess worship have only recently begun to draw scholarly attention. This book addresses the increasing interest in the Great Goddess and the tantric traditions of India by exploring the history, doctrine and practices of the Śākta tantric traditions. The highly influential tantric forms of South Asian goddess worship form a major part of what is known as ‘Śāktism’, and is often considered one of the major branches of Hinduism next to Śaivism, Vaiṣṇavism and Smārtism. Śāktism is, however, less clearly defined than the other major branches, and the book looks at the texts of the Śākta traditions that constitute the primary sources for gaining insights into the Śākta religious imaginative, ritual practices and history. It provides an historical exploration of distinctive Indian ways of imagining God as Goddess, and surveys the important origins and developments within Śākta history, practice and doctrine in its diversity. Bringing together contributions from some of the foremost scholars in the field of tantric studies, the book provides a platform for the continued research into Hindu goddesses, yoga, and tantra for those interested in understanding the religion and culture in South Asia.



The Origins of Yoga and Tantra

Author : Geoffrey Samuel

Publisher : Cambridge University Press

Page : 429 pages

File Size : 36,46 MB

Release : 2008-03-27

Category : Religion

ISBN : 1139470213

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Book Description

Yoga, tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practised in modernized forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism or Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 CE, with particular focus on the development of yogic and tantric traditions. It assesses how much we really know about this period, and asks what sense we can make of the evolution of yogic and tantric practices, which were to become such central and important features of the Indic religious scene. Its originality lies in seeking to understand these traditions in terms of the total social and religious context of South Asian society during this period, including the religious practices of the general population with their close engagement with family, gender, economic life and other pragmatic concerns.





The Truth of Yoga

Author : Daniel Simpson

Publisher : North Point Press

Page : 169 pages

File Size : 19,80 MB

Release : 2021-01-05

Category : Health & Fitness

ISBN : 0374722684

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Book Description

A succinct, approachable guide to the origins, development, key texts, concepts, and practices of yoga. Yoga is practiced by many millions of people worldwide and is celebrated for its mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. And yet, as Daniel Simpson reveals in The Truth of Yoga, much of what is said about yoga is misleading. For example, the word “yoga” does not always mean union. In fact, in perhaps the discipline’s most famous text—the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali—its aim is described as separation: isolating consciousness from everything else. And yoga is not five thousand years old, as is commonly claimed; the earliest evidence of practice dates back about twenty-five hundred years. (Yoga may well be older, but no one can prove it.) The Truth of Yoga is a clear, concise, and accessible handbook for the lay reader that draws upon abundant recent scholarship. It outlines these new findings with practitioners in mind, highlighting ways to keep traditions alive in the twenty-first century.



A Genealogy of Devotion

Author : Patton E. Burchett

Publisher : Columbia University Press

Page : 468 pages

File Size : 41,82 MB

Release : 2019-05-28

Category : Religion

ISBN : 0231548834

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Book Description

In this book, Patton E. Burchett offers a path-breaking genealogical study of devotional (bhakti) Hinduism that traces its understudied historical relationships with tantra, yoga, and Sufism. Beginning in India’s early medieval “Tantric Age” and reaching to the present day, Burchett focuses his analysis on the crucial shifts of the early modern period, when the rise of bhakti communities in North India transformed the religious landscape in ways that would profoundly affect the shape of modern-day Hinduism. A Genealogy of Devotion illuminates the complex historical factors at play in the growth of bhakti in Sultanate and Mughal India through its pivotal interactions with Indic and Persianate traditions of asceticism, monasticism, politics, and literature. Shedding new light on the importance of Persian culture and popular Sufism in the history of devotional Hinduism, Burchett’s work explores the cultural encounters that reshaped early modern North Indian communities. Focusing on the Rāmānandī bhakti community and the tantric Nāth yogīs, Burchett describes the emergence of a new and Sufi-inflected devotional sensibility—an ethical, emotional, and aesthetic disposition—that was often critical of tantric and yogic religiosity. Early modern North Indian devotional critiques of tantric religiosity, he shows, prefigured colonial-era Orientalist depictions of bhakti as “religion” and tantra as “magic.” Providing a broad historical view of bhakti, tantra, and yoga while simultaneously challenging dominant scholarly conceptions of them, A Genealogy of Devotion offers a bold new narrative of the history of religion in India.



Tattva Shakti Vigyaan

Author : Shakti Devpriya

Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Page : 192 pages

File Size : 29,23 MB

Release : 2016-10-28

Category :

ISBN : 9781539796411

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Book Description

Introducing Tantra to Modern Man. Today when the whole world is driven by Material Sciences the obvious questions have taken back seat. Hardly anyone is interested in understanding oneself. We seem to be more interested in knowing how to control dead objects but hardly make any efforts to understand the power and Mystery of consciousness, body and mind which we all carry with us. The spiritual practices are time tested means to realize and experience the power of consciousness. In fact there are a lot of things yet unknown to the scientific fraternity about the power of mind and consciousness but the encouraging thing is that off late we have seen science becoming interested in evaluating spiritual practices. It would be quite illogical on our part if sincere efforts in using the resources and knowledge which our ancestors have left with us. It is my conviction that through revisiting our ancient Sciences like Tantra, yoga, Mantras etc. can prove quite Insightful for those who are interested in the subject. This book is definitely a great beginning for everyone, especially if they wanted a peep in to the tantric spirituality. I am sure upon understanding the dynamics and processes of the path more and more rational people shall be interested in experimenting with Tantra. Of course the course and horizon of Tantra is extremely vast and this book focuses on Tattva Shakti Vigyaan - the part of applied Tantra which can be verily used for attaining better health and material abundance. The book shall definitely be able to remove many doubts, especially the fear psychosis around Tantra which prevails in masses. Most importantly the topics covered in the book are the most important ones and definitely open to exploration by each one of you.



Abhinavagupta's Hermeneutics of the Absolute Anuttaraprakriya

Author : Bettina Bäumer

Publisher : D.K. Print World Limited

Page : 366 pages

File Size : 43,7 MB

Release : 2011

Category : Philosophy

ISBN :

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Book Description

The Paratrishika Vivarana by the great Kashmiri philosopher and mystic Abhinavagupta is an extensive commentary on the Paratrishika Tantra, and it is one of the most profound texts, not only of non-dualist Kashmir Shaivism, but of Indian philosophy and mysticism in general. The present work attempts to make this difficult text accessible, by culling out the important themes and offering an interpretation. The main focus is on the understanding of the Absolute (Anuttara) and the ways to realize it. The central theme of mantra also leads to a mysticism of language with its philosophical implications. All these reflections and practices are inscribed in the theory that everything is related to the totality, every part contains the whole of reality (sarvam sarvatmakam). It is this holistic vision of Abhinavagupta, based on the Tantras, which makes this work so relevant in our times of fragmented aspects of life and knowledge in search of integration. No doubt, in the view of the Tantra and of Abhinavagupta, language and mantra provide the key. This fascinating book is an important contribution to studies and interpretations on Kashmir Shaivism, its spirituality and philosophy, and on Abhinavagupta in particular.