Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
a good overview, 17 Feb 2006
By A Customer
I am much more enthusiastic about this book than the previous reviewer. Closely following the 18th century Gulagpa scholar Ngag dbyang dpal ldan, Cozort manages in just 133 pages of text to show how tantra is related to the sutra path, outline the generation stage of tantra with its winds and channels showing how these are related to death, bardo and rebirth; outline the completion stage of tantra with its movement of drops and development of various bodies; and compare two of the major tantras: Kalachakra and Guhyasamaja. Needless to say, this is an overview of what might be called tantra theory and not a sadhana or detailed presentation of "how to practice" (something which should only be done under the direction of a guide in any event). Eleven summary charts and two line drawings summarize main points. A lengthy bibliography and 234 footnotes give the work a scholarly tone. As a Zen practitioner, I found this a good introduction to what tratric practitioners are trying to accomplish and how they set about doing it.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Far too technical for the layman., 30 Sep 2002
By A Customer
I did not enjoy this book one bit. It is written from a highly academic standpoint and, indeed, the only way you are likely to enjoy this book is if you have a highly detailed knowledge of the subject and have the mind of a college professor. In fact, although I do not wish to denigrate the credentials of the author, it seems, from this work, that he has nothing more than an intellectual knowledge of the subject, albeit a highly detailed one, and only a limited degree of practical experience of meditation. Throughout the book, I constantly had the impression that I was reading a book of advanced algebra, rather than a book on the spiritual path. Compared to the many other books on spirituality that I have read, this lacked the characteristic warmth and joy that comes from the divine knowledge attained through meditation, as opposed to the cold understanding that can be gained through study of various texts and manuals. The author seems to have approached the book as if he is writing a complicated dissertation.
On the plus side, if you are looking for highly detailed analysis of Highest Yoga Tantra, without any account of practical experience, you will not be at all dissapointed with this book. The acamdemic student will be pleased with the thorough and uncompromising detail of this book - and this is the only reason I have rated it with two stars. Nevertheless, most people on the spiritual path will find it a great dissapointment.
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£6.99
(2 customer reviews)
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