Customer Reviews

Introduction to Tantra: The Transformation of Desire

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'Before you enter the path of Tantra, know this!' "Introduction to Tantra: The transformation of desire", explains the philosophy of Tantra, in the Buddhist way - simply and straight forward, but with a keen sense of intellect. The book shares a common view among mystics, that certain paths towards divine realization, the tantric path included, are potentially catastrophic. Therefore, it is necessary to study it's subject and follow it's practice under the guidance of a qualified teacher. As a result, the book never goes into much detail to explain the different practices. It remains an introduction. For this reason only I subtract a star! All paths are potentially catastrophic. Life itself is potentially catastrophic. Potentially triumphant too. Explain to someone the atomic bomb and the next day she comes up with the cure for cancer. Share the knowledge and let the chips fall where they may... Nevertheless, I enjoyed the the book immensely and I can easily forgive that our teachers sometimes forget what a teacher is not.

This is a fantastic introduction to the science and phillosophy of tantra. I can't over state how clearly and generally well written this book is. It covers the nature of human desire describes how it can be transformed into awakening, instead of trapping us in a cycle of thirsting for more and more without any real satisfaction. I particularly appreciated the section on deity yoga. Good stuff.

When I read this book I was taken aback: it was so beautifully written and so clear in its explaination, that I found myself staring at the picture of Lama Yeshe on the back cover, thanking him for this wonderful gift. It is very rare, in my experience, to find a book which combines such authoritative lucidity, based very much on personal experience, with heart-warming humility. Unlike many books which focus merely on the techniques of "surface" Tantra, this book explores its very essence.

Thank you Lama Yeshe for your beautiful book.

A very good introduction to Tantra. As such it explains the concepts and but then recomends finding a guru to take you though the various practices and what have you. As you can imagine, genuine tantric gurus are hard to find. Well, they are in Huddersfield anyway...

Very interesting for me though, if only because it highlighted what I like best about the dharma and Buddhism in general, simplicity and accessability.

Tantra isn't simple, nor would it appear to be accessable.

As ever, see for yourself and if it isn't useful to you, discard it.

THIS IS THE ULTIMATE BOOK ON BUDDHIST TANTRA AVAILABLE, THE LANGUAGE IS CLEAR AND JUST BY READING IT, SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE ENTERING THE AUTHOR MENTAL EGREGORE, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT ACQUAINTED WITH THE THEME, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW AND UNDERSTAND ALL THE CONCEPTS WHICH ARE CRISTAL CLEARLY WRITTEN, DEFINITELY A BOOK FOR YOUR BEDSIDETABLE. THE TITLE SHOULDN'T BE MORE APPROPRIATE AND SPOT-ON.

Great Book, well written and good reference material for studies and practice of Tantra by a wise Lama.

Lama Yeshe talks with amazing lucidity and clarity on the complex teachings of the tantric path of Tibetan Buddhism. Read this book to clearly show you the difference between "clasical Buddhist tantra" and the "neo tantra" (tantric sex) that is now being taught in the West. Seemingly the two are very different and have little in common. For example, many Tibetan buddhist's want to distinguish themselves from neo tantra and tantric sex. However, there are common themes to both and we teach these methods as "Buddhist Tantric Sex" techniques at Alto Sax Retreat Centre in the UK.
An excellent book, read combined with say Margot Anand's books and you would get a really good grounding on tantric sex as a spiritual path.