Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy

I like the straightforward and clear, written respectfully and very thoroughly.

Georg Feuerstein is a well-known serious scholar of Sanskrit and yoga and I was familiar with his work from other works such as "Textbook of Yoga" (1975), "Encyclopedia of Yoga".(1997), "The Deeper Dimension of Yoga" (2003). I was pleased to find "Tantra: The path of ecstasy" to be immensely readable and well organised. This book engaged me all the way. The book places the development of Tantra into an historical framework, and also the explains the various branches of tantra, some of the differences between them and also their similarities. How the energetic body of nadis, koshas, cakras, kundalini shakti and the use of mantras, mudras and ritual are all part of the tantric conception but also much of which has antecedents in Vedic literature was also helpful. It may be an advantage to already have some familiarity with the philosophical and cultural material. This book is written by a scholar but is short of scholarly - far too readable for that. It is a high quality and informative book for the general reader. If you are interested in the subject, but are new to Sanskrit, to the terminology and the philosophical ideas, you may need to accept that it will take a bit of work, but this book can lead you to a good understanding of the place of Tantra, without the confusion and taint of neo-tantrism. Neo-tantrism is much different and far more shallow than traditional Tantra, and if it is only neo-trantrism that you are looking for, this book may disappoint you. However, perhaps it is worth the challenge to find out the difference.

This is a great in-depth scholarly work on Tantra and how it fits in with Hindu beliefs. It was not intended to "teach" Tantra or to be a manual on how to practice it. Rather, it delves deeply into the history, mythology, imagery, and theology underlying this religious system. Anyone who wants to read this book should be aware that there is really no such thing as "tantra yoga" per se. Yoga is a system derived from the Vedas; Tantra is a system based on writings called "tantras". However, like all Hindu systems, they intersect and borrow heavily from one another. While the sexual aspect of Tantra does set it apart from other Hindu systems, many sects treat it metaphorically and not literally (although some do). Sadly, it is this aspect that has captured the Western imagination, resulting (in my opinion) a gross misrepresentation by charlatans wanting to capitalize on the salacious. That's sad.

This book gives a very broad look into spiritual practices, ranging from an overview of Indian archetypes through the ages, to a couple descriptions of occult ceremonies. Reading this prepared me for the depth of my 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training last winter. Understanding the Indian view of time, the ages ("yugas"), samskara (repeating cycles), and more helped me understand where many Indians are coming from. Tantra differs from Hinduism in that it doesn't imply worship of gods or goddesses, but instead recognizes the divine in everything. Tantra moved India out of the case system and elevated the status of women to equals. The writing is dense, but I highlighted every Sanskrit word and it helped me remember a lot more Sanskrit!

looks exactly as they said arrived early

I was looking for a book that would help me learn and practice tantra yoga. This book was more geared towards history, and an academic description about how tantra yogis practice. I picked up some good ideas and background, but it wasn't the mystic reading that I was hoping for.

There are many Tantra schools or lineages and the subject is complex. Having thousands of years of re-visioning things can get complex. But Fuerstein is able to present in a rather straight forward manner the essence of the esoteric world of Tantra. To many it may be a surprise how much of this is already in the western pop culture. ie chakra, mantra, and mandala work. And for the neo Tantric looking for a sex manual this is not the book.

Excellent book on the tantric path, providing the reader the framework of tantric/vedic thought in the first few chapters, which is absolutely needed for any new spiritual seeker on the tantric path. The book continues to explain other elements of tantra, but in theory not practice. If you want true practice, learn sanskrit to start, then learn mantras.Body is Asana, Mind is Mantra, Prana is Breathe. =)

The knowledge is precise and easy to follow. It is a must read.

This text is a great bridge to other tantra works. It is a scholarly presentation that is very helpful in understanding other esoteric works

This book was recommended to me by someone who is very involved with Tantra. Although I like it, I must say I would not recommend this to others. It is a highly academic and scholarly book with many references. As well researched as this subject is as difficult it might be to read for someone who is not a native English speaker. This book does not provide you with practical tips and tricks for how to get started with Tantra, so if that is what you are looking for this is not the book for you. If on the other hand you want some in depth historical information about the origins of Tantra and the religious backdrop for this practice this is the book for you :-)

The most thorough and inspiring work I’ve read on Tantra.

A good summary of the main aspects of tantrism