kitkat133's review against another edition
4.0
The translation for this is good. I feel like it's digestible, but not too simplistic.
duespo's review against another edition
3.0
Started off really well but got into more esoteric concepts the further along one went. Recommend having basic knowledge of Vajrayana concepts before reading. Book discusses the "theology" behind the faith, not a how-to guide.
silvio's review against another edition
5.0
Transformation & Embodiment, Expansion & Empowerment, inherent Wholeness & Purity & Wisdom & Bliss & Freedom & Enlightenment.
If these words resonate with you, then Tantra is for you.
Tantra in 3 concepts:
#1: Transformation rather than transcendence.
Everything is already here (freedom, wholeness, peace, joy, wisdom, enlightenment), we just have to transform our perception (expand our awareness) in order to experience it. Tantra uses the most potent tool responsible for both our suffering and our liberation: desire. "The function of Tantra is to transform all pleasures into the transcendental experience of deep penetrating awareness." This deep Awareness has two aspects: Wisdom and Bliss. Tantra is about the merging (sex) of Wisdom (feminine) and Bliss (masculine). Uniting the feminine and masculine energies, all polarities come into completion, into wholeness.
#2: It's all in the mind (intention & imagination) - fake it till you make it.
It's all in the mind, our problems and our liberation. The way is in the mind, the "primary shaper of our experience". There's no difference between what we see and what we imagine - both are projections. Finding Truth is about what we identify with - it's about Self-Recognition. Instead of identifying with our usual misery, we identify with the enlightened qualities of a deity - and eventually we become that, which means we realize that we are that. Usually, though, we limit our self-conception because of our belief in ordinary appearances: that is called ignorance. Through the transformation of desire and the resultant blissful Wisdom, this ignorance is uprooted. "The key, during both life and death, is to recognize illusions as illusions, projections as projections, and fantasies as fantasies. In this way we become free."
#3: Empowerment.
Both from the outside (initiation) and from the inside (fruits of the practices: increasing freedom, wholeness, peace, joy, wisdom, etc). Both initiation and practices expand our momentum on this journey. Enlightenment is a spectrum - the more we open, the more light comes in.
The three prerequisites for tantric practice:
#1: Renunciation - emerging from dissatisfaction through (inner) detachment from worldly pleasures (& pains)
#2: The dedicated heart of bodhicitta - opening the heart into selfless compassion
#3: The correct view of emptiness - the "middle way" (see Nagarjuna), dissolving self-created limitations
The four qualities for tantric practice:
#1: Indestructible devotion
#2: Freedom from doubt
#3: One-pointed concentration
#4: Secrecy concerning our practices
"True practice is something we do from moment to moment, from day to day. We do whatever we can, with whatever wisdom we have, and dedicate it all to the benefit of others. (...) We don't need to wait until we are buddhas before we can begin to act."
If these words resonate with you, then Tantra is for you.
Tantra in 3 concepts:
#1: Transformation rather than transcendence.
Everything is already here (freedom, wholeness, peace, joy, wisdom, enlightenment), we just have to transform our perception (expand our awareness) in order to experience it. Tantra uses the most potent tool responsible for both our suffering and our liberation: desire. "The function of Tantra is to transform all pleasures into the transcendental experience of deep penetrating awareness." This deep Awareness has two aspects: Wisdom and Bliss. Tantra is about the merging (sex) of Wisdom (feminine) and Bliss (masculine). Uniting the feminine and masculine energies, all polarities come into completion, into wholeness.
#2: It's all in the mind (intention & imagination) - fake it till you make it.
It's all in the mind, our problems and our liberation. The way is in the mind, the "primary shaper of our experience". There's no difference between what we see and what we imagine - both are projections. Finding Truth is about what we identify with - it's about Self-Recognition. Instead of identifying with our usual misery, we identify with the enlightened qualities of a deity - and eventually we become that, which means we realize that we are that. Usually, though, we limit our self-conception because of our belief in ordinary appearances: that is called ignorance. Through the transformation of desire and the resultant blissful Wisdom, this ignorance is uprooted. "The key, during both life and death, is to recognize illusions as illusions, projections as projections, and fantasies as fantasies. In this way we become free."
#3: Empowerment.
Both from the outside (initiation) and from the inside (fruits of the practices: increasing freedom, wholeness, peace, joy, wisdom, etc). Both initiation and practices expand our momentum on this journey. Enlightenment is a spectrum - the more we open, the more light comes in.
The three prerequisites for tantric practice:
#1: Renunciation - emerging from dissatisfaction through (inner) detachment from worldly pleasures (& pains)
#2: The dedicated heart of bodhicitta - opening the heart into selfless compassion
#3: The correct view of emptiness - the "middle way" (see Nagarjuna), dissolving self-created limitations
The four qualities for tantric practice:
#1: Indestructible devotion
#2: Freedom from doubt
#3: One-pointed concentration
#4: Secrecy concerning our practices
"True practice is something we do from moment to moment, from day to day. We do whatever we can, with whatever wisdom we have, and dedicate it all to the benefit of others. (...) We don't need to wait until we are buddhas before we can begin to act."
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