_Tantric Treasures: Three Collections of Mystical Verses from Buddhist India_ by Roger R. Jackson

1 rating since posting on Wednesday, November 21, 2007
_Tantric Treasures: Three Collections of Mystical Verses from Buddhist India_ by Roger R. Jackson
in Minnesota
website
(submitted by Ryan )

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Ecstatic songs of the siddhas
This book is a translation of three compilations of songs/poems from the great tantric siddhas Saraha, Kanhapa and Tilopa. These are beautifully complimented by Jackson’s introduction as well as the scholarly notes scattered throughout the text. Jackson out-lines what we know (or can reasonably infer), as well as what we do not know, about these siddhas as well as the milieu and religious context in which the worked. The poetry itself is ecstatic and sublime while somehow also conveying a down-to-earth directness.

In many ways, these verses tell us more about who these siddhas were than the commentarial and instructional texts authored by these men. While _The Concealed Essence of the Hevajra Tantra_ may give us a clear picture of the sort of tantric practices Kanhapa advocated and taught, it offers little insight in to his personality. The verses contained in Jackson’s _Tantric Treasures_ (and Kvaerne’s _An Anthology of Buddhist Tantric Songs_) offer glimpses of Kanhapa as a person of true depth (and not a little contradiction).

I consider this book an important addition to my library and recommend it to anyone interested in the tantric siddhas or non-dual tantra. - Ryan , posted 11/21/07

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