• The Roots of Tantra
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The Roots of Tantra

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An exploration of the sources of Tantra.Among the many spiritual traditions born and developed in India, Tantra has been the most difficult to define. Almost everything about it-its major character...
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  • 21 February 2002
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An exploration of the sources of Tantra.

Among the many spiritual traditions born and developed in India, Tantra has been the most difficult to define. Almost everything about it-its major characteristics, its sources, its relationships to other religions, even its practices-are debated among scholars. In addition, Tantrism is not confined to any particular religion, but is a set of beliefs and practices that appears in a variety of religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. This book explores one of the most controversial aspects of Tantra, its sources or roots, specifically in regard to Hinduism. The essays focus on the history and development of Tantra, the art history and archaeology of Tantra, the Vedas and Tantra, and texts and Tantra. Using various disciplinary and methodological approaches, from history to art history and religious studies to textual studies, scholars provide both broad overviews of the beginnings of Tantra and detailed analyses of specific texts, authors, art works, and rituals.

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Price: £25.50
Pages: 280
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Imprint: SUNY Press
Series: SUNY series in Tantric Studies
Publication Date: 21 February 2002
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9780791453063
Format: Paperback
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List of Illustrations

Preface
Katherine Anne Harper


Introduction
Robert L. Brown


PART I: Overviews


1. What Do We Mean by Tantrism?
André Padoux


2. Early Evidence for Tantric Religion
David N. Lorenzen


PART II: The History and Development of Tantra


3. Historical and Iconographic Aspects of Sakta Tantrism
M. C. Joshi


4. Auspicious Fragments and Uncertain Wisdom: The Roots of Srividya Sakta Tantrism in South India
Douglas Renfrew Brooks


5. The Structural Interplay of Tantra, Vedanta, and Bhakti: Nondualist Commentary on the Goddess
Thomas B. Coburn


PART III: The Art History and Archaeology of Tantra


6. The Spinal Serpent
Thomas McEvilley


7. The Warring Saktis: A Paradigm for Gupta Conquests
Katherine Anne Harper


8. Early Evidence of the Pancaratra Agama
Dennis Hudson


PART IV: The Vedas and Tantra


9. Imagery of the Self from Veda to Tantra
Teun Goudriaan


10. Tongues of Flame: Homologies in the Tantric Homa
Richard K. Payne


PART V: The Texts and Tantra


11. Becoming Bhairava: Meditative Vision in Abhinavagupta's Paratrisika-laghuvrtti
Paul E. Muller-Ortega


12. Tantric Incantation in the Devi Purana: The Padamala Mantra Vidya
Lina Gupta


List of Contributors
Glossary
Index