Tantra: The path of Ecstasy

by Georg Feuerstein

Tantra( Path of Ecstasy) <> Paperback <> GeorgFeuerstein <> ShambhalaPublications

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Hinduism, Religion, Sexuality, India

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Georg A. Feuerstein was an Indologist and, according to his associate Ken Wilber, among the foremost Westerns scholar-practitioners of yoga. After doing his postgraduate research at Durham University in England, he moved to the United States, eventually settling in Canada with his wife and sometime co-author Brenda.

Reviews

[Kumari de Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the reviewers on Amazon caution this is not a "how-to" as does the author in his introduction. If you want to learn tantric yoga you must find a true teacher, learn in person - usually for a period spanning many years if not decades. This is meant to be a book about tantra. And it is a very good one, covering the history not only of Tantra but the history of how it has come to the West.

I found this book refreshingly informative when compared to most yoga books published in the last 5 years. With the popularity of yoga comes the populace of books on the subject. Though each advance is full of seductive click bait, most modern books do not deliver. They cover the history of yoga in ten pages or less of vague claims - emphasizing mostly how hard it is to get information. With the rest of the book dedicated in equal parts to how the author came to yoga, how the author is good with students, and a few sequences or pranayama practices. In short, modern books tend to be vehicles for marketing workshops or retreats with the author.

By contrast, although Feurstein admits he practices yoga, has since he was child there is very little on what his journey in yoga has been and none on how to take a tantric workshop with him. Bravo. The book was easier for me to read than Arthur Avalon (who so liberally sprinkled his work with untranslated, italicized, Sanskrit words.) This book introduces a Sanskrit term, then follows with a lengthy translation/explanation.

Some readers on Amazon complain the work is dry, boring or hard to read - I can't comment on "boring." I mean if you're just not interested in Tantra, then yes, it would be boring. There's not one pose described, lol. But if you are interested in history, philosophy, religion and spirituality this book strips yoga clear of "inner child" type fascinations, bringing it back to the practice in its natural state. As for the language, I observe language has changed more in the last 5 years than it has in the previous 70. If your brain has gotten used to a steady diet of twitter feed, Facebook poses, on-line news that reads like a blog this book is like a time machine back to when essayists used full sentences and footnotes, sources and index.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is could be the best introduction to Tantra available. The style of the author is easy to understand which makes for light reading. A clear distinction is made between authentic initiatic Tantra and deviations of Neo-Tantrism or pseudo-Tantrism. The reader is presented with the main metaphysical and cosmological doctrines necessary for a correct understanding of the essence of Tantra. He also makes very clear distinctions between Tantra and other schools of Hinduism. Also presented are chapters on specific features of Tantra such as the role of the guru, initiation, discipleship, yoga, ritual, sadhana, mantra, mudra, and also the so-called "forbidden" practices which are usually associated with Tantra by people in the West. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like authentic information concerning this fascinating tradition.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georg is the man. What a great writer and a fabulous scholar. A must-read for yoga geeks.

[Jamie Zigelbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I asked a friend who has studied and taught Tantra for over 10 years to recommend a book concerning Tantra's deep underlying concepts. He cautioned me not to attempt to learn Tantra from a book, and that's worth repeating here -- maps are not the territory, and Tantra is outside the scope of written language. Feuerstein writes in the intro that Tantra stands for "'continuum,' the seamless whole that comprises both transcendence and immanence, Reality and reality, Being and becoming, Consciousness and mental consciousness, Infinity and finitude, Spirit and matter, Transcendence and immanence, or, in Sanskrit terminology, nirvāna and samsāra."

This book does a wonderful job providing an overview of this 1500 year old esoteric wisdom tradition as it's emerged in the Hindu Tradition (it's found in other traditions, such as Vajrayana Buddhism, as well).

Notes
Tantra is distinct in its balance, particularly in how masculine and feminine energies are honored and handled. Emptiness is not better than form, manifestation and the body are enjoyed and inquired into with the same devotion as emptiness and the mind.

It's likely Tantra was initiated by female adepts and women have featured prominently in its evolution and teaching.

Tantrikas don't see the body, emotion, and sexuality as a handicap or something to avoid, instead they are welcomed as an opportunity to attain liberation more quickly. Tantra includes Hatha yoga, has its own forms of therapy, and embodies the world's most profound understanding of human sexuality.

Tantra is about living in the full moment, being present to what emerges in every facet of experience: pain, pleasure, wisdom, desire, etc. In its complete form it is perfect spontaneity where each sensation, thoughts, or desire is felt fully without any attachment to an outcome.

Quotes
Page 8:
"What is so special about the Tantric teachings that they should serve the spiritual needs of the dark age better than all other approaches? In many ways, the Tantric methods are similar to nonTantric practices. What is strikingly different about them is their inclusiveness and the radical attitude with which they are pursued. A desperate person will grasp for a straw, and seekers in the kali-yuga are, or should be, desperate. From the vantage point of a spiritual heritage extending over several thousand years, the Tantric masters at the beginning of the common era realized that the dark age calls for especially powerful techniques to break through lethargy, resistance, and attachment to conventional relationships and worldly things, as well as to deal with the lack of understanding. Looking at the available means handed down from teacher to student through countless generations, they acknowledged that these required a purity and nobility of character that people of the dark age no longer possess. To help humanity in the kali-yuga, the Tantric adepts modified the old teachings and created a new repertoire of practices. Their orientation can be summed up in two words: Anything goes. Or, at least, almost anything."

Page 44:
"What does this mean? It is clearly not the naive perspective that looks upon ordinary life as if it were paradise. No delusion or selfdeception is involved here. Rather, the formula "samsāra equals nirvāna" implies a total cognitive shift by which the phenomenal world is rendered transparent through superior wisdom. No longer are things seen as being strictly separated from one another, as if they were insular realities in themselves, but everything is seen together, understood together, and lived together. Whatever distinctions there may be, these are variations or manifestations of and within the selfsame Being. As Lama Anagarika Govinda explained:"
"“Thus, good and bad, the sacred and the profane, the sensual and the spiritual, the worldly and the transcendental, ignorance and Enlightenment, samsāra and nirvāna, etc., are not absolute opposites, or concepts of entirely different categories, but two sides of the same reality.""

Page 57:
"If we aspire to lasting happiness, which coincides with our full awakening in enlightenment, we must pay attention to our bodily existence here and now. All too frequently spiritual seekers look for ultimate fulfillment apart from their corporeal existence. And all too frequently they end up not in genuine states of higher being and consciousness but in mental states conjured by the power of imagination, which of course are neither liberating nor ultimately satisfying."
"By contrast, Tantra takes the body seriously**-not in the sense of granting it a finality that it does not have, but in understanding it as **the ground for all higher realizations."

Page 60:
"Significantly, Tantra asks us to go beyond the traditional stance of the cool, utterly detached observer of all our experiences. It recommends the more refined position of witnessing while at the same time understanding that observer and observed are not ultimately distinct. The Tantric approach is to see all life experiences as the play of the same One. Whether positive or negative, all experiences are embedded in absolute joy, the great delight (mahā-sukha) of Reality. When we have understood that what we dread the most-be it loss of health, property, relationships, or life itself-is not occurring to us but within our larger being, we begin to see the tremendous humor of embodiment. This insight is truly liberating."

Page 75:
"Accomplished tāntrikas generally enjoy greatly enhanced sensory and mental capacities, and therefore their testimony about the hidden or subtle aspects of existence carries weight. They all agree not only that the material world is a fraction of what there actually is but also that it constitutes the lowest vibratory level of cosmic existence. For them Parama-Shiva, the all-encompassing Being, is both utterly transcendental (vishva-uttīrna, written vishvottīrna) and immanent or "world shaped" (vishva-maya). The ultimate Reality is unfathomable creative vibration (spanda), the basis for all distinct vibrations composing the countless objects of the subtle and the material realms. David Bohm, one of the finest minds in modern physics, described reality as movement that occurs as "a series of interpenetrating and intermingling elements in different degrees of enfoldment all present together."" This comes very close to the Tantric notion of Reality, which is omnipresent vibrancy. What is missing from Bohm's definition, though, is that this dynamic Being is supremely conscious."

Page 143:
"In their spiritual ascent to the ultimate One, Tantric yogins and yoginīs progressively intensify their awareness, thus enabling them to experience ever more subtle realms of existence. At the material level, we experience the body as separate from its environment. In the higher levels of existence, however, the boundaries between body and environment become increasingly blurred, and the primordial body is coextensive with the universe itself. In other words, at the highest level of corporeality, we literally are the world. At that level we are truly omnipresent as well as omniscient. The further down we step in the ladder of psychocosmic evolution, the more pronounced the split between consciousness, body, and environment becomes."

Page 226:
"It was this body-positive orientation among tāntrikas that also prompted them to adopt a new attitude toward sexuality, emotions, and the female gender. Instead of seeing in them a danger or handicap, the initiates of Tantra welcomed them as an opportunity to attain liberation more quickly. More than that, it looks increasingly likely that the main initiators into the esoteric world of Tantra were originally not male but female adepts. This helps us understand why the tāntrikas should have held women in high esteem ever since. They are seen as manifestations of the divine Shakti, Shiva's consort, the feminine aspect of the ultimate Reality."

Page 241:
"WORSHIPING THE GODDESS IN THE FORM OF A WOMAN"
"The heart of the left-hand and Kaula sādhanā is the ritual of twinning, or maithunā, in which a male and a female practitioner enact the divine intercourse between Shiva and Shakti. Typically but not invariably this ritual is performed in a group setting and then is called cakra-pūjā (wheel worship) or rasa-cakra (wheel of essence/juice). The word cakra refers to the fact that male and female practitioners engage in ritual sexual intercourse while sitting in a circle around the guru partner. The guru is known as the "lord of the wheel" (cakraand his Ishvara, written cakreshvara). He is the steady axis and anchor point for all the energies unleashed during the ritual. The male participant is bypically called bhairava and the female participant is known as bhairavī-in honor of Shiva and Shakti respectively, who are both territying" (bhīra) to the ordinary mortal but infinitely beautiful to the initiate."

Page 251:
"While Tantra concurs that suffering is undesirable, it does not subscribe to the simplistic belief of the verticalist traditions that pleasure (kāma) is intrinsically wrong or evil. Rather, it views the natural human impetus to avoid painful experiences and encounter pleasurable experiences in a new, broader context. Pleasure, the tāntrikas realized, is a manifestation of the ultimate bliss, which is an inalienable part of our true nature. Put differently, our search for pleasure is, in the final analysis, a quest for the bliss of the Self (ātman). There is nothing wrong with pleasure as such. It is merely too limited, a minuscule trickle of the delight that is the energy packed into every single atom of existence. Moreover, pleasure is frustratingly temporary, and therefore it tends to make addicts out of us, for we want to recapture pleasurable moments again and again. This pursuit enslaves all of us to one degree or another and thus is a form of suffering all its own. Either we become addicted to pleasure or we become addicted to the struggle for recovering an authentic state free from suffering. In either case we obscure our intrinsic freedom and bliss."
"The Tantric path is a genuine middle path that, at least ideally, cultivates the natural (sahaja) state lying beyond all naive ideas about pleasure and pain. Tantra seeks to expand into daily life those sacred moments in which we are in touch with a larger truth, a greater sense of being, just as it endeavors to expand ordinary moments of pleasure die point where they reveal their true face, which is bliss."

[Bob Couchenour · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot more to Tantra than sex. Reading this would leave one with an impression that ritual is a basic fundamental of Tantric practice, and to an extent, it is. There is implied value to practices “Westerners” might find objectionable, the reliance on the “guru”, and the discipline of yogic exercise, but these are intended to purge one of self-limiting natures. Yet there is room implied, and as I have garnered from other esoteric spiritual traditions, which transcends the ritualistic. And it is this transcendental aspect which is the real objective of Tantra. True, sexual practice and sexual worship sacraments are elemental, but ‘Western’ desires to simply find means to experience a better orgasm, are not primary. Transcending conventional moral limits, experiencing ecstatic states, becoming one with the divine, the root of reality, these are the fruits of Tantra.

Reading this as a “literalist” would leave one discouraged, but with an ability to perceive the depth of the truth expressed, value garnered supports notions of truth found across the spectrum of faiths.

[Rodrigo d'Orey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Lots of information and very engaging. Not a practical book in the sense that one will get any tips on what or how to practice but the essentials of the tantrik tradition and some history is explained well enough for those who finds themselves a bit confused with what is Tantra or what are the differences between yoga i.e. Raja Yoga and Tantra. Like Osho says: "Yoga is suppression with awareness; Tantra is indulgence with awareness". Tantra is a huge subject and very esoteric at its core so for those who are just getting to know the subject it can appear very daunting and confusing to say the least. This book goes a long way helping clarify what it is and what its practices are about. Better suited for those who are quite familiar with hinduism, yoga etc.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many misconceptions about Tantra, due to the brand of neo-Tantrism that makes it to the West, that writing a book about it must be a challenge. This author is not an adept, as he makes clear, but a researcher, and he does his best to lay it out for the reader in a scholarly way. Since, to be accepted as a student by a real Tantric guru, one would need to be an adept on one of the more usual Buddhist or Hindu paths, I will probably never get a much better look at this path than this book affords. Simply put, Tantra teaches that this world is only an entrapping illusion if we think it is all there is. Of itself, it is an expression of divinity. Recommended.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This text is really a Buddhist primer to classical Tantra. Fueurstein is a Buddhist and so is this book's publisher. It's interesting how Feuerstein weaves Buddhism into the book and even encourages the reader to find modern Tantric practices offered by Buddism, but really does not dare to compare Hindu Tantric practices with Buddhist ones. This is probably the case because the conversation about Hindu and Buddhist traditions informing each other along the lines of shared texts, teachers, and practices would be heresy (for the publisher, no doubt). Otherwise, there is nearly zero reference to the work and lineage from Abhinavagupta, the Tantric-Hindu polymath who cleared the path for modern Hindu-Tantric practice within the Trika system. This "historic" oversight really quite literally staunches this text's usefulness if not making it questionable. Funnily enough, without lurking in Tantra's bibliography for further connections, Fueurstein's overt sexual tone and awkward generalization of "horizontalism" only reinforces that Hindu Tantra is misuse of human sexual energy... the very thing that he chastises early Western Neo-Tantric traditions for. In my mind Hindu Tantra is more about weaving myth into the fabric of life.

+1 for providing lists of Sanskrit terms and definitions.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book strikes me as a great middle-point within its field of study, clearer and better than many of its antecedents, but suffering from the same issue: there wasn’t enough research done yet, or western sanskritist scholars who could deliver an accurate enough picture of Tantra by having access and awareness enough of its primary texts.

By no means do I have the authority to make bold claims, but more recent scholarship seems very clearly to supersede this text, both in terms of thoroughness and and depth. For anyone genuinely interested in Tantra, I’d just point you to Tantra Illuminated, by Christopher Wallis and let you judge for yourself.

I’m still glad I read this and think it has value, but I finished it feeling fairly certain what I claim above: more accurate, thorough work has now been done that offers a foundational understanding of what Tantra is and where it comes from. This book was an important stepping stone along the way.

[Äsruþr Cyneaþsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent work. Covering an array of esoteric aspects within Tantra, the work also expands to explain alternative views within other yogic and Hindu systems as well as an examination of the left and right hand path variants of Tantra itself. The sections upon Shiva, Kali, the raising of the Kundalini and the magical application of techniques towards the deification and liberation of the self are essential reading for those upon any variant of the LHP. Heathens/Asatruar will also find a great simile with Shiva/Shakti and Odin/Frigg here. An excellent primer and guide to an immensely deep and complex subject. Oh and for those that assume so -- the work rapidly distances itself from the Western Neo-Tantra that is little more than a sex cult. This work looks at the real Tantra.

[Clodia Metelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

An approachable and stimulating introduction to a fascinating, complex and mysterious subject.

Although informative, this is very much not a how-to book, peppered as it is with warnings of the 'do not try this at home' variety.

The book makes it clear that it is only skimming the surface of what can be understood about traditional Tantra, an ancient mystical technology which, due to its sexual elements, has been largely interpreted in the West as being merely focused on achieving sexual ecstasy while being outside the pale of respectability in normative Hinduism so that modern practitioners in India tend to be underground and little known.

[Morgan Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great overview of Tantra and does a good job of helping the reader to understand this complex set of traditions and dispelling myths related thereto. I'd heard this book was excessively dry and academic, but I found it accessible yet thorough. I highly recommend it as an introduction to Tantra (which is a more diverse set of practices than most people expect and therefore can only be introduced and touched upon in a single text).

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't about the sex. :-) It's about the history and practice of Tantra, which started off what has become Hatha Yoga (the physical exercises). I like how it clearly outlines how the Tantric philosophy differs from other yogic/Hindu philosophies in that creation is not considered evil, but a critical channel to the divine. Oh, and women/the feminine aren't bad, either.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outstanding overview of Tantra. There is obviously so much more to Tantra than commonly thought. Well organized and very readable. At the same time, I get the clear impression that the author has just scratched the surface.

[Netanel Miles-Yepez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the tantric tradition, well structured and thoroughly discussed. Probably the best introduction to the subject available.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the beginning with the possible history of traditional and tantric paths. A scholarly and well done book.

[John Div · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear cut introduction to tantra. Written in a simple language and easy to grasp. Anyone taking the path of tantra may find the basic and fundamental facts and information in this book

[J.L. Vélez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! This is a great introduction to Tantra from all points of view.

As vast as Tantra is this book tries to give a good birds-eye view of several tantra traditions which is not easy. Feuerstein takes us in a tour through many traditions giving all the necessary theory to at least have the general knowledge about what Tantra is and what it's not, just enough to set us up for our own investigations.

What is not in the book? Well don't expect any practices per-se as Tantra is an initiatory practice and even if they were described in here, they wouldn't have any power in them, but it does contain all the tools to be able to understand more or less what is going on during a Tantric ritual.

What else is not in there? Sex. Well there is just one chapter about the sexual practices but as you may already or may not already know, sex is not the basis of Tantra. Intense identification with the deities is. If you want to know more about this, then this is a book for you.

Buy it/read it if you are looking for a really good explanation of the concepts and a heavy but savvy reading.

Drop it if you want a book of "Neo-Tantra" or "Sexual Tantra" which is not really Tantra in my opinion, but to each its own.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feuerstein’s ‘Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy’ is an intuitive and intellectual consideration of the often - misconstrued spiritual tradition of Tantra. Unlike popularized notions that reduce Tantra to mere sexual practices, Feuerstein presents a well-researched account of its chronological, philosophical, and spiritual dimensions. The book investigates into Tantra’s origins in India, its sacred texts, rituals, and meditative disciplines. Feuerstein highlights the spiritual purpose of Tantra—self-transformation and union with the divine—rather than its exaggerated aspects. His writing is compressed yet accessible, making multifaceted ideas comprehensible without oversimplification. For serious seekers of authentic Tantra, this book serves as an excellent primer, offering depth without being esoteric. However, those looking for a more experiential guide may find it more academic than practical. Overall, Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand Tantra beyond the clichés, through the lens of a treasured scholar. Give it a try.

[Mindfulnessmyttymuhveli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tantrasta on vaikea löytää hyvää kirjaa, joka ruotisi perinteen filosofista ja historiallista taustaa ilman sortumatta joko liialliseen mystiikan nostatukseen tai seksinkatkuiseen käpälöintiin: Feuersteinin kirja onnistuu tässä hyvin.

Kirja on varsin oppikirjamainen katsaus tantran historiaan, syntyyn ja keskeisimpiin ajatusrakenteisiin. Toki näihin kirjan anti sitten jääkin, mikä ei miellytä lukijaa, joka tahtoisi kenties tietää -jos ei nyt suoraan seksiin liittyvien harjoitusten ohjeita- niin edes tarkempia kuvauksia tai noviisi-tason ohjeita meditaatioihin tai muihin harjoitteisiin. Historiallispainotteisesta katsauksestaan huolimatta kirjan luki mielellään ja sujuvasti, ja kirjan luettua tietää ja tajuaa tästäkin aiheesta taas enemmän.

[Joseph Lofthouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is academic. An anthropology, written by someone that claims, in the book, to not practice Hindu tantra. While it covers many aspects of tantric practices and beliefs, it does it without heart, feeling, or energy. I am put-off by it's constant claim that tantra can only be experienced by hierarchical in-person oral transmission from guru to seeker.

[Lisa Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really didn't have much of an interest in this topic - This book was required for me to finish Yoga Teacher/Therapy school.

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on Tantra for the western reader who has no experience with this eastern path

[David Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to the views of Tantrism, in comparison with Hinduism and Buddhism.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parte chiaro e con uno scopo ben definito e poi si perde..
non so.

[Mark Fiorentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on all fronts.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Overall a pretty good general primer to Indian Tantra. Could have provided a little bit more nuance between the original Shaivasts and the later Vedics versions of Tantra rather than treating them as exactly the same tradition in his historical contextualizations though.

Tantra Illuminated by Christopher Wallis is a much better primer for breaking down Tantrik metaphysics and thus a better recommendation over this book for someone new to these traditions but this is still worth the read in its own right. Feuerstein gives a better sense of how Tantra is practiced today as Wallis is more concerned with the medieval form when it was ingrained into mainstream Indian society to a much greater degree.

[Allan Susoeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY hard read, but so worth it in terms of information.

[Aahana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far from perfect but still a solid introduction Shaivite-Shakta and the later broader Hindu tantras

[Michael Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a lot from this book because I was just starting to read about Eastern Philosophy. It touches on a lot of different aspects of the far eastern practices and belief systems.