The Ecstasy of Enlightenment: Teaching of Natural Tantra

by Thomas Cleary

The Ecstasy of Enlightenment is an inside look at the spiritual world of Tantra--one of themost sophisticated, alluring, and controversial forms of Buddhism. Cleary unlocks the mysteries of the Carya-Giti, a collections of teachings by more than twenty famous Siddhas, or Tantric adepts, who lived during the illustrius Pala dynasty of old Bengal. These teachings emanate from one of the most dynamic sources of international Buddhism, at the height of its religious development, and as such, they are completely nonsectarian. Particularly noteworth is Cleary's demonstration of the parallels between Tantric Buddhism in Old Bengal and the original Zen Buddhism of China.

232 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

Dr. Thomas Francis Cleary, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley), was a prolific translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, with a particular emphasis on popular translations of Mahāyāna works relevant to the Chan, Zen, and Soen systems.

Reviews

[Jimmy Ele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read. Especially refreshing for learning the methodology of emptiness contemplation. My psychological faculties and mind felt thoroughly refreshed after engaging in this practice. Highly recommended for anyone attempting to understand the depths of the Buddha's enlightenment into the nature of reality and the human mind.