The crowning cultural achievement of medieval India, Tantric Buddhism is known in the West primarily for the sexual practices of its adherents, who strive to transform erotic passion into spiritual ecstasy. Historians of religion have long held that the enlightenment thus attempted was for men only, and that women in the movement were at best marginal and subordinated and at worst degraded and exploited. Miranda Shaw argues to the contrary, presenting extensive new evidence of the outspoken and independent female founders of the Tantric movement and their creative role in shaping its distinctive vision of gender relations and sacred sexuality.
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This book is a welcome and wonderful addition to feminist scholarship on Buddhism, a rapidly growing endeavor. . . . Miranda Shaw's discussion of passion and intimacy as a path of practice is exemplary in its demonstration that such practices can only be undertaken by equals who share the same vision, the same aspiration for enlightenment, and the same training and meditative skills. (Rita Gross Shambhala Sun )
A feminist critique of a male (and Western) view of the Tantric tradition [and also] a balanced reassessment of a tradition too long misunderstood. (James George Parabola )
A feminist critique of a male (and Western) view of the Tantric tradition [and also] a balanced reassessment of a tradition too long misunderstood. (James George Parabola )
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This study by Miranda Shaw is a must for everyone trult interested in the finer aspects of Tantric Buddhism. The author thoroughly explores the role of women in the development of vajrayana and comes to the justified conclusion that women's role has been much greater than is usually admitted by both Tibetan AND Western scholars.
Rufus C. Camphausen
Rufus C. Camphausen
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
outstanding scholarship, very substantial teachings, spiritually tuned-in-- an amazing book
November 6, 2009
By roar99
Format:Paperback
This book is amazing. Shaw describes the content of the Tantric texts starting from an awareness of women's full participation in creating Tantric buddhism as a religious system. She reads the texts through the eyes of who the participants in Tantra really were and uncovers a ton of material about visualization practices, gender relations, enlightenment, and relationships between men and women. She is very sensitive to the interplay between religious texts, awareness practices, and social realities and really talks about Tantra as a religious construction meant to bring awareness within a particular social setting (a setting which is not that unfamiliar in certain tragic respects-- ie patriarchy). It was extremely satisfying to be introduced to the concept of "dakinis" with as much depth and poetry as she brings to her discussion.
I used a lot of the images and text in her book to do my own visualizations, with very powerful results in my own life. I think these Tantric buddhists are really on to something.
I am in a feminist episcopal community and a lot of her discussion about the way the metaphysics and theology of Tantra supported female enlightenment and full participation by women in this religious community, in a context of patriarchy, was illuminating. I can see in our own Christian community many of the dynamics she describes and this book helped shed light on various strategies for engaging those dynamics.
Much respect for the proud and fierce women who created the dakini images of Tantra-- and much respect for Miranda Shaw for writing with such depth and passion about such an important religious accomplishment. The level of commitment that was required to write a book with this kind of substance is amazing to contemplate. Thank you Dr. Shaw for bringing the fruits of your research to light, for the benefit of others.
I used a lot of the images and text in her book to do my own visualizations, with very powerful results in my own life. I think these Tantric buddhists are really on to something.
I am in a feminist episcopal community and a lot of her discussion about the way the metaphysics and theology of Tantra supported female enlightenment and full participation by women in this religious community, in a context of patriarchy, was illuminating. I can see in our own Christian community many of the dynamics she describes and this book helped shed light on various strategies for engaging those dynamics.
Much respect for the proud and fierce women who created the dakini images of Tantra-- and much respect for Miranda Shaw for writing with such depth and passion about such an important religious accomplishment. The level of commitment that was required to write a book with this kind of substance is amazing to contemplate. Thank you Dr. Shaw for bringing the fruits of your research to light, for the benefit of others.
41 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Many of the books I have read on Tantra are basically garbage. This one, however, is that jewel that makes it worth while sifting through the garbage. It is well written, well researched, and can be understood by westerners. I highly recommend it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A melhor apresentação sobre karmamudra yoga
Este é o melhor livro sobre a prática de karmamudra yoga. A autora fala com base no conhecimento dos tantras originais e dos textos secretos destinados a transmitir... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Yeshe Drukpa
5.0 out of 5 stars
the subject is reflected well
Half of he book is full of references to numerous scholars of tantrism; another half are all kind of proofs, that women in Buddhism are equal to men, as if anybody objects it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by rubinroma
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
See all 100 books citing this book
- The Blue Annals (Two parts in One) (Pt. 1 & 2) by George N. Roerich on 16 pages
- The Tantric Tradition by Agehananda Bharati on 7 pages
- Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists & Their Tibetan Successors by David Snellgrove on 6 pages
- Yoga: Immortality and Freedom (Bollingen Series, Vol. LVI) by Mircea Eliade on 5 pages
- Tantric View of Life by Herbert V. Guenther on 4 pages
See all 100 books this book cites
- Buddhist Goddesses of India by Miranda Shaw on 7 pages
- Kiss of the Yogini: "Tantric Sex" in its South Asian Contexts by David Gordon White on 5 pages
- Buddhist Women on the Edge: Contemporary Perspectives from the Western Frontier by Marianne Dresser on 5 pages
- The Economics of Ecstasy: Tantra, Secrecy and Power in Colonial Bengal by Hugh B. Urban on 4 pages
- Courtesans and Tantric Consorts: Sexualities in Buddhist Narrative, Iconography, and Ritual by Serinity Young on page 145, page 147, and page 176
See all 100 books citing this book
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