Tantra of the Great Liberation [Paperback]

Arthur Avalon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Dover Pubns (February 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486201503
• ISBN-13: 978-0486201504
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,107,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a few gems in a difficult book; text better than the book, June 25, 2008

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tantra Of The Great Liberation (mahanirvana Tantra) (Paperback)

This Hindu Tantra shares the context of ancient Indian society with Buddhist Tantras. Thus, it addresses numerous gods & demons (p. 308 worships deified, anthropomorphic planets), is chauvinistic towards women, & p. 171 even decries instrumental music. One must either explore or ignore anachronistic superstitions/beliefs to appreciate the text--within its own context--not the 21st century. Similar to other religious books (e.g. the Bible), several strata are interlaced within the text . Firstly, a ritual manual replete with mudras, mantras, sacrifices, ceremonies, etc. ~ a medieval Grimoire; secondly a law book ~ its contemporary Talmud (e.g. p. 173: latent defects in a sale; rules of conduct, punishments). Third, is its metaphysics & philosophy ~ to Buddhism (no eternal torment in hell, stages of life: student-householder-retiree, mendicant, cycles of time--yugas/kalpas), Tantricism--turning poison into antidote, sacred value of wine, Raja Yoga channels/chakras, ancient Egypt (Ra & Ma mantras & p. 305: "The sun should be meditated upon as having 4 hands" per Akhnaton), Jewish Kabbalah (p. li: 5 bodily sheaths ~ 5 soul levels & dedication of sacrifices/food p. 121 n. 7 "to raise the beast" to "a higher state of existence" ~ raising the sparks), & Western philosophy/anthropology (Gunas ~ dialectics: thesis-antithesis-synthesis & p. 328 n. 8: "An explanation which has the air of a modern attempt to explain that the origin & significance of which has been forgotten")--per the religious life cycle.

Fourth is the Brahman stratum ~ Dzogchen (non-theistic/non-dual Vajrayana Buddhism common to the Japanese Shingon sect, Tibetan Nyingma School, & Tibetan Mahamudra--pp. 35-7, 192 n. 5, 348, & 356) which unceremoniously rejects the other strata as both inferior & ineffective in achieving liberation--p. 192 n. 5: "only non-dual knowledge liberates, & duality is inherent in ceremonial worship & p. 348: "Liberation does not come from recitation of mantras, sacrifice, or a 100 fasts; man becomes liberated by the knowledge that he himself is Brahman" [~ Kabbalah Ein Sof, Dzogchen Ground of Being, Mahamudra Mind Itself, & perhaps Egyptian Akhnaton's Aton, Martinist Omneity, Rosicrucian The Cosmic].

Thus, the text's inconsistency amongst the strata yields something for almost everyone--vs. just students of ancient texts. But, this book only includes the 1st 3rd of the Tantra, is very difficult to read & to rate. The translation is okay but many terms are either untranslated or only translated in the obtuse 140 page Introduction--to which readers are often merely referred--without page references. Footnotes are mainly translator notes vs. explanations. Sadly, there are no appendices, bibliography, glossary, or index. While no doubt an invaluable, detailed recording of Hindu rituals, this book, despite its text's diverse sprinkling of highly valuable gems, is IMHO of limited value to a modern, general reader.