Customer Reviews

Tantric Quest: An Encounter with Absolute Love

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have to say that most books on Tantra have been a disappointment to me. For this reason I have been more interested in Taoism. So it was a pleasure to read a book called "Tantric Quest" by Daniel Odier published by Bantam Books 1997. Which to me was more about what I feel that Tantra should be.

Daniel Odier is a Frenchman who went to India in 1968 to search for enlightenment. While there he became intrigued by stories of secret Tantric masters. He set out to find such a master but didn't find one and in the end gave up. Then by chance he stayed at a remote village to find peace a quiet and discovered a Tantric female master lived on the outskirts of the village. He then managed to persuade her to become her pupil.

The sub-title of this book is; "An Encounter with Absolute Love". And I found it to be a very good book in expressing spiritual love. It reflects the teachings in the Tao-Te-Ching that we cannot find spiritual love and understanding from books, traditions, dogmas or rituals. We have to search for this within ourselves.

I have always been attracted to Tantra because it says we can make sex into a divine and sacred act. Although I found this sexual initiation into Tantra with the Female master interesting. I still feel there is more that can be understood about this. The Female Master did say that as Tantra has no set rituals and dogmas, every Tantra initiation is different. So I personally feel that different lovers working together are able to create their own Tantra. By listening to the voice of the Goddess within themselves, and finding ways of meditating together or using different spiritual exercises during the sexual act.

That is what the essance of Tantra is. Daniel Odier writes about his search to find a Master to recieve this ancient and secretive teaching from. On the verge of giving up he retreats to a small village in India where, almost seemingly by accident, he finds a great Yogini Tantric Master, Devi, in the forest. She agrees to take him on as a student and so begins Daniel's immersion into a whole new way of experiencing the world.

The transmission of Tantric tradition is very personal. Devi puts Daniel through a variety of tests to strengthen the bond and trust between them. She warns him at the outset of this journey that doubts about himself, anger and even hatred of her could manifest during their work together. As Daniel progresses, and the master/student bond is solidified, Devi's teachings become more deep and subtle. The final part of his time spent with Devi involves his initiation into the Tantric ritual sex, the joining of Shiva and Shakti, causing the rising of the Kundalini(a sacred spiritual force that purifies the body for deeper spiritual attainment).

Daniel not only shares his experience of Devi and what she taught him, but tells how he came back to the 'real world' to use what he learned. Not always an easy task.

A fairly good book, a beautiful story of the student/master relationship, and it's not too wordy either. A basic knowlege of Hinduism is a real plus when reading this.

It says a lot about the personal qualities of Daniel Odier that he was accepted by a skilful teacher from a true tradition of Tantra, and was also able to pursue the teaching, over years of practice, to its realization.

Mystical sex is certainly a part of this book -- Odier makes no secret of this interest as he begins his quest -- but as his learning continues, he and his search grow beyond it. The story is both fascinating and inspiring. When finally he is given his sexual initiation, he has abandoned the sexual quest, so that what he actually receives is an initiation into absolute love. Paradoxically, it is only at this point that he can truly enter the sexual experience -- and truly enter, as well, every other experience of human life.

Although some may wonder if it all really happened, the story rings true because it continually relates the struggle to overcome the ego. The absolute love of Odier's teacher allows her to place her willing but unsuspecting student, time after time, in exactly the situation which will push his ego to its limits. He must give up grabby goals, self-preservation and mental chatter each time. His ultimate reward is the awareness of this love: the great goal of the mystic, a union with all that exists. There are parallels with Buddhist meditation teachings, and the story also recalls certain words of the Bible, for example that perfect love casts out fear, or that we must lose the world in order to gain the Kingdom.

Through it all, the key is perfect awareness of the present moment, inner and outer. There is certainly sex in the book, including a wonderful (and discreet) description of a Tantric sex act which demystifies the subject for Westerners who have only had the works of non-initiates to read up to now. (Western students of tantra-sex who have attended workshops will recall learning to become more fully present to themselves and their partners.) Daniel Odier's story offers this and far more, not only sex but also the constant partners of sex: life, death and above all love.

I read the original French version, but the English translation is also very clear.

I read this book while commuting on the bus and it was like going into a peaceful bubble amidst the chaos of traffic and noise. It was very refreshing and the translated version has free-flowing verbage that recalls meditation. The best part of the book is the end when the author tells of his reintegration into "normal" society and his problems adjusting leading to eventual overcoming of these problems. This made the ideas in the book less unattainable by people who cannot seem to get enough vacation time from life to travel to Tibet and become enlightened.

Although the book is brief, it seems to contain all the salient points of what tantricism is really all about. It reads like a blend of story, fable, and philosophy while presenting some intriguing tidbits for practical application. Definitely a book that can be read over and over to gain further insight. I was surprised that the author wrote the book that was the basis for the movie 'Diva'. I loved the movie when I saw it years ago, now I have to see it again.

The book was a real inspiration to me. It is moving and well written. (I read OV in French - the book's author is a writer and novelist.) The blend of an intense, passionate Tantric adventure with more technical teachings is very didactic I believe. To what I know, the story is authentic, not fiction at all, and written by a genuine, humble master who teaches in Paris. Merci Daniel Odier!

In this story of his personal spiritual quest to find a Tantric master, Odier, a young man, wanders through India where an unusual, sometimes disastrous, sequence of events leads him deep in the forest to yogini Lalita Devi. Over a period of months, Odier undergoes a series of trials, tests, and rituals of purification that culminate in a sacred sex initiation in which he experiences the awakening of the kundalini, and the joining of the divine forces of Shiva and Shakti.

This book is a great read. It works as a story, as instruction, and as literature. Can't recommend it highly enough.

A must read for any serious student of Tantra of any "line" or "school"! Not exactly a "how to" book but a purely "what is Tantra" book, whereby you can draw your own conclusions and develop your own practice!

Well-written, entertaining, enlightening read of a remarkable tale. Highly recommended. (I think it's a great book for 20-somethings to read, too. I know, not all of them will be ready for it, but for some it will resonate and broaden their spiritual horizons.)