Customer Reviews

Tantric Techniques

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Essentially a companion to Hopkins's earlier work "Deity Yoga" (originally published as "The Yoga of Tibet") it describes the generation stage process of visualization and identification with a deity.

An important part of the book is the detailed Avalokiteshvara sadhana, pieced together from Tsongkhapa's work. It's a shame that the reader has to refer to the photographs of the seals (mudras) in "Deity Yoga" when they probably should have been included here.

I can recommended this book, but not as an introduction or stand-alone beginner's guide to the subject. The main problem is Hopkins's ponderous writing style, present in all his books that I have read. Often he appears deliberately obscure, perhaps a scholarly affectation. Writers such as Glenn Mullin and Alexander Berzin are much more adept at explaining these subjects. "Tantric Techniques" also includes a lot of needless repetition.

I have the bias of not liking Jeffrey Hopkins style of translation. Especially the translation of "Calm abiding" as a reference to samatha meditation. When I am practicing jhana or Mo Chao I would not say that I am abiding in calmness. Calm is not the idiom that refers to a state that is moving towards equanimity and serenity. Samatha means Concentration or serenity so could be translated in these terms as well. One has to wonder when reading Hopkins translations if he is really a practitioner at all. As his translations are pedantic, lack accurate idioms and feeling. They are not written as if by one who really tried to explain meditation practices that he has done.
They are generally useful only for scholars but not for new practitioners. I have been practicing for 20 years and I still get nothing from his books and have taken to avoiding them because he cannot seem to put across the practices in a manner that is motivating, simple and easy to access. I am no scholar of Tibetan or Sanskrit but As Tibetan Buddhism and Lamas are relying on westerners for good translations in order to preserve thier dying traditions, it is sad and unfortunate that Jefferey Hopkins still continues to translate and publish books that are so unuseful for someone looking to simply sit down and learn how to use a tangkha for diety yoga. If your looking for good translations of Tibetan Buddhist literature go for Glen Mullens books or anyone else for that matter.

Deity yoga is the idea of imagining oneself as an ideal being endowed with compassion and wisdom, with the goal of imagining being a Buddha, to get closer to achieving Buddhahood. TANTRIC TECHNIQUES offers a system of Tantric meditation and offers a synthesis of three Tibetan authors on the topic of deity yoga. Tibetan Buddhist scholar Jeffrey Hopkins creates an outstanding survey here recommended for any new age library strong in Buddhist thinking.

great overview of one branch of lamaism, deep research. it is useful to understand bases of mental practices. It is a must reading for seekers