Tantric Traditions: Gods, Rituals, & Esoteric Teachings in the Kali Yuga - Softcover

Taunton, Gwendolyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0994595891 ISBN 13: 9780994595898

Publisher: Manticore Press, 2018

Synopsis

Tantra. The word conjures forth a million images - including sex, transgressive practices, and the occult. But how accurate are these portrayals, and how do they compare to actual Tantric practices in India? To the casual observer, Tantra appears to partake of an oppositional role in regard to Vedic teachings, but this conceals a much more conservative core, for the Tantric traditions actually strive to reinforce their Vedic heritage. The Tantras are believed to be the appropriate teaching in the Kali Yuga, and understanding the role that the Kali Yuga plays in Tantric traditions is absolutely vital to interpreting the nature of Tantra itself. Contrary to being opposed to Vedic teachings, Tantra is actually an extension of them - it is a reinterpretation of the Vedas for the modern era.

In addition to explaining the complex role Tantra plays within the larger corpus of Hinduism, Tantric Traditions also examines the way in which Tantra is linked to sacred geographical locations, and provides explanations on the nature of Siva, the Devi, the role of the Traditionalist School in the export of Tantric traditions to the West, and reveals secret mantra techniques.

Furthermore, Tantric Traditions provides details on magical and esoteric practices from authentic Tantric occult texts such as the Mantramahodadhi of Mahidara (c.1588 CE) and the Vinasikhatantra, both of which make even the most infamous European Grimoires look totally harmless by comparison.


CONTENTS
Introduction

PART I 
Gods, Sacred Sites, & the Kali Yuga

Shiva: Naṭarāja, Śankara, & Higher Consciousness
Nataraja | Shankara | Yoga | Shamanism

The Devi: From Satī to Kālī
Sati | Parvati | Durga | Kali | Draupadi

Topographical Religiosity
Kashi | Tirtha-Yatra | Shakta Pithas

Tantra, the Kali Yuga, and the Occidental Traditionalist
Kali Yuga | Yuga Sastra | Traditionalism 
PART II 
Origins, Rituals, & Esoteric Teachings

The Point of Origin
Definition | History | Rta | Dharma | Kali Yuga

Sacred Transgression
Power | Impurity | Left Hand Path | Right Hand Path 

Lexicographical Gnoseology
Bhaskararaya | Abhinavagupta | Mantra Encryption |  Formulas | Rasa | Philosophy of Sound

Magico-Religious Practices
Charms | Siddhi | Mantramahodadhi of Mahidhara | Vinasikhatantra | Alchemy | Magical Practices

Appendix I
Occult Formula

Appendix II
Tables of Correspondences

About this title

From the Author

The Tantras are believed to be the Śāstra of the Kali Yuga, and understanding the role that the Kali Yuga plays in Tantric traditions is absolutely vital to interpreting the nature of Tantra itself. Contrary to being opposed to Vedic teachings, Tantra is merely an extension of them - a reinterpretation of the Veda for modern man. 
Despite Tantra attracting a wide range of colorful personas such as Aleister Crowley and the 'Omnipotent Oom', none of them actually implemented any esoteric practices based on famous Tantric occult texts such as the Mantramahodadhi of Mahidara (c.1588 CE) or the Vīṇāśikhatantra. In addition to attracting the attention of Western occultists, Tantrism has also deeply penetrated the Traditionalist school, and led to the Kali Yuga becoming a core component of Western perennial philosophy.

About the Author

Gwendolyn Taunton was born in Queensland, Australia and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Gwendolyn has an extensive background in Philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, Information Technology, and teaching. In 2009 she won the $10,000 Ashton Wylie Award for Literary Excellence for her first book Primordial Traditions. She has previously been employed as a web designer, a computer programmer, general IT slave to university professors, and a teacher. Gwendolyn now runs her own businesses in jewellery, publishing, and property investment. In her spare time, she listens to obscure music, watches horror films, ventures out into the wildness with indigenous Australian fauna, and is an amateur herpetologist.

She was in Christchurch for both the 2010 Canterbury Earthquakes and the cycle of aftershocks it produced, which culminated in the devastating 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Having experienced constant shaking and rumbling for a year, Gwendolyn decided to return to her country of birth and has been happily residing in Australia ever since.

Gwendolyn's natural habit is a spacious home in rural Australia, filled with books, exotic plants, and bizarre antiquities. She is fiercely individualistic, is not a team player, and does not support any political ideology which enforces conformity of opinion, irrespective of whether it is Left or Right Wing.

Edition details

• Publisher: Manticore Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0994595891
• ISBN 13: 9780994595898
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 248