Passionate enlightenment : women in Tantric Buddhism / Miranda Shaw
Entry/Object ID
BQ8915 .S53 1994
Description
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.
Contents: Chapter One. Seeking the Traces of Sky-Dancers -- Chapter Two. Tantric Buddhism in India: Religious and Historical Introduction -- Chapter Three. Women in Tantric Theory: Powerful and Auspicious -- Chapter Four. Women in Tantric Circles: Adepts and Experts -- Chapter Five. Women in Tantric History: Founders and Pioneers -- Chapter Six. Women in Tantric Relationships: Intimacy as a Path to Enlightenment -- Chapter Seven. Spontaneous Jewellike Yogini on Passion and Enlightenment -- Chapter Eight. Conclusions.
