Let me clarify that here “worship” means—at the very least—the actual evocation of the power of the Deity and interaction with it. More commonly, it means becoming that deity through techniques of ritualized meditation and/or meditative ritual, either temporarily or as part of a process by which any perception of difference between oneself and the

associated with a specific religious tradition, the religion of Śiva-Śakti, also known as Shaivism, the dominant religion of India throughout the medieval period.

But, and this can hardly be said too many times, ānanda is simply the chief by-product of realization, it is not the goal of the path, and it is not more divine than anything else. If you think otherwise, you will starting grasping after it and building a new “spiritual” self-image around it, and then you are caught again. Probably the greatest

Therefore, this book, though it focuses on Śaiva (= Śiva-Śakti) Tantra, can indeed function as an adequate orientation to Tantra in general, i.e., to the worldview and practices shared by the various Tantrik religions.

The Tantrik masters evolved their teachings and techniques as an unbroken whole, a well-crafted interconnected matrix designed to free you permanently from ignorance and suffering. So when you understand the profound and exquisite vision of reality that was originally taught in connection to these yogic practices, this knowledge empowers your

Unlike the history you might have been forced to learn in school, the history of the Tantrik traditions is a fascinating story that consists not merely of information, but of inspirational and powerful ideas—some of the most original ideas ever conceived concerning human potential. Historically, these ideas were inextricably wedded to

The purpose of walking the spiritual path, from the nondual Tantrik perspective, is simply to undermine your misidentification and directly reveal within the immediacy of your awareness the fact that the divine Powers of Consciousness, Bliss, Willing, Knowing, and Acting comprise the totality of your individual experience as well—thereby triggering

tantra is a Sanskrit word with various straightforward meanings, including “theory,” “doctrine,” or simply “book.”

Tantrasāra