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Full Description
According to traditions going back to pre-Vedic times, Kali sprang from the third eye of the Goddess Durga as a destructive and terrifying manifestation of feminine power sent to lay waste to the forces of evil. Throughout India to this day, Kali is worshipped as the destroyer of bondage, capable of liberating her devotee from all rules and subjugation.
In The Tantric Kali, Daniel Odier presents the mythology, practices, and rituals of Kali worship in the Tantric Kaula tradition within Kashmiri Shaivism. He reveals the practices of Vamachara, commonly known as the Left-hand Path but more accurately translated as the Path of Shakti. In this tradition the body itself is Kali's temple, and it is therefore unnecessary to reject or deny the body to know union with the divine. Instead, nothing is regarded as pure or impure and there is complete freedom from rules. Focused on working directly with forbidden emotions and behaviors, this path allows the seeker to transcend obstacles to liberation through sexual union. According to the Kaula Upanishad, "In your behavior do the opposite to what the norms dictate but remain in consciousness." This is the essence of Tantra. Kali is absolute reality: manifested as woman intoxicated by desire, she frees the tantric practitioner from all desire except union with the divine.
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Kali and the Tantric Path
1 Kali's Origins and Symbolism
2 The Kaula Tradition
3 Preliminary Practices of the Kaula Tradition
4 The Nirrutara Tantra
Scripture That Is Superior to All Others
5 The Rituals of Kali and the Sacred Union
6 Advancing on the Kaula Path
Meditation on the Eight Chakras, the Yoginis'Ultimate Practice of the Heart, and the Devouring of Inner Demons
7 Hymns and Songs in Praise of Kali
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
