In this book, distinguished scholar of Hinduism and Comparative Religion Gavin Flood provides a general introduction to the subject of Tantra: what it is, where it fits into the history of South Asia and beyond, what its links are to Hinduism and Buddhism, and how contemporary Tantra transforms the older tradition.
Tantra has become a topic of wide interest, associated in the popular imagination with improving one’s love life or with sensational magic and nefarious goings on. Both have a tenuous link with the historical reality of Tantra, its long history and traditions of practice and belief.
In Tantric Knowledge, Gavin Flood sets out to correct these common misrepresentations, offering a balanced and engaging thematic introduction to the ideas, practices, and history of Hindu Tantra. Tantric Knowledge explores what the Tantric traditions are, their origin and formation, and what they mean for us today.
Tantric traditions claim to possess knowledge about the nature of the universe, the nature of ourselves as human beings, and how we fit into the wider cosmos around us. This book is about this Tantric knowledge in the texts and traditions that profess it. The study of these traditions raises important questions of both historical and existential importance.