Magic Mysticism In Tibet

A practicing Buddhist and Oriental linguist recounts supernatural events she witnessed in Tibet during the 1920s. Intelligent and witty, she describes the fantastic effects of meditation and shamanic magic — levitation, telepathy, more. 32 photographs.

Generations of isolated Tibetan monks have devoted their lives to an unparalleled investigation of the human mind and soul. Over many centuries, as Buddhism blended with Bon, the aboriginal shamanic religion of Tibet, a great esoteric tradition evolved. In this revised and expanded version of Occult Tibet, the prolific and eclectic J.H. Brennan surveys this vast spiritual heritage born in the shadows of the Himalayas. Explore the realms of death and rebirth, karma, trance states, dream yoga, and the mysterious manipulation of energies and objects via sound. Travel back in time to learn how early visitors experienced Tibet through the extraordinary experiences of luminaries like Huxley, Crowley, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, and others. A unique and fascinating view of Tibetan culture and spirituality, Tibetan Magic and Mysticism brings the ancient magical techniques of Tibet to the magicians and mystics of the West. Book jacket.

2014 Reprint of 1932 New York Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Alexandra David-Neel was a Belgian-French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist, anarchist and writer, most known for her visit to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1924, when it was still forbidden to foreigners. David-Neel wrote over 30 books about Eastern religion, philosophy, and her travels. Her teachings influenced beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, philosopher Alan Watts, and esotericist Benjamin Creme. Seeker, adventurer, pilgrim, and scholar, David-Neel (1868-1969) was the first European woman to explore the once-forbidden city of Lhasa. This memoir offers an objective account of the supernatural events she witnessed during the 1920s among the mystics and hermits of Tibet - including levitation, telepathy, and the ability to walk on water. Includes all the photographs from the original edition.

As Tibetan spirituality spreads across the world, the practices of Tibetan magic have scarcely been investigated by Western occultists. "Occult Tibet" presents this body of techniques, based partly on Buddhist practice and partly on shamanic Bon (the aboriginal religion of Tibet).

This book focuses on the theme of magic in Tibetan contexts, encompassing both pre-modern and modern text-cultures as well as contemporary practices. It offers a new understanding of the identity and role of magical specialists in both historical and contemporary contexts. Combining the theoretical approaches of anthropology, ethnography, religious and textual studies, the book aims to shed light on experiences, practices and practitioners that have been frequently marginalized by the normative mainstream monastic Buddhist traditions and Western Buddhist scholarship, which focuses primarily on meditation and philosophy. The book explores the intersection between magic/folk practices and Tantra, a complex, socio-religious phenomenon associated not only with the religious and political elites who sponsored it, but also with 'marginal' ethnic groups and social milieus, as well as with lay communities at large, who resorted to ritual agents to fulfil their worldly needs.

A tulku is a fully enlightened one (buddha) or highly accomplished adept (siddha) who chooses to be reborn again and again for the benefit of all beings. Most tulkus, though, are the rebirths of well-trained masters who are engaged in spiritual training and serving others. Tibetan Buddhists have, for well over a millennium, been meticulously following the tradition of finding, recognizing, enthroning, training, and venerating these revered figures who provide teachings of liberation for both monks and laypeople. This guide to the tulku tradition covers its long history, separating fact from fiction, giving an overview of how the system works, and providing short biographies of some of the great tulkus of the past and present. Included are accounts of the magical occurrences that are associated with these remarkable beings, and advice for how anyone can set out on the tulku path.