Occult Tibet

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).

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.

Many know of Shambhala, the Tibetan Buddhist legendary land of spiritual bliss popularized by the film, Shangri-La. But few may know of the role Shambhala played in Russian geopolitics in the early twentieth century. Perhaps the only one on the subject, Andrei Znamenski’s book presents a wholly different glimpse of early Soviet history both erudite and fascinating. Using archival sources and memoirs, he explores how spiritual adventurers, revolutionaries, and nationalists West and East exploited Shambhala to promote their fanatical schemes, focusing on the Bolshevik attempt to use Mongol-Tibetan prophecies to railroad Communism into inner Asia. We meet such characters as Gleb Bokii, the Bolshevik secret police commissar who tried to use Buddhist techniques to conjure the ideal human; and Nicholas Roerich, the Russian painter who, driven by his otherworldly Master and blackmailed by the Bolshevik secret police, posed as a reincarnation of the Dalai Lama to unleash religious war in Tibet. We also learn of clandestine activities of the Bolsheviks from the Mongol-Tibetan Section of the Communist International who took over Mongolia and then, dressed as lama pilgrims, tried to set Tibet ablaze; and of their opponent, Ja-Lama, an “avenging lama” fond of spilling blood during his tantra rituals.

A reprint of a 1930s travel book. Illion was a German traveller who not only spoke fluent Tibetan, but travelled in disguise through forbidden Tibet when it was off-limits to outsiders. His incredible adventures make this one of the most exciting travel books. Includes illustrations of Tibetan monks levitating stones by acoustics.

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.