Legends of the mahasiddhas: lives of the Tantric masters

"A richly illustrated collection of stories about the mahasiddhas, spiritual adventurers who attained enlightenment and magical powers by disregarding convention. A modern translation of ancient legends that reveals the human qualities of the rebellious saints known as siddhas and the vital ele...

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Bibliographic Details
Contributors: Beer, Robert (Illustrator) ; Abhayadatta ca. 11./12. Jh. (Other) ; Dowman, Keith (Other)
Format: Print Book
Language:English
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Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Rochester, Vermont Inner Traditions 2014
In:Year: 2014
Edition:3. ed.
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Mahāsiddha
B Lamaism / Saint
B Tibetan language / Hagiography / History 1000-1300
Further subjects:B Sacred Writings / Buddhism / RELIGION
B Siddhas
B Tantric Buddhism Early works to 1800 India
B Tantric Buddhism India Biography Early works
B Siddhas Biography Early works to 1800
B Mysticism / BODY, MIND & SPIRIT
B Buddhism / RELIGION / Tibetan
Online Access: Inhaltsverzeichnis (Verlag)
Description
Summary:"A richly illustrated collection of stories about the mahasiddhas, spiritual adventurers who attained enlightenment and magical powers by disregarding convention. A modern translation of ancient legends that reveals the human qualities of the rebellious saints known as siddhas and the vital elements of their philosophy. Recounts stories of enlightened masters from all walks of life, including a washerman, a thief, a conman, a gambler, and a whore, and the magical and "crazy" deeds of each, such as walking through walls, flying, talking with birds, and turning people to stone. Richly illustrated with paintings of the tantric saints by artist Robert Beer. Offering a modern translation of "The Legends of the Eighty-four Mahasiddhas," a 12th-century Tibetan text, translator Keith Dowman shares stories of the spiritual adventurers, rebellious saints, and enlightened tantric masters of ancient India known as "siddhas." He shows how the mahasiddhas arose from the grassroots of society and represented an entire spectrum of human experience. Counted among the greatest of the siddhas are a washerman, a cowboy, a thief, a conman, a gambler, and a whore, all extraordinary men and women who attained the goal of their meditations, as well as enlightenment and magical powers, by disregarding convention and penetrating to the core of life. Recounting the magical and "crazy" deeds of the mahasiddhas, such as walking through walls, flying, talking with birds, and turning people to stone, Dowman reveals the human qualities of the tantric masters and the vital elements of the siddhas' philosophy of nonduality and emptiness. Richly illustrated with paintings of the tantric saints by artist Robert Beer, these stories of the mahasiddhas show us a way through human suffering into a spontaneous and free state of oneness with the divine"--
Item Description:Previously published as: Masters of enchantment, 1988 and Buddhist masters of enchantment, 1988
ISBN:1620553651