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OverviewThe now-classic exploration of the role of women and the feminine in Buddhist Tantra The crowning cultural achievement of medieval India, Tantric Buddhism is known in the West primarily for the sexual practices of its adherents, who strive to transform erotic passion into spiritual ecstasy. Historians of religion have long held that the enlightenment thus attempted was for men only, and that women in the movement were at best marginal and subordinate and at worst degraded and exploited. Miranda Shaw argues to the contrary, presenting extensive new evidence of the outspoken and independent female founders of the Tantric movement and their creative role in shaping its distinctive vision of gender relations and sacred sexuality. Drawing on interviews and archival research conducted during two years of fieldwork in India and Nepal, including more than 40 works by women of the Pala period, the author reinterprets the history of Tantric Buddhism during its first four centuries. In her view, the Tantric theory of this period promotes an ideal of co-operative, mutually liberative relationships between women and men while encouraging a sense of reliance on women as a source of spiritual insight and power. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Miranda ShawPublisher: Princeton University Press Imprint: Princeton University Press ISBN: 9780691235592ISBN 10: 0691235597 Pages: 320 Publication Date: 07 June 2022 Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General , Tertiary & Higher Education Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In stock We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately. Table of ContentsReviewsAuthor InformationMiranda Shaw is professor emerita of religious studies at the University of Richmond. She is the author of Buddhist Goddesses of India (Princeton). Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |