Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas

I am growing some raat ki rani (hasna) plant in New York weather. This book shares some perspective of how to use them. It also shares information and techniques on mugwort which can be found easily in Randall's island easily.

this is an AWESOME book. Amazing pictures, amazing stories, very interesting ethnological titbits all written in a slightly informal way with a touch of humour. Can't wait to try all the incense recipes either. Very insightful explication of the himalayan jhankri perspective, a point of view whose ancient roots go all the way back to the beginning of the human race. Thanks to the authors and the jhankris who made this book possible, this is a much valued addition to my library and i hopefully will see you at Kalinchok this year!

This is the most comprehensive book you will ever find about tamang shamanism. I have been initiated in this practice in Nepal . A true gem.

Beautiful and interesting book. As others have said, not really Tibetan Tantra so much as Nepalese Tantric, Bon and shamanic practices. If you are interested in the origins and older manifestations of these things, you will be fascinated. Really beautifully illustrated. The authors clearly love their work and have spent a lot of time doing the research. Highly recommended.

The purpose of this work is to explore the worlds of Shamanism and Tantra, specifically in Nepal, not all over the Himalayas, as the title would suggest. The authors divide the subject up into just over 30 major themes and then exposit to varying depths on the particular facets. Each chapter is a mixture of their personal experiences, the reports of their Shaman friends, relevant side-bar quotations from a wide range of sources, and full color photography from beginning to end. Over all, it has some very clear strengths and weaknesses.On the positive side, the pages are dripping with stunning photography. Rich color reproduction shows off the details of the Shamanic world, Nepal, and over 50 gorgeous paintings of the relevant deities. These paintings are given their own descriptive addendum to insure they are properly appreciated. The majority of what is discussed in the text is pictured somewhere nearby, so if anything is unclear there is immediate visual help at hand. The text itself is clear, engaging, and stock full of details, many of which appear to have been overlooked by other authors writing both on the Himalayan region itself and on Shamanism in general. This wealth of information is because the authors were not satisfied with being arm-chair anthropologists, but spent over a decade among the Nepalese Shamans, becoming their friends, gaining their trust, and being allowed into their world. They are very sympathetic to this view of reality and write about it with passion, so it's rarely boring.On the other hand, there are some problems. First, despite the size and the comments in the other review, don't be misled into thinking this is encyclopedic. It isn't, and the authors clearly say so themselves. Their major focus is on making available data that is not found in most run of the mill books on Shamanism in this region. The general picture is there, but the details focus on trying to shed light where there has been little before. For this reason, it probably isn't the first book on Shamanism you would want to read. Second, if it's the Tantra angle that interests you, there is very little on it. There is so little, in fact, that there is really only one sustained discussion on it, which is only part of one chapter. The other information is scattered throughout the rest of the book's discussion on Shamanism. Again, this isn't the first book on Tantra you would want to read, but if you know enough about Tantra to connect the dots yourself it provides some really interesting links and suggestions regarding how the two worldviews relate, both doctrinally, artistically, and historically. On the picky side, the text suffers various lapses that will annoy people to different levels. Those involved with religious studies will be progressively irritated with the naive philosophy of religion that the authors display. Despite the book being a monument to the fact that Shamanism functions as a religion, they insist it isn't. They also claim it involves no faith, again in the face of many things presented in the work that must be accepted by faith. In fact, a number of the statements of the Shamans in here are factually inaccurate, yet nothing, no matter how far out, is ever questioned in the slightest, nor is the epistemological problem this casts on the information they gain from their trips, whether on hallucinogens or not, ever discussed. Social and psychological aspects that effect the Shamanic interpretations and the authors' research methodology are dismissed, if not completely ignored. If things like that don't bother you, the sloppy inconsistency on points might. For example, on the exact same page (186) they proclaim that destructive energies can be both destroyed and not destroyed. How about their claim on page 13 that "shamanism only exists in specific areas of Asia" today, which is contradicted by their displayed knowledge of it in the Americas elsewhere in the book? These should not be confused with the numerous contradictions between the various Shamanic schools that are presented, which are given for completeness. Finally, and this would not be worth mentioning if it didn't come up so many times in a book repeatedly promoting love, harmony and understanding: at least one of the authors is anti-Christian to the point of unreasonable bigotry. It ranges from statements of factual error (such as Christianity not being an historically oriented religion) to slander (such as the long disproved accusation that Wycliffe translation teams are covert CIA operatives, for which the authors can only provide a specious debunked source over 20 years old).All that aside, I bought it, read it, and it has a secure place in my library as a resource I can see returning to many times in the future. It's pricey, but it's worth it. It's the only book I've ever had where I constantly caught people stopped in their tracks looking at the pictures over my shoulder and interrupting my reading to find out what it was.

big and colorful glossy... its a really cool book, i don't know exactly what i expected to learn from this, but always had a feeling that shamanism and tantra were deeply connected even though they are distinct disciplines. i think this is the only book of its kind, very versatile information about plant use and other rituals, mostly about shaivite (shiva) and mahakala deities

Without a doubt one of the best books I've come across in a long time. Cuts through a lot of the politically correct misrepresentations concerning Himalayan shamanism and tantra with discussion and documentation concerning the use of psychoactive plants and shrooms, flying herbs, and other consciousness-altering substances. Highly recommend.

Amazing information packed book on beautiful art.So much to know and understand!