Meditation Techniques of the Buddhist and Taoist Masters

From page 144

The 112 Ways of Meditation

C.M. Chen, a Chinese yogi practicing Chan and living as a hermit in Kalimpong, in northern India, introduced me to Vijnanabhairava Tantra in 1968. Later, with my master, the Kashmirian yogini Lalita Devî, I practiced and gained a deeper knowledge of this text for which I made a new translation including commentary and published under the title Tantra Yoga in 1998. This text, the oldest one on meditation that has come down to the present, provides a radical revelation of the similar approaches in Tantra and Chan that the majority of Chinese masters integrate into their teaching. It is all simply a return to the original mind and it hardly matters whether it is called Shiva nature or Buddha nature. In the original edition of this book I inadvertently omitted the introduction to this Tantra. I am restoring it here because the reader will find here the full flavor of this absolute way that removes all the illusionary factors from attaining what is already an integral part of ourselves.

Introduction

Part One--Buddhism
     1 The Lives of the Buddha
     2 The Foundations of Buddhism
     3 Preparation for Meditation
     4 Contemplative Techniques of Hinayana
     5 Contemplative Techniques of Mahayana
     6 Contemplative Techniques of Vajrayana
     7 Contemplative Techniques of Ch'an (Zen)
     Map of the Spread of Buddhism

Part Two--Taoism
     8 The Foundations of Taoism
     9 Taoist Contemplative Techniques

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Source of Illustrations

Daniel Odier founded the Tantra/Chan Center in Paris and has taught Eastern spiritual traditions at a number of American universities. He is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Tantric Quest and Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening, and many novels. Under the name of Delacorta, he is the author of a series of mystery novels, one of which--Diva--was made into an award-winning film. He lives in Switzerland.

"The thread running throughout this book is a love, reverence, and faith in the efficacy of these teachings that must not only be grasped by the mind, but authentically lived and realized."
Anurag/Neal Aronowitz, Nectar of Non-Dual Truth, May 2007

BUDDHISM / MEDITATION

Esoteric practices in the quest for divinity generally remain a secret to the world--kept cloistered away for only the most ascetic practitioners. Now Daniel Odier, having immersed himself in the life and spiritual practices of Buddhist and Taoist monasteries throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Japan, reveals teachings passed on by the sages who are living expressions of their traditions.

Looking beyond doctrine, dogma, and philosophical treatises that ignore direct experiences of the practice, Odier provides a path to the heart of the religious experience that can be discovered through meditation. Beginning with the simple and fundamental steps necessary to prepare for meditation, Odier guides the reader through the specifics of the mental disciplines and visualizations that Buddhist and Taoist masters have used for ages. To devote oneself to meditation, in the sense understood by Buddhists and Taoists, is to realize that every fiber of our being converges with all creation. Meditation Techniques of the Buddhist and Taoist Masters is a valuable guide to all who are in search of that realization.

DANIEL ODIER founded the Tantra/Chan Center in Paris and has taught courses on Eastern spiritual traditions at several American universities. He is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Tantric Quest and Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening. Under the name of Delacorta, he is the author of a series of mystery novels, one of which--Diva--was made into an award-winning film. He lives in Paris.