- Pages: 192
- Book Size: 5.38 x 8.25
- ISBN-13: 9780892816200
- Imprint: Inner Traditions
- On Sale Date: April 1, 1997
- Format: Paperback Book
The author reveals his passionate experiences with a female Tantric master who taught him the suppressed practices of her ancient order.
In 1968 Daniel Odier left Europe for the Himalayas, searching for a master who could help him go where texts and intellectual searching could no longer take him. He wanted everything: the wisdom and spirituality gained from the life of an ascetic and the beauty, love, and sensuality of a life of passion. He found both in Shivaic Tantrism, the secret spiritual path that seeks to transcend ego and rediscover the divine by embracing the passions. In an isolated Himalayan forest Odier met Devi, a great yogini who would take him on a mystical journey like none he had ever imagined. At times taking him beyond the limits of sexual experience, at times threatening him with destruction, she taught him what it is to truly be alive and to know the divine nature of absolute love.
This is the personal memoir of one of France's most honored writers.
Tantrism is the only ancient philosophy to survive all historical upheavals, invasions, and influences to reach us intact by uninterrupted transmission from master to disciple, and the only one to retain the image of the Great Goddess as the ultimate source of power.
Natural Living
"Daniel Odier's story is the stuff of dreams for the spiritual seeker. Until this book, we have had few (if any) modern first-person accounts of a Westerner's initiation into tantrism. Tantric Quest fulfills our longing to understand this mysterious method and does so admirably, describing a path where sensual delight is married with full attention to re-create our birthright of life in the garden of the Goddess."
Holly Hammond, Yoga Journal
In the Fall of 1968 Daniel Odier left Europe for the green foothills of the Himalayas. Twenty-three at the time and fascinated by the Eastern mystics, he was looking for a master who could help him penetrate where texts and intellectual searching could no longer take him. He wanted everything: the wisdom and spirituality gained from the life of an ascetic and the beauty, love, and sensuality of a life of passion. It was here that Odier discovered Shivaic Tantrism, the secret spiritual path that seeks to transcend ego and rediscover the divine by embracing the passions.
Tantrism is the only ancient philosophy to survive all historical upheavals, invasions, and influences to reach us intact by uninterrupted transmission from master to disciple, and the only one to retain the image of the Great Goddess as the ultimate source of power. Entire Tantric lineages have followed great women masters, and today numerous female yogis continue to transmit this age-old wisdom. After months of searching deep into the Himalayas, Odier met Devi, a great female yogi who would take him on a mystical journey like none he had ever imagined. At times moving him beyond the limits of sexual experience, at times threatening him with destruction, she taught him what it is to be truly alive and know the divine nature of absolute love.
DANIEL ODIER is one of France’s most honored writers. He founded the Tantra/Chan center in Paris and has taught courses on the spiritual traditions of the Far East at the University of California. He is the author of several books of nonfiction, including Nirvana Tao, and many novels. His mystery novels, written under the pen name Delacorta, include Diva, which was made into an award-winning film in 1981. He lives in Paris.
