Buddhist Tantra

Teachings and Practices for Touching Enlightenment with the Body

De: Reginald A. Ray PhD

Narrado por: Reginald A. Ray PhD

"Within my body are all the sacred places of the world," the Buddhist saint Saraha once said, "and the most profound pilgrimage that I can ever make is within my own body."

For 15 centuries, the realized masters of the tantric path used the crucible of their own lives to develop a powerful and accelerated means to enlightenment. Today, these teachings remain alive within the usually hidden inner courtyard of the Vajrayana vehicle of Tibetan Buddhism, a tradition that requires the courage to engage your body, your human desires, and your most challenging life obstacles as the basic fuel for insight.
Now, with Buddhist Tantra, esteemed teacher Reggie Ray introduces you to these precious teachings, and invites you to explore the path to naked and unprecedented experience. The popular or exoteric teachings of Buddhism are known to many, yet its esoteric teachings remain relatively unknown in the West. If you have been seeking a gateway to this potent tradition, Buddhist Tantra is an unsurpassed opportunity to enter into the temple of its deepest truths.

Entering the Vajra World through the Vehicle of Your Body
The word "tantra" means "to weave through," a metaphor that points to the vibrant fabric of intelligent and living energies that make up the essence of every cell of your body, every fleeting thought you have, and every particle of the universe. Entering this undefiled and ever-renewing vajra world is the promise of the tantric path.

On Buddhist Tantra, through specific teachings and guided meditations designed to open your body and mind, you will begin to encounter this wondrous and indisputable realm of reality. From this embodied foundation, you will experience 12 sessions of rare teachings including:
• The Feminine Principle—Why this primordial force is central to awakening, how feminine energies manifest themselves in human form, and how to bring them into each stage of your practice
• The Inner Yanas—Working with your subtle body and its energetic centers, channels, and nodes to release karmic blockages, and move beyond the habits and distortions of your mind
• Yidam—Advanced practices for invoking the support of deities, spiritual energies, and eternal buddhas
• Mahamudra and Dzogchen—The pinnacle of Buddhist tantra, and its profound teachings about formless awareness and highest realization
• Tantra's fascinating map of reality and spiritual realization
• Why enlightenment begins in the physical body
• The three turnings of Buddhist wisdom
• The role of sexuality and desire in tantric practice
• How realized teachers reveal the nature of our minds
• A powerful meditation for grounding your body in the seat of awareness The Buddhist saints, their extraordinary experiences, and what we can learn from them
• Unifying your masculine and feminine energy channels
• A guided practice to connect with the earth as a sentient source of equanimity and calm The dangerous friend: the role of the spiritual teacher
• When meditation is not enough: tantric perspectives for overcoming difficult obstacles
• The consort—Allying with a spiritual beloved on the tantric path
• Six complete guided meditations, including prana breathing, body awareness, abdominal breathing, and more 12 sessions of clear and deeply engaging guidance with a trusted teacher of Buddhist tantra

Full of Wisdom from a Flawed Man

Please read this entire review!

I listened to this audio program having never heard of Reggie Ray. I then wrote the following review:

I had the great fortune to be exposed to Tantric Buddhism at a workshop with Lama Tsultrim Allione around 6 years ago. Although it was completely foreign and more than a little intimidating, I was compelled to begin studying the tradition. I have been studying virtually through Tara Mandala in Colorado, and I have seen tremendous dramatic effects on my life (especially due to my consistent practice with the 5 wisdom Dakinis). But Reggie has taken my understanding and commitment to this path to a whole new level. I had some preliminary experience but felt confused and hesitant with some of the more esoteric concepts. Thanks to Reggie Ray, that is no longer true. More than ever, I know that Tantric Buddhism simply resonates in every cell of my being. This whole program felt like a profound transmission that I am so grateful to have received. When you are ready, and you find this audio program, it will profoundly affect you!

CAVEAT: After doing some research on Ray online, I saw that he had to step down from his leadership position at the sangha he had founded, due to numerous allegations of abuse and cult-like dynamics. Needless to say, I was surprised, disappointed, and confused by this information. It seems to happen to almost every teacher these days - they offer some profound wisdom teachings, that do have value, but in their actual dealings with other humans they turn out to be terribly dysfunctional. I do not have any way to reconcile these two things, but I am working on it. Regardless of his flaws, this course provided me with a TON of valuable information. I now just have to view it through a more guarded lens. I will go straight back to the teachings of my original Lama - Tsultrim Allione, because she is a trustworthy teacher who has in fact been involved in exposing abuse in Tibetan Buddhism. She is a woman, and whether we like it or not, women teachers seem much less susceptible to the corrupting power of the "guru" status. So in conclusion, I feel that this is still a worthwhile listen, but sadly is not the revelatory experience I had originally thought.

So many precious gems of wisdom in this book.

This book was instrumental in deepening my practice in breathing, holding space and understanding our spiritual experiences.There is great wisdom in his interpretation of great ancient teachings and how they apply to our chaotic, hectic Western lives. Every time I listen to a chapter I hear different points. I would strongly recommend adding this to your collection.

contextually fantastic, vocally dry

It's clear this man knows his work and I'm grateful I found this book. It's help me understand a lot of things I've been curious to understand about Buddhist Tantra. But if it was me doing the voice, I'd have put more energy into my communication to convey more full connection with my audience's experience. Still, this was definitely worth the purchase.

Excellent overview

A blend of theory (or view, as it's called in Buddhism) and practice. There's also a bit of history regarding the Siddhas, but most of it is applicable to practitioners or those curious about starting a practice. If you're already established on the path, this is still worth considering. There are lots of good reminders of goals and pitfalls. Also nice to hear it in the author's voice. He has a very calm, even delivery that's suited to the material.

The book I have been looking for

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book as awaken some things in me, like a child recognizing his mother, I felt like I have recognise a family ! In the book he talk about finding one path that resonates with us, for many years U have been shopping and discovering many differents ways of approaching the path, I have learn pieces from each one of them that helped me to walk the path. But this tradition of tantric Buddhism seems to make a melting of all the different pieces I collected through the years. To me this book is a revelation.

Any additional comments?

I really love how everything is explained, the way it is written and how stories are told keeps you engaged through all the book. I read this book in a short amount of time because I never wanted to stop ! There is some practicle exercise too that helps to better understand and feel what it is about. It teaches you the fundamentals and the history behind it, this is the most easy to comprehend, the most interesting book I have ever read about tantra ! If you have any interest about tantric budhism and like me are a bit tire of the books that just relate to history or to sexuality, this is the book that will make you really understand and grasp what those beautiful traditions are about !