Illness and immortality mantra, maṇḍala, and meditation in the Netra Tantra / Patrica Sauthoff.

Author/creator Sauthoff, Patrica
Other author Oxford University Press.
Format Electronic
Publication InfoOxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2022.
Descriptionxiv, 220 pages ; 25 cm
Supplemental ContentFull text available from Oxford Scholarship Online
Subjects

Abstract "Illness and Immortality examines a medieval Sanskrit text, the Netra Tantra, which is devoted to health and healing through a yogic practice dedicated to the chanting of mantras, the building of mandalas, and meditation. Patricia Sauthoff examines the role of such ritual elements in rites to alleviate illness and death. She includes analysis of the various forms of the deity Amrtesa or Mrtyuñjaya (Conqueror of Death), the nature of mantra, and the relationship between the tantric practitioner and the patient. This work explores what is meant by immortality within the medieval context and how one goes about attaining it. It asks how ritual alleviates illness, what role the deity plays in health and healing, and finally who has access to the rites described within the text. Central to this study is the conception of a body vulnerable to demons and reliant on deities for continued existence, and how the three yogic bodies (sthula, suksma, and para) play a role in physical and spiritual well-being. Featuring new translations of large sections of the Netra Tantra, the book offers readers various points of entry into the text so that tantric practitioners and scholars alike can access the influential and important concepts and practices found within this long-revered but under-studied work.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages [201]-216) and index.
Access restrictionAvailable only to authorized users.
Technical detailsMode of access: World Wide Web
LanguageIncludes large sections of the Netra Tantra translated from the Sanskrit.
Genre/formElectronic books.
LCCN 2021949460
ISBN9780197553268 (hardcover)
ISBN0197553265 (hardcover)

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