Tantras : Their Philosophy and Occult Secrets/edited by D.N. Bose. 1996, 146 p., $13.
Contents: Preface. 1. Authority and antiquity. 2. Religion and religions. 3. Classification of the tantras. 4. Philosophy of worship. 5. Fundamental creed of the tantras. 6. The deity of the tantras. 7. Siva and Sakti. 8. Mysticism. 9. Some mystic symbols. 10. Some mystic techniques. 11. Essential principles of yoga. 12. Human body according to Hindu doctrine: its different envelopes. 13. The nadis and the chakras. 14. The goddess of the tantras. Index.
"In this book, an endeavour has been made to place before the readers the broad principles underlying the practice of the tantric form of religion and to explain the philosophical principles determining its from of worship, the conception of deity and its fundamental creed. The meanings of five makars which have been misinterpreted by the uninformed have been explained clearly with reference to the tantric texts. The chakra form of worship and its proper significance have been noted and explained by quoting different passages from the various texts of different authors on the subject. An attempt has been made to present an idea of the greatness of the deity whom the tantrics worship. The several preliminary steps to yoga practice leading to the penultimate state of samadhi, the physical processes adopted for the control of breath have also been discussed in the book." (jacket)