Encyclopaedia of Buddhist Tantra/edited by Sadhu Santideva. Delhi, Cosmo, 2001, 5 Volumes, 1522 p., $292 (set). ISBN 81-7755-142-6.

Contents: Vol. I: 1. Buddhist Tantra : introduction. 2. Tibetan Buddhist Tantra. 3. The origin and history of Tantra. 4. Antiquity of Tantricism. 5. Tantra. 6. Tantra introduction. 7. The theory of Tantrayana. 8. On some Tantric texts studied in ancient Kammbuja. 9. Tantric lineage. 10. The fourteen root Tantric vows. 11. Various aspects of Tantra. 12. Traditional Tantra and contemporary neo-Tantrism. 13. Tantric argument: the transfiguration of philosophical discourse in the Pratyabhijna system of Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta. 14. The role of the root Lama. 15. Tibetan Buddhism and Tantra Yoga. 16. What is Tantra—riding the wisdom tiger. 17. Discrimination between Buddhist and Hindu Tantra. 18. Tantric rituals. 19. Tantric rituals. 20. Offering materials and their meanings.

Vol. II: 21. What is power place. 22. Mahamudra Tantra. 23. Tilopa’s Mahamudra instruction to Naropa in twenty-eight verses. 24. The practice of deity Yoga. 25. Tantra Yoga—philosophy and history. 26. Fundamentals of the Yoga Tantra. 27. Fundamentals of the Anuttara-Yoga Tantra. 28. Supernatural power, Buddhist and Hindu. 29. The eighty-four Mahasiddhas and the path of Tantra. 30. Tantric songs and twilight language. 31. Tantric sex. 32. Magic Tantra: philosophy and history of Tantra. 33. Divine sexuality. 34. The wheel of passion. 35. Significance of protectors. 36. Jungion archetypes and Tantric deities: a comparative expose. 37. The practice of Chenrezig Sadhana. 38. Relating to the Mahakala practice. 39. Rudolf Otto and Tibetan Tantra. 40. The nine orifices of the body. 41. Tantric ordination: the gak’pheng tradition.

Vol. III: 42. Honey on the Razor’s edge –the Tantric psychology of genders on Roman. 43. Teaching an nine bardes of the Aro gT’er. 44. The five owl precepts. 45. The foundational practices of Vajrayana—essential points. 46. The four foundations of Tibetan Tantra. 47. The Mahamudra prayer. 48. The Therapeutic psychology of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead". 49. The eighty-four Mahasiddhas and the path of Tantra. 50. Divinity in Buddhist Tantras. 51. Introduction to Vajrayana. 52. Vajrayana Buddhist teachings in the tradition of the Mahasiddhas nine teachings modules. 53. The Buddhist mystical tradition. 54. Initiation of disciples. 55. Vajrayana meditation. 56. Vajrayana Silas –Part I. 57. Vajrayana Silas – Part II.

Vol. IV: 58. Hymns to Taras. 59. The twenty-one Taras. 60. Practice of Tara. 61. Fundamentals of initiation in the Kriya Tantra. 62. The Nyingma tradition. 63. A safe guide for the practitioner of Hevajra Tantra. 64. Je Isong Khapa. A Tibetan thinker (1357-1419). 65. Lama’i Naljor. 66. On Buddhist views of devouring time. 67. Early Yogacara and its relationship with the modern school. 68. Influence of Yogacara and Tantras. 69. Embracing emotions as the path colours and elements in Tantric psychology. 70. An exploration of the "Ngondro practices". 71. Dzogchen : the importance of sem-de in the Aro gT’er. 72. Dzogchen view of Tantric Ngondro. 73. Kalachakra Mandala. 74. Ngondro. 75. Symbolism of the Mandala-Palace. 76. An introduction to meditation practice.

Vol. V: 77. Moving being—primal energy exercise of Tibetan Dzogchen. 78. The practice of Chenrezig Sadhana. 79. Woman and the Dakini. 80. Development of Tantric Buddhism. 81. Epitome of Shantideva’s "Entering the path to enlightenment". 82. Pretas and Pitaras. 83. Formal expression of the Preta belief, Buddhist conception of spirit. 84. First expression of the Preta belief in Buddhism. 85. Physical description of the Pretas. 86. Developing Samadhi. 87. Discourses on Sila, Samadhi and Panna. 88. Blavatsky "Esoteric Buddhism". 89. A Buddhist perspective on Lucid dreaming. 90. Mystical physiological system. 91. A Buddhist guide to power places of the Kathmandu Valley.

"The term Tantra refers to a pan-Indian religious movements (also called Tantrism) that arose in about the 6 century AD within both Buddhism and Hinduism and to the texts (either Buddhist or Hindu) setting forth its practices and beliefs. The man emphasis of Tantrism is on the development of the devotee’s dormant psychophysical powers by means of special meditations and ritual teachniques. These are essentially esoteric and must be passed on personally from master to initiate. Stressing the coordination of body, speech, and mind, they include the use of symbolic gestures (mudras); the uttering of potent formulas (Mantras); the entering (through meditation) of sacred diagrams (mandalas) and yantras; the meditator’s creative visualization of and identification with specific divine forms; and the physical, iconographic, or mental use of sexual forces and symbols.

"In Buddhist tradition the word Tantra normally refers to a special class of the Buddha’s teachings and more specifically to the scriptures that embody it. But contrary to its normal usage, the word does not usually refer to the whole system of Tantric practice and theory. For the doctrinal system of Tantra, the terms Mantrayana ("Mantra Vehicle") and Vajrayana ("Vajra" or Adamantine Vehicle") are used instead.

"The text guides the reader towards a greater understanding of the secrets, explaining various important and key facets in language simple enough for a general reader to understand the mystery of Buddhist Tantras and clear enough for a student to provoke him to further research on the subject.

"This is probably the first and the only such Encyclopaedia available on Buddhist Tantra and will be welcomed by all classes of readers—general, researches, teachers, and students alike. It will particularly be interesting for the western readers as it provides him an opportunity to get important information on this branch of Buddhist philosophy at one place." (jacket) 

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