Dakini's Warm Breath by Judith Simmer-Brown

Dakini's Warm Breath by Judith Simmer-Brown

The primary emblem of the feminine in Tibetan Buddhism is the dakini, or sky-dancer, a semi-wrathful spirit-woman who manifests in visions, dreams, and meditation experiences. Western scholars and interpreters of the dakini, influenced by Jungian psychology and feminist goddess theology, have shaped a contemporary critique of Tibetan Buddhism in which the dakini is seen as a psychological shadow, a feminine savior, or an objectified product of patriarchal fantasy. According to Judith Simmer-Brown--who writes from the point of view of an experienced practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism--such interpretations are inadequate.
In the spiritual journey of the meditator, Simmer-Brown demonstrates, the dakini symbolizes levels of personal realization: the sacredness of the body, both female and male; the profound meeting point of body and mind in meditation; the visionary realm of ritual practice; and the empty, spacious qualities of mind itself. When the meditator encounters the dakini, living spiritual experience is activated in a nonconceptual manner by her direct gaze, her radiant body, and her compassionate revelation of reality. Grounded in the author's personal encounter with the dakini, this unique study will appeal to both male and female spiritual seekers interested in goddess worship, women's spirituality, and the tantric tradition.

Professor and chair of the religious studies department at Naropa University (previously the Naropa Institute), Judith Simmer-Brown, Ph.D., has been teaching since 1978. She has written a number of essays about Tibetan Buddhism, Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and Buddhism in the United States. In the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa, she is an Acharya (senior teacher). She lives in Boulder, Colorado, and has been a practicing Buddhist since 1971.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781570627200
ISBN 10	1570627207
Title	Dakini's Warm Breath
Author	Judith Simmer-Brown
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Shambhala Publications Inc
Year published	2001-05-29
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.