The Tantric Body by Gavin Flood

The Tantric Body

The Secret Tradition of Hindu Religion

by Gavin Flood

I. B. Tauris & Co., 2006, ISBN 9781845110123, paperback

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, minor rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, no inscriptions, catalogue number in blue ink on publishers page, stamp to inside back cover, contact covered with stickers to spine and back cover (see photographs)

“Is tantra just about exotic sexual practice or does it amount to something more? This lively and original book contributes to a more complete understanding of tantra. It argues that within the different Hindu traditions, it is ritual and ascetic practice which fully explains corporeality. Without minimizing its sexual dimensions, Flood argues that the tantric body is more than just a sexual entity and cannot be understood apart from the religious traditions and texts that give it form. Through ritual and yogic practice, the body is formed into a pattern determined by these traditions, and the practitioner thereby strives to mould his or her life into the shape of the tradition.”