Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet (World of Tibetan Buddhism, Vol. 2) Paperback – July 23, 2002

This is a text for those already practicing Tibetan Buddhism. A comprehensive and entertaining exploration of the philosophy and rituals of the Vajrayana.

less academic and more of a conversational writing style. the author provides a uniquely clear synthesis. and yes the title and dust cover art is questionable but the hardcover is much more tasteful.follow this up with the audio training Mahamudra for the Modern World to put it into action. it's just one credit if you use amazon's audible program.

What an amazing book to read and re-read. Many of the books listed in the bibliography are outstanding. You don't have to read Indestructible Truth first, but you probably should as that's an excellent work as well.

Reggie is a fantastic writer, and has a western outlook on the tradition of Buddhism, and the practice of meditation. I have found all of his books to be very insightful, and complete.

If you do not already have a firm background in Buddhism and or the Tantric path you might be slightly confused or even disappointed. My husband however loved this book and also part 1.

Dr. Ray is very knowledgeable about buddhism and is able to speak about it in everyday language without confusion. After trying to understand Buddhism for several years, this book along with volume 1 by Dr. Ray, Indestructible Truth, this book is a treasure.

This is an excellent scholarly presentation, despite the somewhat sensational Kamma sutra cover.It containes many insightful gems and elicited a number of "AH HA!" or "Satori moments" for me, even after my many decades of study and interest in esoteric spirituality.

I read Reginald Ray's "Indestructable Truth", the first volume in his "World of Tibetan Buddhism" series, last summer while camping in the Sierras. I was fascinated by the account of the various masters, lineages, stories and practices of the Tibetan Buddhist religion, and was left wanting more.With "Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet", I got what I wanted.Here Ray has delivered exactly what someone who holds the title "senior teacher" (Acharya) should- he shows the reader the history and philosophy of the Tantric path in as much detail as a single book can allow. He discusses the Vajrayana lineages of Tibet, with special emphasis on the Nyingma and Kagyu. He tells us tales of the Mahasiddhas- individuals like Padmasambhava, Tilopa, Marpa, and (my favorite), Milarepa. He discusses the institutionalization of the Tantra as the Vajrayana, the "third yana" of Buddhism (along with the Hinayana and Mahayana).Ray then goes on to discuss the philosophy behind the Vajrayana and how it developed out of Nagarjuna's Madhyamika philosophy and the work of "forest adepts" (siddhas) in Northern India in the 7th-8th centuries. He discusses the sadhanas that make up the basis of Tantric practices, as well as the six internal yogas of Naropa, the Mahamudra, and the Dzokchen teachings. He then concludes the book with a discussion of the Tulku tradition, death practices, reincarnation, and the peculiar events surrounding the death of the Karmapa in 1981, as well as the peculiar events surrounding the birth of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (I was also happy to hear that a new Trungpa Tulku has been discovered and is in training). Ray doesn't even shy away from discussing the Dzokchen "Rainbow Body" and the passing of realized masters into the samboghakaya, no matter how much this seems to conflict with modern materialist beliefs.The Siddhas weren't just mythical adepts who lived many centuries ago- it's just as possible to become one today. In a world sorely in need of transcendental aspirations beyond insipid materialism and potential-denying Christianity, Tibetan Buddhism, mysteriously enough, provides a vision that takes us beyond the modern, postmodern, and premodern world- and into a world of unlimited spiritual possibilities. Read Ray's "World of Tibetan Buddhism" series, and you'll understand why.