Tantric Thelema

ravenest

Curiousness or practicality

So this book is a sort of Buddhist version of Liber Astarte?

What would be the benefiet of using these Buddhist technologies as opposed to Thelemic / Western Magical ones, e.g. Liber Nu?

I cross over a bit myself, I have Buddhist tantric tools that I use in Western ritual (eg. I might use a Phurba to do a pentagram ritual), Crowleys description of the Magick Bell (in Liber Abba) is exactly that of a Tingshaw, etc.

But why adopt a whole other system when Thelemic Magick itself is the learning and practicing of these technologies? Or is it that these specific technologies are not as discernible for some in Thelema and more so in the Buddhist system?

Or is it just to gain an expanded viewpoint?

Aeon418

ravenest said:
So this book is a sort of Buddhist version of Liber Astarte?

Yes and no. It most certainly is a kind of Deity Yoga, but it's aimed at R.H.K. He's symbolic of the HGA, so it's a HGA invocation.

But Astarte is a little different because Crowley warns the student not to confuse Astarte with the HGA invocation.

ravenest said:
What would be the benefiet of using these Buddhist technologies as opposed to Thelemic / Western Magical ones, e.g. Liber Nu?

Horses for courses? Not everyone gets on with western style ceremonial. I guess this an option for people who are attracted to the eastern way, but want to retro-fit it with Thelemic stuff. Tech is tech, right?

Always Wondering

Aeon418 said:
Horses for courses? Not everyone gets on with western style ceremonial. I guess this an option for people who are attracted to the eastern way, but want to retro-fit it with Thelemic stuff. Tech is tech, right?

Right. I've had my struggles. This book is making a lot of sense to me. I haven't practiced it long enough to comment on results. I will say his few short paragraphs on modality might very well explain to me why I have struggled with ritual. It has been very rewarding to begin to understand my mode without forcing what I thought I was supposed to be experiencing.

I didn't get the blue Nu-pot symbolism at first but ATU XVII helped with that. And I am still not clear on his A symbol. I keep wanting to make it Aleph.

For me this book is working like a bridge. Helping me understand both west and east a little better.

AW

Probie

I know this thread is old, but I just found this...

Hey all,

I'm getting more into Yoga & aspects of Thelema. I found Tantra includes enjoying pleasure, but more about re-programming yourself as to what is pleasure. After all, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an adept in the Buddhist Tantra School this book is about.

Here's a Thelemic review I found about this book & then took the book out of my Amazon cart after reading it: http://panshiva.livejournal.com/134649.html

Apparently Webster, says this reviewer, is either unfamiliar with the Crowley corpus or is too interested in making Thelema into an extension of Tantric Buddhism...

Grigori

Thanks for posting that review Probie, very useful reading. This book has been sitting on my maybe list for sometime and I think will stay there somewhat longer.

Probie

I'll probably get it because I'll have to interact with it if any corrective writing were to be done. However, I'll wait till the cheapest price is much more than a measily 10% off (i.e., $17 USD) for a 132 page book!

Aeon418

Probie said:
Apparently Webster, says this reviewer, is either unfamiliar with the Crowley corpus or is too interested in making Thelema into an extension of Tantric Buddhism...

Oddly enough the reviewer seems unfamiliar with the Crowley corpus too.

I'm baffled why so many people confuse the mystico-magical system that Crowley created (Scientific Illuminism) with Thelema itself. There may appear to be large degrees of overlap, but there is nothing within Thelema that requires anyone to start practicing ceremonial magick or yoga. Crowley himself stated that his methods were only one way, not the way.

Oh, and Thelema is solar? No it's not. It's stellar. The solar aspect within Thelema is a correction of the manifestations of the solar current that have already been around for thousands of years.

Always Wondering

Don't both paths have the same end?

Berashith said:
In any case what the Eastern calls "one-pointedness" is an essential preliminary to even
early stages of true meditation. And iron will-power is a still earlier qualification.
By meditation I do not mean merely "think about" anything, however profoundly, but the
absolute restraint of the mind to the contemplation of a single object, whether gross, fine, or
altogether spiritual.
Now true magical ceremonial is entirely directed to attain this end, and forms a
magnificent gymnasium for those who are not already finished mental athletes. By act, word, and
thought, both in quantity and quality, the one object of the ceremony is being constantly
indicated. Every fumigation, purification, banishing, invocation, evocation, is chiefly a reminder
of the single purpose, until the supreme moment arrives, and every fibre of the body, every forcechannel
of the mind, is strained out in one overwhelming rush of the Will in the direction
desired. Such is the real purport of all the apparently fantastic directions of Solomon, Abramelin,
and other sages of repute. When a man has evoked and mastered such forces as Taphtatharath,
Belial, Amaimon, and the great powers of the elements, then he may safely be permitted to begin
to try to stop thinking. For needless to say, the universe, including the thinker, exists only by
virtue of the thinker's thought.

Aeon418 said:
There may appear to be large degrees of overlap, but there is nothing within Thelema that requires anyone to start practicing ceremonial magick or yoga.

I am taking a good long break from both and am enjoying The Book of Law more for it.
Thanks again.

AW

Aeon418

Always Wondering said:
Don't both paths have the same end?

Practically all paths have the same end. The methods, symbols, and terminology may differ, but the end is still the same. It's the bagage that comes with some systems that is big the problem.

I noticed that the blog writer made this very revealing remark.
"Isn't the goal of the Thelemic system to foster KCHGA?"
Well what on earth does he think all other systems are trying to foster? Other systems might call it something else, but it's still the same thing.

Cerulean

Here's some articles by the author

http://hermetic.com/webster/

I am interested to hear other people's reviews of the book.

I am not certain what to think, as I'm busy enough working through my 'regular' yoga. I also haven't worked with Tibetian nor Thelemic rituals--although I do notice there's a few design touches in the Via Tarot that suggest a yoga influence to me.

Hope the articles are of interest.

Cerulean

Tantric Thelema

ravenest

Aeon418

Always Wondering

Probie

Grigori

Probie

Aeon418

Always Wondering

Aeon418

Cerulean