Tantra Illuminated (Christopher D. Wallis)
Tantric Illumination Limited
[My 4-star Amazon review of Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition†by Christopher D. Wallis.]
First of all, the title of this book is misleading, because the text essentially ignores Buddhist tantra, and focuses almost exclusively on Hindu tantra (and principally Kashmir Shavism). The author, Professor Chris Wallis, admits his ignorance of Buddhist tantra, and mistakenly equates Dzogchen with Buddhist tantra. Most Dzogchen teachings make it a point to differentiate Dzogchen from both tantra (or Vajrayana) and sutra (or Madhyamika).
Secondly, while the book may impress those not deeply steeped in nondual Kashmir Shaivism, those who have plumbed the depths of this wonderful spiritual tradition will find much fault with Dr. Wallis’s exegesis of it. I lterally cringed as I read his descriptions of the tattvas (the 36 constituent principles of Reality/reality) and the four means (or levels of sadhana). The 36 tattvas and four means constitute the heart of Kashmir Shaivism, and to put it kindly, Dr. Wallis’s elaboration of them is less than stellar.
Those with a substantial background in Kashmir Shaivism will likely glean little new from Dr. Wallis’s text, other than perhaps information about the history of the tradition (in the context of the history of Indic tantra). But as an introduction to nondual Kashmir Shaivism, the book serves well as an informative and readable guide.
The book is finely written – until challenging explanations and considerations are demanded. At those points, the crisp and clean writing degenerates into stilted acadamese and/or cop out, which mask Dr. Wallis’s ignorance. This is particularly evident regarding the spiritual practices of Kashmir Shaivism. For example, I practice the sambhava upaya (one of the four divine means), and Dr. Wallis’s explication of it does not do it justice. Regarding this upaya, Dr. Wallis (in addition to his stilted acadamese) writes, “Though it is a method there are no practices as such on this level, at least none that can be explained in ordinary words, for this level transcends all conceptual thought.†This is nonsense, because this practice has been, and can be, clearly elaborated in ordinary words.
Because this is just a review, I cannot deconstruct every statement (and there are plenty) by Dr. Wallis that I take umbrage with, but I would be remiss if I didn’t address a particular one regarding the subject of Saktipata (the descent of Grace, or Divine Power). Dr. Wallis writes, “Since it transcends individual will, there is nothing that can be done to trigger Saktipata.†Again, this is nonsense. The flow of Grace can be likened to an electric current (amperage). And one can awaken or intensify this Spirit-current by either intensifying one’s consciousness-force (voltage) or by reducing one’s resistance, or clinging (Ohms reduction).
Dr. Wallis makes it a point to cite (and thus impress us with) all the spiritual teachers he has studied with. When I consider his list, I’m unimpressed, and I can understand why his exegesis of Kashmir Shaivism is less than impressive.
After some internal debate, and despite my stinging criticism of the text, I have decided to give “Tantra Illuminated†four stars. In the book’s favor, it provides a worthwhile survey of the history of Saiva tantrism and a serviceable overview of nondual Kashmir Shaivism, my favorite Eastern spiritual Dharma. In short, the book is an okay guide to Kashmir Shaivism for newbies, but serious students of this tradition should look elsewhere for “tantra illumination.â€
[My 4-star Amazon review of Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition†by Christopher D. Wallis.]
First of all, the title of this book is misleading, because the text essentially ignores Buddhist tantra, and focuses almost exclusively on Hindu tantra (and principally Kashmir Shavism). The author, Professor Chris Wallis, admits his ignorance of Buddhist tantra, and mistakenly equates Dzogchen with Buddhist tantra. Most Dzogchen teachings make it a point to differentiate Dzogchen from both tantra (or Vajrayana) and sutra (or Madhyamika).
Secondly, while the book may impress those not deeply steeped in nondual Kashmir Shaivism, those who have plumbed the depths of this wonderful spiritual tradition will find much fault with Dr. Wallis’s exegesis of it. I lterally cringed as I read his descriptions of the tattvas (the 36 constituent principles of Reality/reality) and the four means (or levels of sadhana). The 36 tattvas and four means constitute the heart of Kashmir Shaivism, and to put it kindly, Dr. Wallis’s elaboration of them is less than stellar.
Those with a substantial background in Kashmir Shaivism will likely glean little new from Dr. Wallis’s text, other than perhaps information about the history of the tradition (in the context of the history of Indic tantra). But as an introduction to nondual Kashmir Shaivism, the book serves well as an informative and readable guide.
The book is finely written – until challenging explanations and considerations are demanded. At those points, the crisp and clean writing degenerates into stilted acadamese and/or cop out, which mask Dr. Wallis’s ignorance. This is particularly evident regarding the spiritual practices of Kashmir Shaivism. For example, I practice the sambhava upaya (one of the four divine means), and Dr. Wallis’s explication of it does not do it justice. Regarding this upaya, Dr. Wallis (in addition to his stilted acadamese) writes, “Though it is a method there are no practices as such on this level, at least none that can be explained in ordinary words, for this level transcends all conceptual thought.†This is nonsense, because this practice has been, and can be, clearly elaborated in ordinary words.
Because this is just a review, I cannot deconstruct every statement (and there are plenty) by Dr. Wallis that I take umbrage with, but I would be remiss if I didn’t address a particular one regarding the subject of Saktipata (the descent of Grace, or Divine Power). Dr. Wallis writes, “Since it transcends individual will, there is nothing that can be done to trigger Saktipata.†Again, this is nonsense. The flow of Grace can be likened to an electric current (amperage). And one can awaken or intensify this Spirit-current by either intensifying one’s consciousness-force (voltage) or by reducing one’s resistance, or clinging (Ohms reduction).
Dr. Wallis makes it a point to cite (and thus impress us with) all the spiritual teachers he has studied with. When I consider his list, I’m unimpressed, and I can understand why his exegesis of Kashmir Shaivism is less than impressive.
After some internal debate, and despite my stinging criticism of the text, I have decided to give “Tantra Illuminated†four stars. In the book’s favor, it provides a worthwhile survey of the history of Saiva tantrism and a serviceable overview of nondual Kashmir Shaivism, my favorite Eastern spiritual Dharma. In short, the book is an okay guide to Kashmir Shaivism for newbies, but serious students of this tradition should look elsewhere for “tantra illumination.â€
