Gay Tantra Paperback – April 23, 2001

"Tantra" in the west is often interpreted to mean an ecstatic experience with spiritual dimensions. This concise and well written book provides a larger cultural perspective that has been targeted to the needs of gay men. As a westerner, the "guru-master" element of the spirituality of the subcontinent must always remain foreign to me as a spiritual democrat. This book has been largely shaped by the views of one such 19th century guru. But those heirarchical relationships are authentic to the culture of tantra. Heirarchical relationships are no problem for the gay man whose erotic interests are congruent with the leather/BDSM world, and this world is well represented on the author's Ashram West website. For gays interested in spirituality and/or tantra this book has a lot of value to offer.

When I got this book, I was concerned that it would be another watered down spiritual book for gay people with it sole aim to make us (gay people) feel better about ourselves. I also thought it may be a narrow, distorted version of tantra that is oh-so-common in the US. I was surprised to find that it was neither. In fact, it is a solid spiritual book aimed at introducing gay people to the powerful spiritual system of tantra. (And no this isn't about sex). Tantra, as it is so thoroughly explained in the book, is about finding the Divine in all aspects of life. It is about divinizing all of life to bring one into conscious awareness of God/Goddess and to attain final liberation. The author directs this book to gay people, but this book is excellent for anyone who wants to understand Tantra philosophy and practice better. As a gay man, this book is a refreshing find in the genre of spiritual books.

This book truly explains the spirit of Tantra, which is the training of the mind (chitta) to achieve consciousness (chi). It clearly defines the typology of Tantric practitioners: a) the Animal, interested in satisfying corporal sensations; b) the Hero interested selflessness, in doing no harm to others; and c) the Devine, who identifies with the God/ess within. Highly recommend this book for gay men or women struggling with their sexuality.

I like the book and it gave me insite, and it was in the shape it was said to be.

was not sure, what i would find, but i also made time to email the write, and he got back to me, really cool.

I enjoyed the read and learned a lot about the spiritual aspects of Tantra.

Author not only very knowledgeable but speaks from experience. Dr. Gallant

Suffers from redundancy. It's as if the author is talking down to a child. It's mindless jive talking. Face it: you're better off getting your hair waxed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the revelations in this book. It left me with an acceptance of my spiritual path as a gay man, with tools to use in a practical, down-to-earth way.

I bought this thinking it would cover some tantric techniques interpreted for gays, but it's really more of a serious text on tantra by a gay man, with a fair number of asides and interpretations of various topics as they relate to gay sexuality and recovery from alienation. (The latter trauma is something many modern gays, including myself, know only intellectually but must treat the experiences of those who experience it with respect). Tantra has a history as long as Hinduism and Buddhism and shared their roots, but has been largely rejected or suppressed by both, and is often considered hedonistic or irreverent. It shares many of the same practices as well, adding ecstatic and experiential elements. Accept all experiences, good or bad, as something the Source (often seen as a male/female pair) as the dream it/they dream through us, and you can become one with them by releasing those experiences.That's more than many of us can accept as a bald summary, and far different than what most expect from popular "tantric" sexual enhancement practices (which from other sources may have been just something the well-schooled young adult was expected to know) or marathon tantric yoga experiences (strongly positive experiences to release).I have to admit it's likely not my path, though the Shamanic ecstatic path I follow is open to many of its elements. I balanced this book with readings on Hindu and Buddhist history, tantric techniques, and more thorough background on its integration into society at its peak. There are many other barriers such as the need to find a "guru" based on not much more than hearsay and trial and error, or take a monastic path--this book at least does not seem to encourage other ways.I applaud the authors sincerity and authenticity in this area, and the read was an eye-opener. Yet one wonders if tantra can survive without a makeover, or changing its archaic guru/monastic traditional structure. The author proposes some ideas to create a gay-compatible tradition within it, but it is unclear it this would devolve into a gay-only monastery with the equivalent of "cruising". (Tantric monasteries were never that celibate anyway from other reading I have done). Perhaps this comes from his experience with the promiscuous gay community, whereas I and much of this generation and future gays are integrated into society, form couples, marry, and grow up accepted and accepting themselves.In any case, I would have liked to see a version that combined the spiritual material with some history and proposals to open tantra more for everyone, not just those who enter a monastery or find a guru. Buddhism did that by having society support their monks in exchange for karmic gifts (something I find spirituality suspect but it seems to work).

Ein wundervolles Buch, dass denjenigen eine Ermutigung sein kann, die begonnen haben ihre "homosexuelle Identität" als Gabe und Geschenk zu verstehen. Schindler erklärt sehr schön, warum Tantra eine mehr als geeignete Technik gerade für "Homosexuelle" ist, die ihre Spiritualität entwickeln wollen. Erfrischend und sehr zu empfehlen als Ergänzung zu anderen tantrischen Texten, die ja allesamt missverstanden ausschliesslich heterosexuell interpretiert wurden (wen wundert's!).Kein Übungsbuch in dem Sinne, aber ein sehr wertvoller Text im Hinblick auf die Tatsache dass eine "homosexuelle Identität" NICHT etwa Gegenpol zu Spiritualität ist, sondern auf gewisse Weise für den inneren Weg nicht nur ebnet sondern auch ÖFFNET. Zum Leidwesen der etablierten Religionen, Weltbilder und "Führer", aber das ist ein anderes Thema ;-)