4. Transpersonal Therapy and a Tantric Temple: The Parātrīśikā in Western Practice
Embodied Reception - South Asian Spiritualities in Contemporary Contexts - Henriette Hanky
István Keul [+]
University of Bergen
Description
The chapter explores interconnected instances of cultural transfer from India to Europe of elements pertaining to the Trika school of Śaivism and tantric goddess traditions. The first instance concerns the translation and reception of a Trika text (the Parātrīśikā) and its commentary (Abhinavagupta’s Parātrīśikāvivaraṇa) by a group of therapeutic practitioners based in Northern Germany, as well as its application in transpersonal psychotherapeutic and psychosomatic practice. The second case addresses the establishment of a yoginī temple by one of these therapists, after having visited sites dedicated to yoginī worship in Hirapur and Bheraghat. The chapter discusses the selective approach to Kashmirian Śaiva teachings in the process of their therapeutic application, as well as the transfer and reception of tantric traditions by Western practitioners.