www.exmisa.ro

Summary: Highly Recommended
Rating: 5

The book discussed in these pages is brilliant, well done and highly recommended. I have just finished reading it, more or less non-stop, in 2 full days. As with his earlier work (The Alchemical Body), the author's research is detailed and professional - and anyone calling it "pathetic" (anonymous review May 26 2004) or "saddening" (anonymous review May 29 2004) only admits in so doing that he or she has personal problems with the sexual aspects of Tantra as they are discussed in "The Kiss" open and honestly by David Gordon White.
Someone else called his conclusions "controversial" (anonymous review June 16 2004), yet the only "controversial" thing I can find in this book is the author's honesty - and one can only congratulate him for this - and of course he's intelligent enough to have foreseen that his theme and stance won't be liked by many - both in India and within the "New Age Tantra" community across the hemispheres.
To everyone who has read actual Tantric texts - even in translation - White's conclusions are fully in concordance with previously published material AND with actual practice - the real merit of this book lies in presenting us with more and new material (translated by the author), and by connecting and combining previously difficult to relate evidence.
So what is the book actually about that shocks so many sensitive minds? It is the fact that White establishes more firmly than has been done (in scholarly circles) before, that Tantric ritual makes use of the fluids that arise from the genitals - both female and male. And we're not only talking about orgasmic emissions, we're also talking about the magical blood we call menstruation. And we're talking about oral sex. So the author must have known that he'll get plenty of `flames' for various reasons - and I wish him that he is immune to it.
Congratulations, DGW, for this great book - and for the Vira balls to write it. May the Yogini grant you many more sweet en enlightening Kisses.



Summary: Such "scholarship" saddens
Rating: 1

This book raises many questions: How do you interpret ancient texts? Are words to be taken literally in all contexts, or does one ask people who are within the tradition for the meanings associated with them? White chooses to ignore tradition to insist that his literal meaning of esoteric terms is the right although living Kaulas would find it wrong.

Unfortunatly, this book sinks to the same level as Kripal's book on Ramakrishna. There is nothing redeeming in this work.