An Indian Tantric Tradition and Its Modern Global Revival: Contemporary Nondual Saivism

The book explores the modern revival of Nondual Saivism, a thousand-year-old Hindu religious philosophy, comparing its medieval Indian origins to its contemporary forms in modern religious, economic, and technological contexts. It examines the tradition's dark side and investigates contemporary teachers accused of sexual abuse and illegal financial activities. The book demonstrates that some practitioners remain true to the fundamental tenets of Nondual Saivism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 212 pages
Publication date: 29 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The revival of Nondual Saivism, a thousand-year-old medieval Hindu religious philosophy, is examined in-depth in this comprehensive work. Providing a historical overview of the key individuals and groups responsible for its resurgence, the book compares the ancient Indian origins of this tradition to its modern manifestations, which are situated within distinctively contemporary religious, economic, and technological contexts. By examining modern Nondual Saivism from multiple perspectives, including those of a critical scholar of religion and an empathetic participant-observer, the author bridges the current gap in the literature between insider (emic) and outsider (etic) perspectives.

The book explores modern Nondual Saivism in relation to recent scholarly debates concerning the legitimacy of New Age consumptive spirituality, the global spiritual marketplace, and the contemporary culture of narcissism. It also delves into the darker aspects of the revived tradition, investigating contemporary teachers accused of sexual abuse and illegal financial activities in light of unique features of Nondual Saivism's theosophy and modern scholarship on new religious movements (NRMs) and cults.

Through its analysis, the book demonstrates that while some teachers and groups have adopted Kashmir Saivism to promote their brand of High Tantra, there are still contemporary practitioners who remain true to the fundamental tenets of Nondual Saivism and teach authentic (albeit modern) forms of this tradition.

This book will appeal to academics and scholars in various fields, including religion, Asian philosophies, particularly South Asian, tantric, neo-tantric, and yoga philosophies, alternative and New Age spiritualities, religion and consumerism, and NRMs and cults. In recognition of its scholarly excellence, it was awarded the inaugural 2021 New Zealand Asia Society Book Award, securing the second prize.

Weight: 308g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032400471