Tantra of the Tachikawa Ryu

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The Tachikawa Ryu is a legendary secret Buddhist sect that taught: “The highest spiritual attainments are best achieved through the physical act of sex.” The sect was banished in Japan and went underground hundreds of years ago, but many believe that it is still active. Scholar John Stevens provides–based on actual events, hidden texts, and authentic Tantric tradition—the first explication in English of Tachikawa Ryu teachings, in the form of a symbolic narrative about the young Shingon monk Dai-en and the Zen practitioner Lady Hotoke. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of a little-known aspect of esoteric Buddhism and startling insights into the sexual nature of the rituals of conventional worship as well as the training of Tachikawa Ryu priests and priestesses. This groundbreaking work includes black-and-white photographs of rare artwork and statuary that express the Tachikawa ideal. John Stevens has written many books on Japan’s martial, sacred, and erotic ways -including the seminal study Lust for Enlightenment: Buddhism and Sex- and is a respected authority on Esoteric Japanese culture. He lived in Japan for thirty-five years, where he was a Professor of Buddhist Studies and an Aikido Instructor at Tohoku Fukushi University.