M Y B O O K S I am very happy to inform you that the 2nd edition of my book (in Russian) "Daoism: an essay of historico-religious description" ("Daosizm: opyt istoriko-religiovedcheskogo opisaniya") was recently published by "Lan" publisher's house of St. Petersburg -- 445 pp. ISBN 5-8114-0015-2 CONTENTS: Introduction CHAPTER 1. The main problems of the Daoist studies. The problem of the unity of the Daoist tradition Is Daoism the national religion of China? Daoism and the folk beliefs Daoism and state The principles of development: "philosophical" and "religious" Daoism Daoist doctrine of immortality Daoism and alchemy in traditional China Chinese alchemy and the alchemical traditions of another cultures The general characteristics of the Daoist teaching The Daoist thought: philosophy and ethics of the "Dark Learning" (xuan xue) Cosmogony and cosmology in Daoism CHAPTER 2. An outline of the history of Daoism The problem of the origin of Daoism Daoism of the pre-emperial and early emperial period (Zhan-guo, Qin, Early Han) "The Celestial Masters" and the Daoist "church" (2-3 cent. C.E.) Daoism in the time of confusion of the "split of All-under-the Heaven" (4-6 cent.) Daoism of Tang and Song periods: synthesis and transformation The Daoist "reformation" and its consequences Late Daoism (14-19 cent.) Daoism and contemporary China CONCLUSION, THE PRINCIPAL RESULTS To the question of the periodization of the history of Daoism Notes Bibliography You can obtain the book from the publishers: ADDRESS: Mrs. Denisova S.V. "Lan" publishers, Elizarova pr., 1, St. Petersburg 193029, Russia Tel.: (7)(812)2650088; (7)(812)5675493 Fax: (7)(812)5671445 e-mail: root@lanpbl.spb.ru ; lanpbl@nevsky.net Thank you very much! With best wishes and good regards, E.Tortchinov blade@comset.net E.A. TORTCHINOV RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD: EXPERIENCE OF THE TRANSCENDENCE (TRANSPERSONAL STATES AND PSYCHOTECHNIQUE). St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg Centre for Oriental Studies, 1997. 382 pp. (in Russian) ISBN 5-85803-078-5 Publisher: Dr. I.A. Alimov, St. Petersburg Centre for Oriental Studies, Dvortsovaya nab., 18, St. Petersburg 191186, Russia; fax: (7) (812) 1835381; e-mail: info@petvost.spb.su ; alimov@petvost.spb.su CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 10 On the aims and purposes of the research 10 On the concept "religion" 14 On the religious experience 24 To the question of the typology of religions 42 Religion and magic 48 Religion and mythology 52 Religion and cosmological ideas 58 Religion- rite- cult 64 Religion and theology 72 Doctrine, religious experience and culture 76 PART I. PRIMITIVE RELIGIONS. MYSTERICAL CULTS OF THE ANTIQUIfl Chapter 1. SHAMANISM 82 Types of the archaic religions 82 Shamanism as a psychotechnical system 87 eShamanic illness~ 90 Shamanic initiations 92 Shamanic kamlaniye. Travels to another worlds 96 Transpersonalistic interpretation of shamanic psychotechnique 102 Chapter 2. MYSTERY OF DEATH AND RESURRECTION; SUFFERING GODS OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND OF THE WORLD OF ANTIQUITY 108 Great Mother and her lover (Catarsis of the sexless Eroth) 108 Bread of life and wine of extasy (Demeter and Dionysus) 131 PART II. RELIGIONS OF THE PURE EXPERIENCE: TAOSISM, HINDUISM, BUDDHISM Chapter 1. PSYCHOTECHNIQUE IN TAOISM 148 Special features of the Taoist psychotechnique 148 Mysterious Female of the World and Eternal Child (archetypical and transpersonal in Taoism) 149 Outlines of the formation of the Taoist psychotechnique.... 167 Chapter 2. THE SCIENSE OF PSYCHOTECHNIQUE: THE HINDU YOGA 179 Special features of Indian psychotechnique 179 Fundamental categories of the Indian culture 184 The formation of the Indian psychotechnique: from the Vedic sacrifices to the philosophical symbolism of Upanishadas 187 Types and forms of the Hindu psychotechnique 197 Chapter 3. THE FLOURISHING OF THE PSYCHOTECHNIQUE IN BUDDHISM 218 The essentials of the Buddhism doctrine 218 Primitive Buddhism 226 Mahayana 239 Sunyavada (Madhyamika) 246 Vijnanavada (Yogacara) 250 The theory of the Tathagatagarbha 253 Far EasternBuddhist traditions 258 Tantric (Vajrayana) Buddhism 265 PART III. DOGMATICAL RELIGIONS OF THE REVELATION (BIBLICAL TRADITION) Chapter 1. SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE BIBLICAL RELIGlONS 280 Historical and cultural unity of the Biblical tradition 280 Monotheism 284 Linear time and the idea of history 286 Relevation and psychotechnique in the dogmatical religions 292 Chapter 2. KABBALAH AND THE EAST 299 On the character of the problem and the borders of the research 299 Theology 302 Cosmology 308 Anthropology 313 The value of the Holy Scriptures in Kabbalah and in the East 316 Practical side of Kabbalah 318 Sexual side of Kabbalah and the Oriental teachings. The doctrine of the Female 320 Kabbalah and the philosophy of A. Schopenhauer 322 Chapter 3, DOGMATICS AND MYSTICISM IN CHRISTIANITY 326 Transpersonal experience in primitive Christianity 326 Byzantine hesychasm 339 Mysticism in the Western Christianity 349 Mysticism in Russian religious sectarianism 355 Chapter 4. PROPHETISM AND MYSTICISM IN ISLAM (SUFISM) 358 Prophetical roots of Islam 358 Psychotechniques in Sufism 361 CONCLUSION 375 SUMMARY 381 SUMMARY This monograph is probably one of the first attempts both in Russian and international scholarship to analyze religion as a coherent psychological phenomenon. The volume starts with a critical survey of the sociological paradigm, now predominant in the study of religion. The sociological paradigm is not fully denied and its merits are acknowledged, but at the same its insufficiency as the means of understanding religion as the universal psychological phenomenon, is recognized. This viewpoint is confirmed with the analysis of current definitions of religion. Thus E. A. Tortchinov applies to alternative psychological tradition. Inquiring into the nature of the religious experience, E. A. Tortchinov arrives to a conclusion, that its core, the foundation of the whole of the religious experience, may be rendered through the concepts of transpersonalism (S. Grof and his school), which thus becomes the backbone of new methodology of religious research. In the Introduction to his work E. A. Tortchinov inquires into adequacy of establishing the profound (transpersonal) religious experience as the foundation of the composite structure of doctrine, beliefs, cult, religious practice, institutions, etc, which forms a religion. The author discriminates between the primary and secondary (optional) religious attributes, relating in some way to its psychological foundation. In this connection he considers the relationship of magic, mythology, cosmology to religion, and at the same time refers to the position of theology, doctrine and cult in the religious system. Special reference is made to the problem of the manifestation of the profound religious experience through the means of semantics of certain cultures and the role of cultural factors in the emergence of different concepts of basic profound experiences The first part of the monograph is dedicated to the analysis of the role of the profound religious experience within the so-called early forms of religion. E A. Tortchinov specially refers to shamanism, where the individual psychological experience first occupied the crucial position. Chapter 2 of Part I deals with the mysterial cults of the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean areas (cults of Adonis, Attis, Eleusinian mysteries etc). The author criticizes the currently widespread Frazerian interpretation of these cults as the manifestation of magic of fertility, and substitutes it with the interpretation of the mysteries as a form of catharsis, originating from the prenatal and archetypal experiences. The second part of the volume covers the religions of China (Taoism) and India (Hinduism, Buddhism), which, to the mid of the author, clearly reveal psychological foundation of religion. Thus E. A Tortchinov attests them as 'the religions of pure experience', i.e. religions par excellence. Taoism is rendered as a religious form, transitory from the archaic archetypism to the transpersonalism as it is. Thus author believes, that the Taoist doctrine of feminine (Tao as a female principle) emerged as the reflection of prenatal experience. E. A. Tortchinov supplies this chapter with a review of Taoist psychotechnics. The chapter on Hinduism mostly covers the issues of Indian yoga in its connection with the fundamentals of Indian culture and religious and philosophical tradition of Brahmanism. Buddhism is rendered as the 'religion of pure experience' par excellence. This characteristic of Buddhism was predetermined by its founder, Buddha Sakyamuni. E. A. Tortchinov goes in much detail in his analysis of the fundamentals of Buddhist doctrine, concentrating himself on the personal historic forms of psychotechnics. In this connection, psychotechnics of Theravada Buddhism, indian and Chinese Mahayana, Tibetan Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism). Dealing with Tantra, E.A. Tortchinov especially refers to extremely sophisticated nature of its psychotechnics, based on the construction of the artificial archetypes (yidam).In this connection author manifests the synthetic unity of prenatal and archetypal concepts with transpersonal experiences in the way of Vajrayana. The following part of the monograph covers the 'dogmatic' or genetically Bible religions, in which the basic transpersonal experience of the founder takes the form of the supreme revelation. Thus these religions are defined as 'the religions of revelation'(Judaism, Christianity, Islam). The author analyses the characteristics of Biblical religions (monotheism, creationism, historicism), in the perspective of defining the position of psychotechnical experience, which tends to take shape of mysticism or mystics. The chapter 'Kabbalah and Orient', containing the typological comparison of Hebrew mysticism with the relevant mystical traditions of Indian and Far Eastern regions, is of special interest. Ultimate typological unity, which had been clearly demonstrated by the author, confirms the unity of the psychological experience, underlying all the considered traditions. The Christian mysticism is analyzed in the form of Byzantine hesychasm, though author refers to some specific traits of the medieval Catholic mysticism and Russian sectarian traditions. The monograph is concluded with a survey of Sufism in its connection with basic prophetic intention of Islam. In the Conclusion E. A. Tortchinov suggests the principally new typology and classification of the forms of transpersonal experience and psychotechnical practice. In the perspective of discussion the philosophic consequences of theoretical reflexion of the results of transpersonal methodology, the author refers to certain problems of the ontology of mind and cultural anthropology. Tortchinov Evgueni, Ph.D., D.Sc., Professor Saint-Petersburg State University Faculty of Philosophy Department of Religious Studies blade@comset.net tel/fax: (7)(812)526-29-47