Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 Spiritual stories are important. Stories and myths have the ability to convey meaning on multiple levels, as well as place sometimes odd beliefs and practices into a useful context within our particular culture and the world at large.#2 The Guhyasamāja tantra is one of the earliest tantras in existence. It was written in India in the 3rd or 4th century and is attributed to the Siddha Asanga. It extols the virtues of sensory pleasure as a path to enlightenment. The king of Uddhiyana in what is now Afghanistan asked the Buddha if there was not another way to attain enlightenment, one that did not abandon sensory enjoyment.#3 The Guhyasamāja and Kalachakra Tantras are two of the most well-known inner teachings. They are meant for special people, and their practitioners will deny the efficacy of their approach. But as monasticism and renunciation seem to be becoming less and less attractive in both the East and the West, it is time for the inner teachings to become more widespread and lead to a new definition of what spirituality actually entails.#4 The book recounts the tale of a man named Poliphilo, who was tasked with choosing which portal to take to find his true love, Polia. The three travelers knock on the first portal, which is marked with the words Gloria Dei in Latin, Theodoxia in Greek, Tif’eret ha-El in Hebrew, and Jal Allah in Arabic.