Initiations and Initiates in Tibet by Alexandra David-Neel is an insightful exploration of the spiritual practices and rituals in Tibetan Buddhism.
Drawing on her extensive travels and deep knowledge of Tibetan petan culture, David-Neel delves into the complex process of initiation, which plays a central role in the spiritual development of Tibetan practitioners. She examines how these initiations, which often involve symbolic rites, mystical teachings, and sometimes secretive rituals, mark a person's entry into higher levels of spiritual understanding.
The book also highlights the role of the initiates, or those undergoing these sacred ceremonies, who are often required to demonstrate dedication, discipline, and inner transformation. David-Neel describes these individuals as navigating challenging paths that blur the lines between the physical and the spiritual, with the ultimate goal of achieving enlightenment. Her detailed account provides a rare and profound look at Tibetan esoteric traditions, shedding light on the intricacies of initiation and the deep commitment required to walk the spiritual path in Tibet.
Alexandra David-Neel was a pioneering French explorer, writer, and scholar, best known for her extensive travels in Tibet and her contributions to the study of Tibetan Buddhism. She was one of the first western women to visit Tibet, where she spent time in Lhasa, gaining firsthand knowledge of Tibetan culture and spirituality. Also published by us are David-Neel's other books, including Magic and Mystery in Tibet, Buddhism: its Doctrines and its Methods, Tibetan Tale of Love and Magic, Initiations and Initiates in Tibet, My Journey to Lhasa, The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects, The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling, and Tibetan Journey, sharing her insights into Tibetan rituals, mysticism, and philosophy. Her groundbreaking work bridged Eastern and Western thought, making her a key figure in the study of Buddhism and Himalayan cultures.
The first edition of Initiations Lamaiques appeared twenty-six years ago, that is shortly after the publication of Parmi les mystiques et T les magiciens du Tibet. The success of these two books-which were translated into several foreign languages shows, I think, that the indifference professed by most of our contemporaries towards matters of a spiritual nature, is far from being universal.
There are still many whose curiosity is great concerning the so-called esoteric doctrines taught by Masters who acknowledge traditions different from those which prevail in the West. Many of these ""inquirers"" are content with descriptions of strange rites or with the reading of formulae whose vague significance flatters a latent love of mystery. There are others, however, who display a more intelligent desire for information. They understand that all ""esoterism"" arises from misunderstanding and that rites, symbols and enigmatic pronouncements are merely a veil that is easy to raise for anyone who is fired with a keen desire to know.
The Tibetan spiritual Masters have never ignored this fact and their discipline has always tended to induce their disciples to come to grips with the real meaning of the teaching which is presented to them in language rich in ritual descriptions that partake of the nature of a rebus.
After the publication of Initiations Lamaiques, my adopted son, the late Lama Yongden, and I went back to Tibet and there stayed for twelve years. We were able in that country to study more deeply the conceptions of the Tibetan thinkers, conceptions relating to many subjects of practical utility for the guidance of our conduct in the arduous voyage of our lives. I have, therefore, thought it advisable to add two supplementary chapters to what was contained in previous editions of Initiations Lamaiques ('Initiations and Initiates in Tibet'). One of these chapters, founded on notes left by the Lama Yongden, deals with the essential importance of sustained attention and of memory in the spiritual discipline of Buddhism, the aim of which is the attainment of Knowledge.
In the other additional chapter I have set forth various theories that the Tibetan thinkers have elaborated concerning ""Cosmic Consciousness"" or, what is perhaps more rightly termed the ""Universal Subconsciousness"" present everywhere and in everything and that is efficient even although its influence upon those who surround us and upon ourselves remains almost always unsuspected.
Finally, I have added a special chapter on the Tibetan Intelligentsia for the English edition.
Since the profound changes which are taking place in Tibet seem likely to modify both the physical aspect and the spiritual atmosphere of the country so that, indeed, it may soon have lost its age-old appearance, that of a most strange land haunted by gods and by sages greater than gods, it may be interesting to present an account of the ideas that have originated in Tibet and of the practices to which these ideas have given rise.
Those few foreigners who have been in close contact with the mystical and philosophical thought of the Tibetans belong to a generation that is now fading away. It is desirable, therefore, to collect, with care, the information that such people have to offer; from this standpoint the following book may be regarded as a documentary volume.
The first English language edition of Initiations and Initiates in Tibet appeared in 1932 and followed translations of the French original presented in German and other foreign languages. During the twenty-six years that have elapsed since 1932, the writer, Alexandra David-Neel, and her adopted son, the Lama Yongden, made another prolonged stay in Tibet and in neighbouring regions, a sojourn that lasted no less than twelve years. This new edition of Initiations and Initiates presents a revised and consider-ably augmented text the result of additional researches made by the author and her adopted son.
The readers' attention is drawn to a possible error which may be made if the word ""Initiation"" is taken to mean what it might if used in connection with the Mysteries of ancient Greece or Egypt.
In Tibet ""initiation"" is, first and foremost, a means calculated to induce the novice to discover for himself certain facts that are not directly revealed to him but which, by the aid of symbolical rites, he will eventually perceive himself. Tibetan initiation is not intended to enlighten the novice but rather to lead him to become conscious of what has hitherto been hidden from him because his mental eye has not been capable of perceiving it.
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