The Alchemical Body : Siddha Traditions in Medieval India

The Alchemical Body excavates and centers within its Indian context the lost tradition of the medieval Siddhas. Working from previously unexplored alchemical sources, David Gordon White demonstrates for the first time that the medieval disciplines of Hindu alchemy and hatha yoga were practiced by one and the same people, and that they can be understood only when viewed together. White opens the way to a new and more comprehensive understanding of medieval Indian mysticism, within the broader context of south Asian Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Islam. "White proves a skillful guide in disentangling historical and theoretical complexities that have thus far bedeviled the study of these influential aspects of medieval Indian culture."--Yoga World "Anyone seriously interested in finding out more about authentic tantra, original hatha yoga, embodied liberation . . . sacred sexuality, paranormal abilities, healing, and of course alchemy will find White's extraordinary book as fascinating as any Tom Clancy thriller."--Georg Feuerstein, Yoga Journal.;Preface -- Note on Transliteration -- Abbreviations -- One: Indian Paths to Immortality -- Two: Categories of Indian Thought: The Universe by Numbers -- Three: The Prehistory of Tantric Alchemy -- Four: Sources for the History of Tantric Alchemy in India -- Five: Tantric and Siddha Alchemical Literature -- Six: Tantra in the Rasarnava -- Seven: Corresponding Hierarchies: The Substance of the Alchemical Body -- Eight: Homologous Structures of the Alchemical Body -- Nine: The Dynamics of Transformation in Siddha Alchemy -- Ten: Penetration, Perfection, and Immortality. Beginning In The Fifth Century A.d., Various Indian Mystics Began To Innovate A Body Of Techniques With Which To Render Themselves Immortal. These People Called Themselves Siddhas, A Term Formerly Reserved For A Class Of Demigods, Revered By Hindus And Buddhists Alike, Who Were Known To Inhabit Mountaintops Or The Atmospheric Regions. Over The Following Five To Eight Hundred Years, Three Types Of Hindu Siddha Orders Emerged, Each With Its Own Specialized Body Of Practice. These Were The Siddha Kaula, Whose Adherents Sought Bodily Immortality Through Erotico-mystical Practices; The Rasa Siddhas, Medieval India's Alchemists, Who Sought To Transmute Their Flesh-and-blood Bodies Into Immortal Bodies Through The Ingestion Of The Mineral Equivalents Of The Sexual Fluids Of The God Siva And His Consort, The Goddess; And The Nath Siddhas, Whose Practice Of Hatha Yoga Projected The Sexual And Laboratory Practices Of The Siddha Kaula And Rasa Siddhas Upon The Internal Grid Of The Subtle Body. For India's Medieval Siddhas, These Three Conjoined Types Of Practice Led Directly To Bodily Immortality, Supernatural Powers, And Self-divinization; In A Word, To The Exalted Status Of The Semidivine Siddhas Of The Older Popular Cults.. In The Alchemical Body, David Gordon White Excavates And Centers Within Its Broader Indian Context This Lost Tradition Of The Medieval Siddhas. Working From A Body Of Previously Unexplored Alchemical Sources, He Demonstrates For The First Time That The Medieval Disciplines Of Hindu Alchemy And Hatha Yoga Were Practiced By One And The Same People, And That They Can Only Be Understood When Viewed Together. Human Sexual Fluids And The Structures Of The Subtle Body Are Microcosmic Equivalents Of The Substances And Apparatus Manipulated By The Alchemist In His Laboratory. With These Insights, White Opens The Way To A New And More Comprehensive Understanding Of The Entire Sweep Of Medieval Indian Mysticism, Within The Broader Context Of South Asian Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, And Islam. This Book Is An Essential Reference For Anyone Interested In Indian Yoga, Alchemy, And The Medieval Beginnings Of Science.--book Jacket. 1. Indian Paths To Immortality -- 2. Categories Of Indian Thought: The Universe By Numbers -- 3. The Prehistory Of Tantric Alchemy -- 4. Sources For The History Of Tantric Alchemy In India -- 5. Tantric And Siddha Alchemical Literature -- 6. Tantra In The Rasarnava -- 7. Corresponding Hierarchies: The Substance Of The Alchemical Body -- 8. Homologous Structures Of The Alchemical Body -- 9. The Dynamics Of Transformation In Siddha Alchemy -- 10. Penetration, Perfection, And Immortality -- Epilogue: The Siddha Legacy In Modern India. David Gordon White. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 521-554) And Index. "[A] brilliant disquisition on . . . mostly unpublished texts for three allied systems of tantric thought and praxis (sexual, alchemical, and hatha yogic)." — The Journal of Asian Studies The Alchemical Body excavates and centers within its Indian context the lost tradition of the medieval Siddhas. Working from previously unexplored alchemical sources, David Gordon White demonstrates for the first time that the medieval disciplines of Hindu alchemy and hatha yoga were practiced by one and the same people, and that they can be understood only when viewed together. White opens the way to a new and more comprehensive understanding of medieval Indian mysticism, within the broader context of south Asian Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Islam. "White proves a skillful guide in disentangling historical and theoretical complexities that have thus far bedeviled the study of these influential aspects of medieval Indian culture." — Yoga World "Anyone seriously interested in finding out more about authentic tantra, original hatha yoga, embodied liberation . . . sacred sexuality, paranormal abilities, healing, and of course alchemy will find White's extraordinary book as fascinating as any Tom Clancy thriller." —Georg Feuerstein, Yoga Journal "Remarkable . . . a study of the language of mystic experience and expression—the multitudinous symbols, rituals, and doctrines of the medieval siddhis, yogis, and alchemists." — Skeptic Meditations

The Alchemical Body excavates and centers within its Indian context the lost tradition of the medieval Siddhas. Working from previously unexplored alchemical sources, David Gordon White demonstrates for the first time that the medieval disciplines of Hindu alchemy and hatha yoga were practiced by one and the same people, and that they can be understood only when viewed together. White opens the way to a new and more comprehensive understanding of medieval Indian mysticism, within the broader context of south Asian Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Islam.

"White proves a skillful guide in disentangling historical and theoretical complexities that have thus far bedeviled the study of these influential aspects of medieval Indian culture."—Yoga World

"Anyone seriously interested in finding out more about authentic tantra, original hatha yoga, embodied liberation . . . sacred sexuality, paranormal abilities, healing, and of course alchemy will find White's extraordinary book as fascinating as any Tom Clancy thriller."—Georg Feuerstein, Yoga Journal

Asian Studies Review

David White has done us a great service by presenting us with such a wide-ranging and thorough piece of research into a challenging subject, rarely met with in European-language works, although certainly still a popular field in India and Tibet.

Contents 8 Preface 10 Note on Transliteration 16 Abbreviations 18 One: Indian Paths to Immortality 20 Two: Categories of Indian Thought: The Universe by Numbers 34 Three: The Prehistory of Tantric Alchemy 67 Four: Sources for the History of Tantric Alchemy in India 97 Five: Tantric and Siddha Alchemical Literature 142 Six: Tantra in the Rasarnava 190 Seven: Corresponding Hierarchies: The Substance of the Alchemical Body 203 Eight: Homologous Structures of the Alchemical Body 237 Nine: The Dynamics of Transformation in Siddha Alchemy 282 Ten: Penetration, Perfection, and Immortality 322 Epilogue: The Siddha Legacy in Modern India 354 Notes 372 Selected Bibliography 540 Index 574 The emperor Aurangzeb issued a firman to Anand Nath, the abbot of Jakhbar, an obscure monastery in the Punjab, in 1661 or 1662: The letter sent by Your Reverence has been received along with two tolahs of quicksilver. David Gordon White excavates and seeks to centre within its broader Indian context the lost tradition of the medieval Siddhas.