The Story Behind The Essence of Tantric Sexuality

We wrote The Essence of Tantric Sexuality with the blessings of our teacher, Dr. Jonn Mumford (Swami Anandakapila Saraswati). The book is based on lectures he gave at Gnosticon in 1976, and while it touches on some of the themes he addressed in his own books -- Ecstasy Through Tantra, A Chakra and Kundalini Workbook, and Magical Tattwas -- none of his work delves so deeply into the specifics of Tantric sexual practices, in large part because he was reluctant to allow the material to appear in print. Even in those areas where his books and ours overlap, the perspectives and practical details are significantly different.

It has been our privilege to study with Swami Anandakapila for the last eight years. At Gnosticon, Swamiji discussed arcane, complex, traditional material in way that would be accessible and practical for Westerners; thus the teachings are at once original and traditional -- his unique synthesis. Gnosticon was also possibly the first time an initiated Swami spoke publicly to an American audience about the sexual aspects of Hindu Tantra. Over the years, other authors have borrowed from these pioneering lectures (which were available on tape in the late 1970s and early 1980s), often out of context and often without crediting Swamiji as the source. We wrote The Essence of Tantric Sexuality to insure that his authentic teachings would be available for future generations, in context and with proper attribution. We had his support and cooperation throughout the process, and as a result, the book is considerably more detailed than the original lectures.

Our next book is based on our online course The Fundamentals of Tantric Sexuality.