lunes, 7 de octubre de 2013

IJTS Vol. 9 N. 1

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am happy to announce that we have just published the International
Journal of Tantric Studies (IJTS) vol. 9, n. 1:

http://asiatica.org/ijts/vol9-1/

In this issue
Editorial Note
Papers: “A Spirituality of Pleasure: Deciphering Vijñānabhairava Verse
68” by
by John R. Dupuche”; “Shaping the Italian Policy on the North-West
Frontier: Giuseppe Tucci and the Limits of the Strategy of “Peripheral
Destabilization” (1936-1943)” by Gianluca Pastori

Abstracts

"A Spirituality of Pleasure: Deciphering Vijñānabhairava Verse 68"
by John R. Dupuche

This heavily coded śloka from the tantric literature of Kashmir Shaivism
has been misinterpreted and misused, to the detriment of the reputation
of tantra in the West. This paper studies the original text and ancient
commentaries, and elucidates the several levels of meaning of this
arcane verse. It also looks at the various translations and commentaries
in English, French, German, which do not bring out the full meaning of
the text or contradict each other or gloss over problems or bend the
verse to suit their agendas. As a result, this paper concludes that, far
from being disreputable or trivial, the sloka describes a spirituality
of pleasure in every-day life which is profound and important for our age.


"Shaping the Italian Policy on the North-West Frontier: Giuseppe Tucci
and the Limits of the Strategy of “Peripheral Destabilization" (1936-1943)"
by Gianluca Pastori

Giuseppe Tucci played an important role in shaping Italian politics
towards Asia under both Fascism and the Republic. In the Fascist period,
Rome was a rally point for Asian nationalists such as Subhas Chandra
Bose and Mohammad Iqbal Shedai. On the field, the Italian Legation in
Kabul forged links with the frontier tribes to spread sedition along the
North-West Frontier. Nonetheless, their joint efforts to fuel a strategy
of “peripheral destabilization” proved unfruitful. Confirming Tucci’s
opinion, the intellectuals and the Indian population were unwilling to
replace the Raj with another foreign domination. If they wanted to free
themselves from the British, «it was not to place someone else in their
shoes» (Iqbal).

Enjoy!

Dr Enrica Garzilli
Editor-in-Chief