HEALING IMAGE The Great Black One   William Stablein, Ph.D.

Exquisite reproductions of original hand painted Tibetan thangkas, hand carved woodblocks, and the author's personal collection of photographs, added to Dr. Stablein's insightful text, make this publication a timely and important addition to any Buddhist library.

Compelling and authentic, this narrative recounts how Dr. Stablein discovered a rare Sanskrit manuscript in India that sent him in quest of the secret of the awesome pan-Asian deity Mahakala--The Great Black One. His search uncovered ways that life's dark forces can be transformed into the means for individual and collective healing. As his personal and spiritual journey unfolds, the author explains how he applied these teachings to his own life and work and ultimately forged a holistic framework for spiritual growth and self-healing.

Dr. Stablein outlines ways the reader can incorporate these practices into their own lives to promote wellness, inner harmony, compassion, creativity, and many other benefits. He also offers original translations of two important Sanskrit texts and some timely insights on the causes and treatment of codependency and addition.

 "Stablein traveled to Asia on a Fulbright grant to study Tantric Buddhism, and remained in order to experience Tibetan Tantric practice firsthand. Much of his book relates the spiritual journal. He includes dreams, feelings, and personal insights gleaned over years of meditation on Mahakala images, the 'Great Black One' on Tantra. This is a scholarly work providing detailed information on various rituals and translations of portions of Mahakalatntra, as well as photos of the Mgnon-po ceremony. Stablein also discusses the applicability of Tantric insights to Western psychology in ways that will interest therapists. The remains primarily a fascinating spiritual autobiography of a highly intelligent and articulate seeker. A full bibliography and index are included. Recommended for academic libraries."
C. Robert Nixon, MLS, Lafayette, Ind. The Library Journal

 "The book is wonderful...I find it to be a superb, brilliant and well-written account of the interface between one unique Occidental with the mysteries and the mundane of an ancient culture and religion, in flux with a complex modern Asian civilization. I feel drawn into the soul and mind of the writer, experiencing his journey as my own on every plane of existence."
Dr. Leon Hammer
Author of Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies: Psychology & Chinese Medicine

 "Dr. Stablein demonstrates his ease in moving through images, a topic on which he has insightful remarks. ...a successful embrace of Tibetan religious values and to have so much to show for it in his personal transformation of consciousness."
Prof. Alex Wayman
Professor of Sanskrit, Columbia University
Author of The Buddhist Tantras: Light on Indo-Tibetan Esotericism

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