Book excerpt: A guide to the mental disciplines and visualizations that Masters have used for ages in their quest for illumination. * An insider's view of specific meditation techniques and the steps necessary for a wide variety of * Buddhist and Taoist meditation practices. * By the author of Tantric Quest (15,000 sold) and Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening. The esoteric practices followed in the quest for divinity generally remain a secret to the world--kept cloistered away for only the most ascetic practitioners. Now Daniel Odier, having immersed himself in the life and spiritual practices of Buddhist and Taoist monasteries throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Japan, reveals actual teachings passed on by the sages who are living expressions of their tradition. Looking beyond doctrine, dogma, and philosophical treatises that ignore direct experiences of the practice, Odier provides a direct path to the heart of the religious experience that can be discovered through meditation. Beginning with the simple and fundamental steps necessary to prepare for meditation, Odier guides the reader through the specifics of the mental disciplines and visualizations that Buddhist and Taoist masters have used for ages in their quest for illumination. To devote oneself to meditation, in the sense understood by Buddhists and Taoists, is to realize the understanding of how every fiber of our being converges with all creation. Meditation Techniques of the Buddhist and Taoist Masters is a valuable guide to all who are in search of that realization.