Don't Drink the Punch: An Adventure in Tantra

By Kamala Devi

This edgy tantra novel is about a spiritual seeker in perpetual pursuit of truth and pleasure (not necessarily in that order.) From the brothels of Bangkok to the Temples of India, we follow a skeptic... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 1879097990
• ISBN13: 9781879097995
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Zendow Press
• Length: 303 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Multilayered Confection

This is a book that is part adventure, part sexy romp, part travelog, and tretise on the some of the more obsure rites of those following the non-dualistic shakta path. There are major lapses in plot and character development, but who cares? This book is written in a light breezy style, perfect for the western reader. But after you put the book down you may want to think about these important questions. . .how are we attached to our egos?, how can we affirm the spark of divinity within ourselves and others?, and how can we live our daily lives with integrity, purpose, and love? Will there be a sequel?

A lusty odyssey of divine inspiration

I was truly surprised at how much I loved this book - and even more so with the second read. Unlike some of my other favorite authors who can fill pages with slippery stylized prose, Don't Drink the Punch is a relatively simple, straight forward story (albeit very sexy) with believable characters and insightful dialog developing into some increasingly profound concepts that culminates all too soon in a wonderfully classic surprise ending. It's very easy to imagine this as a major motion picture that we'd all want to see again and again! Having been in and around the California Tantra scene for over a decade, I honestly didn't expect to glean a whole lot of new insights from a novel that I had assumed to be aimed at the beginner, but I was quite wrong. Just as the author alludes to throughout the book, for everyone from the acolyte to the ascendant, there is always room to learn and grow. Don't Drink the Punch is a lusty odyssey of divine inspiration; guided by love, self-exploration, intrigue and an evanescent ascended master, a group of mostly western tantricas embarks on a pilgrimage across India in search of the deeper mystical secrets of ancient tantric expression. As the reader, I got to voyeuristically tag along, and recognizing the depth of what she has to offer, soon found myself asking the questions posed to our hero and heroine, seeking new answers for myself. This book served as a timely reminder of my deeper needs for growth and development; for enlightenment... and inspired me to re-evaluate my own path and to spend more time in meditation, in open hearted expression and exploring what's really important - my connection to my greater self and to the divine. And what a magnificent way to get there...

"Don't Drink the Punch" is JUICY!

Moving from mundane to mystical awareness is a mind-blowing, life-changing experience. Suddenly, superficial everyday "reality" is forever shifted - and nothing can be taken for granted, ever again. "Don't Drink the Punch: An Adventure in Tantra by Kamala Devi is a compelling, consciousness-raising and heart-opening entree into the erotic, exotic, deeply spiritual world of tantra yoga, "a way of being beyond the doer and the action." (p.295) Set in the deliciously alien (and steamy!) cultures and climates of Thailand and India, Sal, our California-born middle-class hero, surrenders himself to a tantalizing and refreshing Brazilian goddess who leads him on a breathtakingly cinematic pilgrimage into the love-laden awakening of his very own soul. As a practitioner - and avid fan! - of this ancient art, I find the subject and nuance of tantra to be thoroughly provocative. Kamala Devi's ability to weave intricate, visceral subtleties of tantric philosophy, focus and attention into a smart, juicy and fast-moving story filled with intrigue, romance and transcendent wisdom... is truly impressive. This novel is a mainstream hit film ready to be made - and a powerful introduction to a sensual, rewarding and dare-I-say `holy' alternate path, open and available to all who wish to learn. Thank you Kamala Devi, for writing this! Tes. Inspirational Sound Healer, Life Coach & Shamanic Entertainer

This book Transmits Pure Tantra!

At first, I got a strange feeling that the beautiful woman on the cover was trying to say something to me. Was she from an ancient time trying to impart some sacred wisdom? As I got pulled into the book, and pulled in I was, it became clear that this was no "how-to" book about tantra. In fact, I could say it was more of a how-not-to book. With each page I felt I was given a chance to see the insides of a working sex cult without having to risk disease, or cover my naked body with ashes in a cemetary. Kamala Devi doesn't resort to any flowery tricks of writing to express her story. The subject and the location have enough flowers, color and blood and guts of their own. Instead she uses direct language to convey the events. As an adult I appreciated her candid descriptions and no holds barred approach of telling a story that can be shocking all the way from the brothels of Bangkok to the drug-crazed beaches of South India. This book has shaken up my view of tantra. The gurus in the book don't correspond to the beautiful and loving teachers I have met in the 8 years I've been practicing tantra in California. I can relate to the young, hip western characters who help me absorb the teachings of this ancient practice in a form I could never get in a how-to text. There is definitely a dangerous edge to Kamala Devi's tantra and I appreciated experiencing it vicariously through Sal, the main character. I especially appreciated sitting back and getting all the secret initiations while he did all the scary and dangerous stuff for me. Sometimes a practice or language spreads to other parts of the world and then disappears at its source, like a palm tree that sends its coconuts floating across the ocean before its native island is swallowed up by a volcano, leaving children of the tree surviving elsewhere. Once the story drifts into the cemeteries of South India the devotees are channeling a dead master who is holding on by his already deceased fingernails. While his brand of tantra might be dying the story certainly didn't. It was in these later parts that I found myself unable to put it down. By reading Don't Drink the Punch, I experienced examples of how others could pour themselves in body and soul. While I am not ready to sign up for a naked tantric cemetery tour myself, I can better appreciate the history of the tantra that I experience here in California, making my personal practice more authentic and alive!

Absolutely spectacular!

I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up to read it, but the cover art was beautiful so it got my attention. I was not disappointed! I was hooked from the first page and couldn't stop reading it until I finished it. It was a real page turner and a beautifully written story about love, passion, Tantra, obsession... and ultimately about personal fulfillment and finding one's own true path in this world. The main character was someone I could identify with on a personal level, and he was a MAN! Steamy and sensual but also light and humorous, I found it both sad and uplifting at the same time, something that takes a talented writer to accomplish effectively, and Kamala Devi does not disappoint. I have already recommended this book to several friends to read, because it is just that good. Highly recommended.