More things to read...

Judith Weiss of Kesher Talk, who's been a very kind and gracious supporter of Ideofact for some time (and, believe it or not Judith, I am thinking about another post dealing with Mongols), has a post on a book that I think I might have to get hold of for my summer vacation, The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet's Re-Discovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India. I found this, from a review Judith quotes, particularly thought intriguing:

Nearly every major religion has developed a tension between its exoteric forms -- accessible to all practitioners -- and its esoteric secrets, which are restricted to a small band of initiates, if only to prevent the misuse of that esoterica. In a series of remarkable discussions, the Dalai Lama and these two learned, ebullient cabalists, Rabbis Schachter and Omer-Man, compare notes on the character of meditation, its structures, rhythms and traditions. To read these chapters is something like walking through a mythic garden . . . .

It appears that the book on the 72 Satans of Ismaili heresiography is beyond my reach (at least for now), so this might provide a good alternative...