Buddhist Goddesses of India"The Indian Buddhist world abounds with goddesses--voluptuous tree spirits, maternal nurturers, potent healers and protectors, transcendent wisdom figures, cosmic mothers of liberation, and dancing female Buddhas. Despite their importance in Buddhist thought and practice, these female deities have received relatively little scholarly attention, and no comprehensive study of the female pantheon has been available. Buddhist Goddesses of India is the essential and definitive guide to divinities that, as Miranda Shaw writes, "operate from transcendent planes of bliss and awareness for as long as their presence may benefit living beings." Beautifully illustrated, the book chronicles the histories, legends, and artistic portrayals of nineteen goddesses and several related human figures and texts. Drawing on a sweeping range of material, from devotional poetry and meditation manuals to rituals and artistic images, Shaw reveals the character, powers, and practice traditions of the female divinities. Interpretations of intriguing traits such as body color, stance, hairstyle, clothing, jewelry, hand gestures, and handheld objects lend deep insight into the symbolism and roles of each goddess. In addition to being a comprehensive reference, this book traces the fascinating history of these goddesses as they evolved through the early, Mahayana, and Tantric movements in India and found a place in the pantheons of Tibet and Nepal."--Publisher's website. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Prthivi Mother Earth | 17 |
Mayadevi The Buddhas Wondrous mother and Her Sacred Grove | 38 |
Yaksinis Voluptuous Magical Nature Spirits | 62 |
Sri Laksmi Glorious Good Fortune | 94 |
Hariti Goddess of Motherly Love | 110 |
Female Buddhas The Case of Gotami | 143 |
Goddesses in the Flower Ornament Scripture | 155 |
Sitatapatra Invicible Goddess With a Thousand Heads and Hands | 276 |
Usnisacijaya Bestower of Long Life and Immortality | 291 |
Tara Mahayana Buddha Universal Savior | 306 |
Vajrayogini Her Dance Is Total Freedom | 357 |
Nairatmya Her Body Is the Sky | 387 |
Chinnamunda SeveredHeaded Goddess | 403 |
Simhamukha LionFaced Female Buddha | 418 |
Kurukulla Red Enchantress with Flowered Bow | 432 |
Prajnaparamita Luminous Mother of Perfect Wisdom | 166 |
Parnasavari Healing Goddess Clothed in Leaves | 188 |
Marici Lady of Sunrise Splendor | 203 |
Janguli The Buddhist Snake Goddess | 224 |
Sarasvati Divine Muse | 234 |
Vasudhara Lady Bountiful | 247 |
CUNDA Saving Grace | 265 |
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Common terms and phrases
adorned appears artistic aśoka associated attained attributes Avalokitesvara bestowing Beyer Bhattacharyya birth bliss Bodhisattva body Buddhahood Buddhist Iconography Cakrasamvara century C.E. Chandra Coomaraswamy Cult Cunda ḍākinī dance Deities of Tibetan demons depicted dhāraṇī displays divine earth goddess effigies enlightenment envisioned epiphany female Buddha figures flowers four-armed gesture goddess Gotami Hārītī Hevajra Tantra Hindu human Ibid Iconography images Indian invoked Jātaka Khecara Kurukulla Lakṣmi lotus Lumbini magical Mahayana mandala mantra Māra Mārīcī Māyādevī meditation monastic mother motif Museum nāgas Nairātmyā Nālandā Nepal Newar nondual ornaments painting pantheon Photo powers practice prajñā Prajñāpāramitā protection Ratnagiri realm reliefs retinue ritual role sadhana Sādhanamālā Sakya Sanskrit Sarasvati Scripture Sculptures sgrub thabs Shakyamuni skull snake sources spiritual stupa supernatural supreme symbolic Tantric Tārā Tara's Tibet Tibetan Buddhism trans translation tree vajra Vajravārāhī Vajrayogini Vasudhārā visual Willson and Brauen wisdom worship yakṣas yakṣinīs yoga yogic yoginis
Popular passages
Page 531 - The Stupa of Bharhut. A Buddhist Monument. Ornamented with numerous Sculptures illustrative of Buddhist Legend and History in the Third Century BC By ALEXANDER CUNNINGHAM, CSI, CIE, Major-General, Royal Engineers (Bengal Retired) ; Director-General Archaeological Survey of India.
Page 533 - Tree and Serpent Worship ; Or, Illustrations of Mythology and Art in India in the First and Fourth Centuries after Christ, from the Sculptures of the Buddhist Topes at Sanchi and Amravati.