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. |
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Common terms and phrases
adorned Apara¯jita appears artistic asavar¯ı asoka associated attained attributes Avalokitesvara bestowing birth bliss Bodhisattva body Buddhahood Buddhist Iconography century c.e. Cult Cunda dance Deities of Tibetan demons depicted dha¯ran displays divine earth goddess effigies enlightenment envisioned epiphany female Buddha figures flowers four-armed gesture Gotam¯ı hand healing Hevajra Hindu homage human Ibid iconography images Indian invoked Jātaka Kurukulla Laks Laks˙m¯ı lotus lotuses Lumbin¯ı Ma¯ra Ma¯ya¯dev¯ı magical Mahayana mandala mantra meditation monastic mother motif Museum Naira¯tmya Nepal Newar nondual offerings ornaments Pa¯la painting pantheon Parn Perfection of Wisdom Photo portrayed powers Pr˙thiv¯ı practice Praj˜na¯pa¯ramita protection Prthivi realm recitation reliefs religious retinue ritual role Sadhanamālā Sakya Sarasvat¯ı Scripture sGrub thabs Shakyamuni Shakyamuni Buddha Sita¯tapatra snake spiritual stupa Sudhana supernatural symbolic Ta¯ra Tantric Tārā Tibet Tibetan Buddhism trans tree vajra Vajrayogin¯ı Vasudha¯ra Vasudhārā visual Willson and Brauen worship yaks yaks˙as yaks˙in˙¯ıs Yaksas yaksini yogic yoginis