Buddhist Goddesses of India

Happy

For anyone seeking to worship the Divine in Female Form, this book is a great place to start. In her Introduction, Miranda Shaw, whose attitude is always respectful of the Goddess traditions in Buddhism, avers that numinous beings such as Goddesses should be understood not merely as projections of the human unconscious, or myths, but actually existing sentient beings, with powers and lifespans far greater than ours.Each individual chapter in the book is about a particular Goddess, and each Goddess is renowned for different gifts and beneficences. Prajnaparamita is the Mother of All Buddhas and the Goddess of Perfect Wisdom; Sarasvati is the Divine Muse Who inspires poetry and the arts; Parnasavari heals us and Sitatapatra protects Her devotees from supernatural evils. Some Goddesses are closely identified with the Earth, like Prthivi; The Goddess Laksmi is concerned with bestowing material benefits and wealth; Hariti is the Goddess Who loves us as a Mother.From my point of view, the two greatest Buddhist Goddesses of all are Tara and Vajrayogini. Tara is universally worshipped in Tibet; Her splendors and gifts are too numerous to mention in a short review. It's important to note that Tara is a fully realized Buddha, equal in stature to Shakyamuni Buddha. While Tara is more closely identified with the Mahayana tradition, Vajrayogini epitomizes the wild desire for liberation found in Tantra and Vajrayana traditions. Indeed, the book is sensibly divided into three coherent sections: The 1st Section is entitled, 'Ascent of the Sacred Female in Early Buddhism'; the 2nd Section, the longest in this voluminous book, is called, 'Mahayana Mothers Of Liberation' of which there are many, climaxing in a detailed consideration of the benevolent, kindly Goddess Tara; and the 3rd section of the book, 'Tantric Female Buddhas' explores the exciting terrain we all seem to share a natural inclination to learn about: Goddesses of wild abandon Who care so deeply about our liberation from the chains of samsara, that nothing is off limits and anything goes.This book is a deeply erudite work of serious scholarship. Every Goddess tradition is explored in depth, not just through writings, but through the examination of sculpture, temple artifacts, and art. There are many beautiful colorplates to meditate upon. In addition to the three main sections that form the body of the work, there's a brilliant Introduction, an Epilogue, Notes, a Glossary of Tibetan, a Bibliography, and an Index. Miranda Shaw's writing style is buoyant, intelligent, witty, engaging, and respectful throughout. There isn't a hint of easy skepticism or cynicism in the book, which I appreciate very much as a serious Goddess Worshipper. It totals 571 pages and I recommend it enthusiastically at the price, especially if you have a vocation in your spiritual life to worship the Goddess.

This book is more than worth it for the pictures alone. The images of Buddhist goddesses are simply gorgeous--whether clear black and white, or glorious color. Representing architectural elements, reliefs, gates, sculptures, painted cloth, and more, these images provide an invaluable visual document of the female images of divinity populating Buddhist history.Even so, the book offers far more. Shaw not only gathers these visual images for us, she helps us understand them--why they exist, why they appear as they do, and what they teach us about Buddhist thought and practice. For each goddess, Shaw considers the visual representations alongside the goddess's appearances in literature, history, ritual practices, and other Hindu and folk traditions. Moving among these various representations, Shaw creates compelling accounts of each deity's religious significance. She also documents change over time, charting the ascension of goddess figures through three stages of Buddhist history, early, Mahayana, and Tantra. The female Buddhas of Tantra occupy the third section of the book. And all along the way, Shaw deftly moves from persuasively engaging issues in Buddhist scholarship to telling vivid stories about the goddesses themselves.This comprehensive, accomplished book is for everyone and anyone who is interested in Buddhism, India, goddesses, South East Asia, Indian art and architecture, comparative religions, or the religious significance of art in general. Its stories and pictures engage and delight. At the same time, it is a must-read for scholars in all these fields for the ways in which it stretches and prunes our understanding of Buddhism. As Shaw persuasively documents, there is far more to the tradition than teachings of renunciation. Equally integral to the tradition are life-affirming, female-celebrating expressions of wisdom, creativity, and devotion.

The book and its contents were good, but the font was small, and the margins were low. It was hard to annotate as I read bc of the margins and font size. I have young eyes, but I still had to squint to read at times

LOVE this book. It has information on goddesses I've never heard of, and ones that I was having trouble finding good information about. Well written and researched, a quality book. Highly recommend!

Most books I purchase are for research purposes. This volume is indispensable!