Buddhist Goddesses of India [Paperback]

The Indian Buddhist world abounds with goddessesgraceful nature divinities, maternal nurturers, potent healers, mighty protectors, transcendent wisdom figures, cosmic mothers of liberation, and dancing female Buddhas. Despite their importance in Buddhist thought and practice, female deities have received relatively little scholarly attention, and no comprehensive study of the female pantheon has been available.

Buddhist Goddesses of Indiachronicles the histories, legends, and artistic portrayals of nineteen goddesses and several related human figures and texts. Beautifully illustrated and 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 in this definitive and essential guide.

"Winner of the 2006 Book of the Year Award in Religion, ForeWord Magazine""One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007"Miranda Shawis associate professor of religious studies at the University of Richmond. She is the author ofPassionate Enlightenment: Women in Tantric Buddhism(Princeton). This first comprehensive survey of Buddhist female deities fills a gap in academic treatment of the goddess role in the evolution of Buddhism. . . . Each chapter is a complete work on a single goddess and may be read independently. Highly recommended. Buddhist Goddesses of Indiawill delight and entice students of religious studies, cultural anthropologists, art history enthusiasts, goddess spirituality practitioners, and anyone interested in the divine feminine. ---Leah Samul,ForeWord Buddhist Goddesses of Indiais a wonderful contribution to the study of deities. . . . All in all, Shaw's book is a valuable resource for the scholar, the practitioner, and the student of goddess traditions. Her rich profiles provide the necessary historical, iconographilóå