Download or read book Meeting the Buddhas written by Vessantara and published by Windhorse Publications. This book was released on 1993 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction the most well-known and important Buddhas, deities and other sacred figures of Buddhism. Each is imaginatively brought to life for the reader presenting their major characteristics along with illustrations, visualizations, symbols, mantras and myths.
Download or read book Meeting the Buddhas written by Vessantara and published by Windhorse Publications. This book was released on 2022-12-05 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meeting the Buddhas is a modern classic, giving a vivid and accessible introduction to all the main figures meditated on in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition. First published in 1993, this new edition incorporates a section on Vajrakīla, as well as new images, and hundreds of small changes that nuance and deepen earlier editions. It is a mine of information for those who want to learn about buddhas, bodhisattvas and tantric deities, and of inspiration for those who are already doing the practices. Vessantara powerfully evokes the figures, giving the reader a real feeling for what it’s like to meditate on them, and how they can transform us on a deep level. It gives detailed descriptions of the figures, including their mudras and symbolic emblems, so it can be used as a handy reference to identify and learn about particular images.
Download or read book The Tibetan Iconography of Buddhas Bodhisattvas and Other Deities written by Lokesh Chandra and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 824 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Book Studies The 360 Icons Of The Chu Fo P U-Sa Sheng Hsiang Tsan Pantheon Referring To A Rare Set Of Woodcuts Distinct Among Buddhist Pantheons. It Analyses The Unique Features Of This Pantheon, Pointing Out The Significance Of Each Figure In The Mythological/Theological Framework And Minutely Describing The Iconography Of The Images.
Download or read book Buddhas bodhisattvas and deities written by Alice Kraemerová and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Tibetan Buddhism Deck written by Priya Hemenway and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2003 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Featuring equisite images of thirty-six Buddhist deities, guardian figures, and bodhisattvas from the Tibetan tradition, these cards provide an explanation of the abilities, qualities, and strengths of each, and give meditation exercises to deepen your practice of Buddhism and bring peace and understanding into your life."--Container.
Download or read book Guide to the Deities of the Tantra written by Vessantara and published by Windhorse Publications. This book was released on 2013-09-27 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vessantara explains the key characteristics of the Tantra, introduces its many Deities, and explores its symbolism. This guide provides the foundations for a gradual and thorough understanding of Tantric Buddhism, encouraging confidence in the exploration of its many themes and lavish forms. Mantra recitation and colourful visualizations of the Deities lie at the heart of the Tantric practice and Vessantara provides beautiful meditations on each of the key figures while also explaining the reasoning, theory and history behind each practice.
Download or read book Deities of Tibetan Buddhism written by Martin Willson and published by Wisdom Publications. This book was released on 2000-03-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An extraordinary encyclopedia of Buddhist icons. Illustrating the Rin 'byung brgya rtsa, the Nar thang brgya rtsa, and the Vajravali, the book is based on a collection of over five hundred images of Tibetan deities. The images, presented in the book at full scale, were originally created by a master artist in the early nineteenth century to serve as initiation cards (tsakli). The original tsakli were woodblock prints, hand colored at the request of a Ch'ing Dynasty nobleman who had received the initiations. Such cards are used in ceremonies to introduce the practitioner to the deity and his or her practice. The paintings are housed in the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich. Deities of Tibetan Buddhism is also an indispensable reference tool for Tibetologists, students of Mahayana Buddhism, and museum curators. Its extensive supplementary materials include English translations of the basic invocation texts; the associated visualization with descriptions of the deities' postures, attributes, and colors; and the dharanis and mantras used in their invocation. Co-editor Martin Willson spent more than a decade translating and documenting this work. He has provided detailed explanations of technical terms, enlightening explanatory notes, and glossaries documenting the discrepancies in the depictions. The extensive pictorial index, featuring drawings and text by Robert Beer, explains the symbolic meaning behind the deities' implements and adornments. The cross-referenced indices for Tibetan, Sanskrit, Mongolian, and English names and terms provide quick access to vast amounts of information. Co-editor Martin Brauen and the technical staff of the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich have documented the relationship between this and other sets of initiation cards that exist elsewhere, as well as detailing the construction materials and methods involved in producing this set. Deities of Tibetan Buddhism is a reference book without peer, essential for any serious student of Tibetan and East Asian art and religion.
Download or read book The Gods of Northern Buddhism written by Alice Getty and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 1988-01-01 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Invaluable reference covers names, attributes, symbolism, representations of deities in Mahayana pantheon of China, Japan, Tibet, etc. 185 illus.
Download or read book The Gods of Northern Buddhism written by Alice Getty and published by . This book was released on 1914 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Buddhist Goddesses of India written by Miranda Shaw and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2015-08-25 with total page 586 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "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.
Download or read book Female Deities in Buddhism written by Vessantara and published by Windhorse Publications. This book was released on 2003 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Queens and old crones, Buddhas and goddesses, mothers and wild women. Female deities in Buddhism take many forms to inspire, beguile, rouse and protect us. Enter the magical realm of gently compassionate Kuan Yin from China, meet the elusive golden goddess from India representing Perfect Wisdom, and tangle with the energetic embodiments of freedom, the fearless sky-dancing dakinis of Tibet. Respected Western Buddhist teacher Vessantara invites us to learn more about ourselves as women and men by reflecting on these figures, for within us lie the seeds of love, wisdom and freedom that these figures symbolise in their fullness, qualities we can nurture through contemplating the beauty of these enlightened beings. Engage not just with your head but with your heart. Follow your intuition ... enrich your life. My thanks to Vessantara for a treasure trove of fascinating information, explanation, and anecdote on the feminine divine. This is an invaluable introductory source book.Sandy Boucher, author of Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion.
Download or read book Female Deities in Buddhism written by Vessantara and published by Windhorse Publications. This book was released on 2014-08-22 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Queens and old crones, Buddhas and goddesses, mothers and wild women. Female deities in Buddhism take many forms to inspire, beguile, rouse and protect us. Enter the magical realm of gently compassionate Kuan Yin from China, meet the elusive golden goddess from India representing Perfect Wisdom, and tangle with the energetic embodiments of freedom, the fearless sky-dancing dakinis of Tibet. Respected Western Buddhist teacher Vessantara invites us to learn more about ourselves as women and men by reflecting on these figures.
Download or read book Buddhist Art Coloring Book 2 written by Robert Beer and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2016-02-16 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sacred art presented as coloring templates for contemplation and creativity—stunning and detailed artwork from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Drawing on his brush paintings in The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs and other works, Robert Beer has selected 50 images meant to be used as templates for coloring. The book features figures spanning centuries of the tradition, including spiritual adventurers, rebellious saints, and enlightened Tantric masters. The detailed artwork is elegant and meaningful—drawing on Buddhist teachings to give each piece greater depth.
Download or read book Guide to the Bodhisattvas written by Vessantara and published by Windhorse Publications. This book was released on 2013-09-27 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bodhisattvas are dedicated to one thing: helping people on the path towards Enlightenment. The bodhisattvas know that they are not apart from the rest of life. Seeking Enlightenment for themselves alone can never satisfy as they witness the suffering that is all around them. Their vision is to work endlessly in the service of living beings. This Guide introduces a panoply of figures: Tara, the rescuer; Manjusri the Bodhisattva of Wisdom; and Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion; among others.
Download or read book After Buddhism written by Stephen Batchelor and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2015-10-28 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some twenty-five centuries after the Buddha started teaching, his message continues to inspire people across the globe, including those living in predominantly secular societies. What does it mean to adapt religious practices to secular contexts? Stephen Batchelor, an internationally known author and teacher, is committed to a secularized version of the Buddha’s teachings. The time has come, he feels, to articulate a coherent ethical, contemplative, and philosophical vision of Buddhism for our age. After Buddhism, the culmination of four decades of study and practice in the Tibetan, Zen, and Theravada traditions, is his attempt to set the record straight about who the Buddha was and what he was trying to teach. Combining critical readings of the earliest canonical texts with narrative accounts of five members of the Buddha’s inner circle, Batchelor depicts the Buddha as a pragmatic ethicist rather than a dogmatic metaphysician. He envisions Buddhism as a constantly evolving culture of awakening whose long survival is due to its capacity to reinvent itself and interact creatively with each society it encounters. This original and provocative book presents a new framework for understanding the remarkable spread of Buddhism in today’s globalized world. It also reminds us of what was so startling about the Buddha’s vision of human flourishing.
Download or read book Protectors and Predators written by Bernard Faure and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2015-12-31 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by one of the leading scholars of Japanese religion, Protectors and Predators is the second installment of a multivolume project that promises to be a milestone in our understanding of the mythico-ritual system of esoteric Buddhism—specifically the nature and roles of deities in the religious world of medieval Japan and beyond. Bernard Faure introduces readers to medieval Japanese religiosity and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and ritual. Throughout he engages theoretical insights drawn from structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-Network Theory to retrieve the “implicit pantheon” (as opposed to the “explicit orthodox pantheon”) of esoteric Japanese Buddhism (Mikkyō). His work is particularly significant given its focus on the deities’ multiple and shifting representations, overlappings, and modes of actions rather than on individual characters and functions. In Protectors and Predators Faure argues that the “wild” gods of Japan were at the center of the medieval religious landscape and came together in complex webs of association not divisible into the categories of “Buddhist,” “indigenous,” or “Shinto.” Furthermore, among the most important medieval gods, certain ones had roots in Hinduism, others in Daoism and Yin-Yang thought. He displays vast knowledge of his subject and presents his research—much of it in largely unstudied material—with theoretical sophistication. His arguments and analyses assume the centrality of the iconographic record as a complement to the textual record, and so he has brought together a rich and rare collection of more than 170 color and black-and-white images. This emphasis on iconography and the ways in which it complements, supplements, or deconstructs textual orthodoxy is critical to a fuller comprehension of a set of medieval Japanese beliefs and practices and offers a corrective to the traditional division of the field into religious studies, which typically ignores the images, and art history, which oftentimes overlooks their ritual and religious meaning. Protectors and Predators and its companion volumes should persuade readers that the gods constituted a central part of medieval Japanese religion and that the latter cannot be reduced to a simplistic confrontation, parallelism, or complementarity between some monolithic teachings known as “Buddhism” and “Shinto.” Once these reductionist labels and categories are discarded, a new and fascinating religious landscape begins to unfold.
Download or read book Faces of Compassion written by Taigen Dan Leighton and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-05-15 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faces of Compassion introduces us to enlightened beings, the bodhisattvas of Buddhist lore. They're not otherworldly gods with superhuman qualities but shining examples of our own highest potential. Archetypes of wisdom and compassion, the bodhisattvas of Buddhism are powerful and compelling images of awakening. Scholar and Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton engagingly explores the imagery and lore of the seven most important of these archetypal figures, bringing them alive as psychological and spiritual wellsprings. Emphasizing the universality of spiritual ideas, Leighton finds aspects of bodhisattvas expressed in a variety of familiar modern personages - from Muhammad Ali to Mahatma Gandhi, from Bob Dylan to Henry Thoreau, and from Gertrude Stein to Mother Teresa. This edition contains a revised and expanded introduction that frames the book as a exciting and broad-scoped view of Mahayana Buddhism. It's updated throughout to make it of more use to scholars and a perfect companion to survey courses of world religions or a 200-level course on Buddhism.
