Buddhist Goddesses of India - Rilegato

Shaw, Miranda

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0691127581 ISBN 13: 9780691127583

Casa editrice: Princeton Univ Pr, 2006

Riassunto

The Indian Buddhist world abounds with goddesses--graceful 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 India chronicles 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.

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Recensione:

Winner of the 2006 Book of the Year Award in Religion, ForeWord Magazine


One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007

"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."--Library Journal

"Buddhist Goddesses of India will 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 India is 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, iconographic, and ritual background for us to understand the meaning and context of these goddesses, and the art she has chosen and represented with vivid colored plates . . . beautifully illustrates the variety, vitality, and power of the goddess traditions of Buddhist India."--Judith Simmer-Brown, Buddhadharma

"The theme of this fine work is best described as untangling and clarifying the complex early role and appearance of female deities found throughout the Himalayan plateau. There is a dearth of understanding of the symbolism of goddess-deity characters: figures of wisdom, healers, heavenly and earthly mothers, beautiful and powerful beings. [. . .] This is a marvelous study. Buddhist Goddesses of India serves the reader on multiple levels."--New Age Retailer

"This comprehensive study of Indian Buddhist goddesses fills a major gap in knowledge of the breadth of divine female figures in the Buddhist world. . . . Well documented, and with a fine, full bibliography, this book is beautifully and lavishly illustrated in color and black and white."--Choice

"Scholars of Buddhism who are unaware of the importance and pervasiveness of Buddhist 'goddess' traditions would be well advised to read it. It will also be of interest to graduate students, in part because of its broad coverage and helpful references."--David B. Gray, Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Contenuti:

Acknowledgments ix
Note on Transliteration xi

Introduction 1

Part One: Ascent of the Sacred Female in Early Buddhism

Chapter 1: Prthiv: Mother Earth 17
Chapter 2: Mayadev: The Buddha's Wondrous Mother and Her Sacred Grove 38
Chapter 3: Yaksins: Voluptuous, Magical Nature Spirits 62
Chapter 4: Sri Laksmi: Glorious Good Fortune 94
Chapter 5: Hariti: Goddess of Motherly Love 110
Chapter 6: Female Buddhas: The Case of Gotami 143

Part Two: Mahayana Mothers of Liberation

Chapter 7: Goddesses in the Flower Ornament Scripture 155
Chapter 8: Praj~naparamita: Luminous Mother of Perfect Wisdom 166
Chapter 9: Parnasavar: Healing Goddess Clothed in Leaves 188
Chapter 10: Mairci: Lady of Sunrise Splendor 203
Chapter 11: Janguli: The Buddhist Snake Goddess 224
Chapter 12: Sarasvati: Divine Muse 234
Chapter 13: Vasudhara: Lady Bountiful 247
Chapter 14: Cunda: Saving Grace 265
Chapter 15: Sitatapatra: Invincible Goddess With a Thousand Heads and Hands 276
Chapter 16: Usnisavijaya: Bestower of Long Life and Immortality 291
Chapter 17: Tara: Mahayana Buddha, Universal Savior 306

Part Three: Tantric Female Buddhas

Chapter 18: Vajrayogini: Her Dance Is Total Freedom 357
Chapter 19: Nairatmya: Her Body Is the Sky 387
Chapter 20: Chinnamunda: Severed-Headed Goddess 403
Chapter 21: Simhamukha: Lion-Faced Female Buddha 418
Chapter 22: Kurukulla: Red Enchantress with Flowered Bow 432

Epilogue 448

Notes 453
Glossary of Tibetan 521
Bibliography 525
Index 553

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Princeton Univ Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0691127581
• ISBN 13: 9780691127583
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 571