Meeting the Buddhas: A Guide to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Tantric Deities
Who are the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and protectors, the 'angry demons' and 'benign deities' of the Buddhist Tantric tradition? Are they products of an alien, even disturbed, imagination? Or are they, perhaps, real? What have they got to do with Buddhism? And what have they got to do with us? Meeting the Buddhas: A Guide to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Tantric Deities is a vivid and informed account by an experienced Western Buddhist guiding us into the heart of this magical realm and introduces us to the miraculous beings who dwell there. Meeting the Buddhas is an exploration of the main figures we are likely to meet. The introduction is concerned with a correct understanding of visualization and devotional practices. Then we enter the mandala and encounter the five Buddhas. We discover the Bodhisattva Ideal and meet ten important Bodhisattva forms. Lastly, we are launched into the world of Tantric Buddhism. Although Meeting the Buddhas can be used as a work of reference, it offers much more than a relaxed museum visit. These awesome figures are alive and have a message for us - a message with the power to change our lives.  --Midwest Book Review