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.
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