Female Deities in Buddhism - Tapa blanda

This book deals with figures that are not part of our culture, but that come from India, Tibet and China. They are also not part of our time, as most of them are at least a thousand years old. Not only that: most of them are not even historical figures from whose lives we can learn, but figures that appeared in the meditations of men and women in the East long ago

Vessantra is a senior member of the Western Buddhist Order. Born Tony McMahon in London in 1950, he gained an MA in English at Cambridge University. Interested in Buddhism since his teens, he first had direct contact with Buddhists in 1971. In 1974 he became a member of the Western Buddhist Order and was given the name Vessantra, which means 'universe within'. In 1975 he gave up a career in social work to become chairman of the Brighton Buddhist Centre. Since then he has divided his time between meditating, studying and aiding the development of several buddhist centres, including retreat centres in England, Wales and Spain. For six years he was secretary to Sangharakshita, the founder of the Western Buddhist Order, and for seven years he lead three-month courses for people entering