The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet (Hermeneutics: Studies in the History of Religions) Paperback – 1 Jul 1992

This book is a richly detailed exposition of the major rituals and supporting belief systems of Tibetan Buddhist monastic communities. Beyer uses as his case study the wide-spread devotion to Tara (the Sanskrit form; in Tibetan, Dolma), the (paradoxically) female Bodhisattva who is regarded as one of the special patrons of Tibet. Basic and advanced forms of ritual and meditation are described, and there are attractive line drawings of many of the implements (as well as some not-so-clear, but interesting, black-and-white photographs).

There is an enormous amount of detail about elementary and advanced ritual activities, from those practices known to most lay-people to relatively less-known and complex meditation techniques, very much including the use of permanent objects and material and symbolic offerings. Of course, in a world-view in which the material world is itself an illusion, the differences between the tangible and the symbolic tend to fade away.

Beyer's exposition makes clear that the reported association with magic of Vajrayana Buddhism in particular, and the larger categories of Tantric Buddhism and Hinduism in general, is not a complete misrepresentation, but the natural result of a world-view in which magic is a real possibility. In Tibet, at least, the preferred solution has been to try to make sure that those who develop supernatural powers are also indoctrinated with strong ethical teachings; in other words, the specialists in religion.

This book is not, as a whole, easy reading, although the introductory chapters should present few obstacles. Beyer is enormously respectful of the religion and those who practice it, but his approach is analytical and, to some extent, critical / historical. Those interested mainly in devotional readings, including many of the texts Beyer cites or excerpts, might try Martin Willson's "In Praise of Tara: Songs to the Saviouress: Source Texts from India and Tibet on Buddhism's Great Goddess," which will also be of great interest to those who appreciate Beyer's handling of the material.

The author of "The Cult of Tara", Stephan Beyer, has most cleverly and wisely chosen Tara as a way to unify study of magic and ritual in Tibet across the many Vajrayana, Bon and Shamanic branches of Tantric Yoga. This work is one of the most detailed presentations on circa-Tibetan Tantric practice. Stephan Beyer directly interacted with many actual living circa-Tibetans and thereby gained their trust and some good understanding of their Tantra. One can see that Stephan Beyer put a greatly inspired well-learned effort into "The Cult of Tara". It is so well-learned that one would likely have a good foundation for the cultural anthroplogy of circa-Tibetan shamanic religion -- if one were to add study of "The Cult of Tara" to "Civilized Shamans" by Geoffrey Samuel.

With all the apparent variety of shamanic religious tradition in circa-Tibet it is quite interesting that the very vast majority of circa-Tibetan Vajrayana, Bon and Shamanic folks have an inmost personal shrine to Tara -- the "Goddess" of Tibet. With the various levels of interpetation of the reality and meaning of an Entity such as Tara -- "Goddess" is only an approximate marker for Tara. A few like equivalents to Tara may be Isis of old Egypt, Sungoddess of Japan and Mary, Queen of Heaven. These three Ladies also having wide and deep meanings -- or maybe they are all of one She +++

One of the best books for the study and practice of Arya Tara, very few other texts can compare to this, and it was one of the first books translated for use in Tibetan Buddhism.

the book was a gift for a spiritual friend. she was delighted to receive it and read it thoughtfully, often commenting about certain passages to me.

500 page work of art, scholarship, inspiration, and insight into the Tibetan Tantric rituals of Tara. This book is a gift to scholarship and also to those who want to explore Tibetan and Tantric spirituality. The writing is eloquent, easy to read, and detailed. Anyone interested in the phenomenology of Goddess practices will want this. It is, to use a phrase from the book, a "magical attainment." The experience of the practitioners is rendered as much as can be done in a book.