Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Altars: A Pop-Up Gallery of Traditional Art and Wisdom

by Tad Wise, Bruce Foster

The home altar has become an increasingly popular tool for contemporary seekers, allowing them to tap their spirituality informally, at any time of the day. This charming book puts a new twist on the phenomenon by showcasing female Buddhist deities in a delightfully unusual format. Designed to resemble a Tibetan temple, the book presents stunning three-dimensional renderings of traditional thangka paintings. It features doors that open from the middle of the front cover, a sturdy tab-insert closure, and elastic loops to hold each altar firmly in place. Four important goddesses appear here. White Tara pacifies illness and removes obstacles; Vanshudara increases prosperity, fertility, and happiness; Kurukulla helps attract and influence through the power of love and desire; and Vajrayogini aids in developing the enlightened union of Great Bliss and Emptiness. With the assistance of these colorful altars and an informative text about the symbolic art, visualization can blossom into multidimensional meditation.

Genres: Buddhism

4 pages, Unknown Binding

First published August 3, 2006

Reviews

[Ligaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not into Buddhism but do LOVE a good pop-up book and this one is VERY good. Paper engineering is by David A. Carter, who did all those amazing pop-up bug books for kids! The illustrations are lush and the text is very informative. The book is designed so one can fold the covers back and set it up as an altar. Very clever.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just . . . WOW! Tad Wise is "paper engineer extraodinaire!"