"Origin of Tara Tantra" by Taranatha, one of the most accomplished scholars of the unorthodox Jo-nan sect, strings together from various fragmentary sources a mine of legends and episodes in the origin and diffusion of Tara's tantra.

Translated by David Templeman, this work is supplemented with voluminous notes, an excellent appendix and a comprehensive bibliography for the serious reader. Similar in style to the author's "bkah.babs.bdun.ldan" (1600), this work heralded Taranatha's major historic work "History of Buddhism in India written four years later in 1608.

"Origin of Tara Tantra," though dependent on legends and largely anecdotal, has nevertheless about it a strong feeling of historic time and provides an important and accurate account of the lineages of the Siddhas who worshipped Tara and passed on her Upadesas, revelations and Tantra, besides giving a background to the masters of the Tibetan Siddhas who grew from India's rich tantric soil.

Origin of Tara Tantra, Jo Nang Taranatha, David Templeman (Translator), Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 126 pages, $11.00

David Templeman has worked for many years on the writings of the 16�17th century Tibetan lama, Taranatha. He is working on a translation of that lama�s massive autobiography and has recently co-authored (with John Powers) A Historical Dictionary of Tibet. He is an Adjunct Research fellow at Monash Asia Institute, Monash University.