This volume contains an English translation of the "root text" of the Tara-mula-kalpa, a scripture-ritual compendium that captures an important Buddhist tantric tradition in mid-formation. In this regard it is utterly unique and unlike any other text in the Buddhist canon. Its contents document the emergence of the quintessential female Buddha Tara in seventh-century India. As her popularity grew, her cult spread throughout Southeast Asia, as well as Tibet, where she became revered as the "Mother" of the Tibetan people. Tara is worshiped for a variety of reasons, from health and long life, to wealth, protection from enemies, and ultimately, the mind of enlightenment. Her presence pervades the evolution of Buddhism in Tibet, including within royal circles, as well as mentor and guide to many important Buddhist scholars, practitioners, and lineage holders.
Tara Tantra: Tara's Fundamental Ritual Text (Tara-mula-kalpa), Susan Landesman, Wisdom Publications, Hardcover, 512 pp, $69.95

Susan Landesman is an independent scholar and educator living and working in New York City. She is the author of "Tara and the Tara-mula-kalpa: The Tara Cult's Formative Period in India," "Goddess Tara: Silence and Secrecy on the Path to Enlightenment," "Tara" (in the Oxford Bibliographies), and The Tara Tantra: Part II: The Uttara-tantra (forthcoming). She specializes in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan art, and women in Buddhism, having completed her doctorate in Indian and Tibetan languages and cultures at Columbia University.

CONTENTS: Tara Tantra: Tara's Fundamental Ritual Text
Series Editor's Preface			xiii
Author's Preface			xvii
Abbreviations			xxi
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background on Tara			3
	The Legend of Tara's Beginnings		3
	Tara as a Personified Star and Tara's Boat		5
	Tara's Identity in the Tara-mula-kalpa		7
	Tara and Avalokitesvara: The Great Secret		10
	Tara Worship: From India to Tibet		12
	Tara's Predecessors in Buddhist Literature: The Goddesses Prajnaparamita and Vasanti		16
	Conclusion		22
Textual Analysis of the Tara-mula-kalpa			23
	Introduction to the Tara-mula-kalpa, Atisa, and Bu-ston		23
	The Divisions of the TMK and Their Contents		29
	The TMK's References to the Bodhisattvapitaka Avatamsaka-mahavaipulya-sutra		32
	Previous Scholarship		36
	Dating Theories: Tara in the TMK, the MMK, and the VAT		38
		Tara in the TMK and the Ekavimsati-sadhana	40
		Tara in Bhavaviveka's Tarkajvala	41
		Conclusion: Dating the Tara-mula-kalpa	43
	Rituals in the Tara-mula-kalpa		44
	The Translation:
		Why a Translation of This Text Is Important	51
		Chapter Titles	52
Tara in the Tara-mula-kalpa: Names, Iconography, and Vidyas			55
	Layer One		55
	Layer Two		69
PART TWO: TRANSLATIONS: TARA-MULA-KALPA
Chapter A.1: The Assembly			79
Chapter A.2: The Extensive Ritual of the Mandala			135
Chapter A.3: The Extensive Ritual of the Mandala and the Ritual of the Sadhana			195
Chapter B.1: The First Extensive Ritual of the Painted Image			199
Chapter B.3: The Third Extensive Ritual of the Middling Painted Cloth			223
Chapter B.4: The Fourth Extensive Ritual of the Painted Cloth (Small Ritual)			229
Chapter B.5: The Fifth Extensive Ritual of the Painted Cloth			233
Chapter B.6: The Fruits of Ritual Actions of the Superior Sadhana			243
Chapter B.7: The Ritual Methods Accomplishing Superior Action			247
Chapter B.8: Accomplishing the Superior [Ritual of the] Painted Cloth			253
Chapter B.9: The Extensive Ritual of the Middling Painted Cloth			269
Chapter B.10: The Extensive Chapter of the Ritual of Prayer Beads			317
Chapter B.11: The Extensive Ritual of the Fire Sacrifice			327
Chapter B.12: Untitled [The Great Secret]			339
Chapter B.13: Vidya-mantras Born from the Extensive Samadhi			351
APPENDIXES
Appendix I: The Legend of Tara			399
Appendix II: The Tradition of the Great Dangers			405
Appendix III: References to the Bodhisattvapitaka Avatamsaka Sutra			415
Appendix IV: The Tara-mula-kalpa's Textual Affiliation with the Manjusri Mula Kalpa			417
Appendix V: Sutrayana Teachings in the TMK			423
Appendix VI: Sadhanas			431
Appendix VII: Correlations Between Editions			439
Appendix VIII: Glossary			441
Bibliography			449
	Image Credits		449
	Reference Works		449
	Tibetan and Sanskrit Works		450
	Western Works and Translations		454
Index			467