The Purpose Of This Book Is To Intrduce To The Readers The World Of Tibet`S Rich Tradition Of Guardian Deities Or Dharma Protectors.

A note to the reader about the Use of Tibetan terms -- Rediscovering the arms and armor of Tibet / by Donald J. LaRocca -- A history of ironworking in Tibet : centers of production, styles, and techniques / by John Clarke -- armor and weapons in the iconography of Tibetan Buddhist Deities / by Amy Heller -- The Gonkhang, Temple of the Guardian deities / by Lozang Jamspal-- Catalogue : Lamellar Armor and helmets -- Helmets -- Shields -- Horse armor -- Leather armor -- Mail and other forms of armor -- Swords -- Spears, spearheads, and miscellaneous -- Archery equipment -- Firearms and accessories -- Saddles and tack, stirrups, and bridles -- Appendixes -- Excerpts from a treatise on worldly traditions types and subtypes of swords, helmets, and armor named in 'jig rten lugs kyi bstan bcos -- Tibetan-English glossary of arms and armor terms -- Radiocarbon dating results.

The historical development of Esoteric Buddhism in India is still known only in outline. A few verifiably early texts do give some insight into the origin of the ideas which would later develop and spread to East and Southeast Asia, and to Tibet. However, there is another kind of evidence which can be harnessed to the project of reconstructing the history of Esoteric Buddhist doctrines and practice. This evidence consists of art objects, mainly sculpture, which survive in significant numbers from the 6th to the 13th century.

An extraordinary encyclopedia of Buddhist icons. Illustrating the Rin 'byung brgya rtsa, the Nar thang brgya rtsa, and the Vajravali, the book is based on a collection of over five hundred images of Tibetan deities. The images, presented in the book at full scale, were originally created by a master artist in the early nineteenth century to serve as initiation cards (tsakli). The original tsakli were woodblock prints, hand colored at the request of a Ch'ing Dynasty nobleman who had received the initiations. Such cards are used in ceremonies to introduce the practitioner to the deity and his or her practice. The paintings are housed in the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich. Deities of Tibetan Buddhism is also an indispensable reference tool for Tibetologists, students of Mahayana Buddhism, and museum curators. Its extensive supplementary materials include English translations of the basic invocation texts; the associated visualization with descriptions of the deities' postures, attributes, and colors; and the dharanis and mantras used in their invocation. Co-editor Martin Willson spent more than a decade translating and documenting this work. He has provided detailed explanations of technical terms, enlightening explanatory notes, and glossaries documenting the discrepancies in the depictions. The extensive pictorial index, featuring drawings and text by Robert Beer, explains the symbolic meaning behind the deities' implements and adornments. The cross-referenced indices for Tibetan, Sanskrit, Mongolian, and English names and terms provide quick access to vast amounts of information. Co-editor Martin Brauen and the technical staff of the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich have documented the relationship between this and other sets of initiation cards that exist elsewhere, as well as detailing the construction materials and methods involved in producing this set. Deities of Tibetan Buddhism is a reference book without peer, essential for any serious student of Tibetan and East Asian art and religion.