buddhism

Anticipating reviews of this boxed set which will say that this is 'Tara Lite,' or 'Tibetan Buddhism for Slackers,' I want it to be known up front that I came to THE TARA BOX hoping to find a way to relate to Arya Tara simply because I find Her a compelling image of the divinity I wish to worship and in fact to become. This is not to say that I was naive and did not know who She was or what Her role was in the Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. It is to say that I find Tibetan Buddhism too involved for my limited capabilities, and have long been frustrated with other, scholarly and Lamaistic approaches to Tara.

The book, which is the real treasure of this set, is a remarkable piece of work. It makes Arya Tara not only accessible to a wider audience than the more specialist treatments by Martin Willson and Bokar Rinpoche, it describes a practice which, while rooted in and expressive of Buddhist metaphysics, is congenial and fruitful for non-Buddhists as well.

I originally gave THE TARA BOX only 4 stars because I wasn't impressed with the box and the Tara figurine. I've since reconsidered. The Tara figurine is quite nice, actually. I still would have preferred the book to be published separately in a larger type and for less money.