Buddhism in Five Minutes - Elizabeth J. Harris
48. Why are There so Many Different Celestial Beings in Tibetan Buddhism?
Buddhism in Five Minutes - Elizabeth J. Harris
Cathy Cantwell [+]
University of Oxford and University of Kent
Cathy Cantwell is an Associate Faculty Member at the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent. She has specialized in Tibetan and Himalayan tantric rituals of all periods from the tenth century CE, including text critical and historical analysis, as well as ethnographic study of contemporary rituals. She was President of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies, 2015–2021.
Description
Why so many deities? There are Mahayana buddha and bodhisattva figures, as well as tantric deities. There are numerous different lineages for transmission of different tantric deity practices, with the possibility of further creative transformations of the practices in each generation. Furthermore, the many deities have qualities suitable for different practitioners and occasions.