One of the most striking aspects of Tibetan Buddhism is its wealth of visual imagery, ranging from the tranquility of a serenely poised meditator to the dynamic energy of apparently wrathful figures. Western observers are often as puzzled as they are fascinated by these representations and wonder, Who are these figures and what do they mean? In telling the story of each major deity and its iconography, this book -- unavailable for two years -- answers the need for a clear, straightforward guide to the inner world of Tibetan Buddhist sacred art and serves as a great introduction to the tradition of spiritual self-transformation embodied by these depictions. The text by Landaw, which explicates thirty-two brilliant full-color plates of paintings by Weber in Tibetan style, is also sprinkled with numerous line drawings, helpful tables, and succinct, lucid explanations of topics ranging from emptiness to the processes of death to the stages of the tantric path . -- Religious Studies Review