Quest for the Enlightened Feminine: Faith, Tara, and the Path of Compassion

(Paperback)

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A spiritual journey to discover the feminine face of God

Describes how the author gave up her life of comfort to move to the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West, Kagyu Samye Ling

Details her 18-month pilgrimage around the world inspired by the compassion and wisdom of the female Buddha Green Tara and her entourage of 21 emanations

Woven throughout with Tibetan Buddhist teachings and methods, including practices with Green Tara and White Tara

After a life-changing dream encounter with Jesus the Christ, broadcaster and healer Anna Howard embarks on a journey of spiritual awakening and transformation culminating in an 18-month global pilgrimage inspired by the female Buddha Green Tara.

Beginning with the early dramatic years of following the call, Anna details the profound dream that ignited her quest, her spiritual roots in mystical Christianity, and how she gave up her life of comfort and privilege in pursuit of the enlightened feminine. She discovers the depths of Vajrayana Buddhism, which leads her to move to the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West, Kagyu Samye Ling, in Scotland. She endures homelessness, heartbreak, suffering, and exile, but also discovers her root teacher, Akong Tulku Rinpoche, who awakens her to the feminine face of God. She discovers Green Tara and her entourage of 21 emanations, each with her own specific focus in the general field of fearless compassion, spiritual protection, and liberation from suffering.

Detailing her 18-month peace pilgrimage, Anna describes how she worked with the 21 emanations of Green Tara, both on the inner level through her Tara practice and in the outer through Tara in Action: distributing 21 small statues of Tara, blessed by Akong Rinpoche, around the world. Trusting and following her emerging inner guidance, she places the first statue on the holy island of Lindisfarne, with the other statues landing in locations from Alaska and France to Tibet and South Africa. Interwoven with Tibetan Buddhist teachings and methods, including practices with Green Tara and White Tara, Tonglen meditation, and exercises for working with the 21 Taras, the book offers direct ways to put these sacred and powerful teachings into practice in your own life.

Author Bio

Anna Howard, M.A. (Oxon), is an Oxford-educated student of Buddhism, whose work focuses on the healing and transformative energies of Tara. A workshop facilitator, teacher, and healer, she is also a former radio broadcaster and author of two books, Death: Breaking the Taboo and Oxford: Images and Recollections. She lives in Dorset, England.