Nagini is the Sanskrit word for a female deity who takes the form of a large snake, usually a king cobra but occasionally any others in the ‘naja’ genus. Her type appears in the Indian forms of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, where she is occasionally a...
Tara is a world-renowned deity, who predominantly features as a female Buddha in many strains of Buddhism, particularly Tibetan or the “Mahayana Tradition”, as it is also known. However, she is also included as one of the Mahavidyas, or the “10...
Pattini is the guardian deity of Sri Lanka in the Sinhala Buddhist religion, while also being worshipped as Kannaki by the Tamil Hindus. In Sri Lanka she is also the patron goddess of fertility and health, particularly in protection against smallpox. Kannaki is the...
Did you know gender equality is a principle in Buddhism? I certainly didn’t, until I stumbled across this scene, “The Visit of Manjushri to Vimalakirti,” from the Vimalakirti Sutra. Composed around 100 CE, this Mahayana Buddhist sutra is known for...
