Illustrations

Worship: Offerings, Praises, and Prayer
Application: Protection and Attack
Acquisition: Initiation and Ritual Service

Notes
Bibliography
Index

"A definitive contribution to the field by a brilliant young scholar. The magnitude of this work is awesome...a fine and scholarly piece of work which sheds much light on a dark subject."—Virginia Quarterly Review

"The result of fieldwork in the Tibetan community at Palampur, Kangra, India, which is well known as one of the most vigorous surviving centers of traditional Tibetan culture, supplemented by vast researches into Tibetan and Sanskrit source material which is handled with impressive competence. It is impossible not to admire the immense amount of hard work and deep and critical thinking which has gone into this book, which is certainly a major milestone in the subject."—Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

"The author has a kindly attitude toward the subject and an instinct for the important; and he is careful. All of these attributes which insure the authenticity and trustworthiness of his material. His anecdotes and writing style are appealing; and the numerous mundra figures are charming."—Journal of Asian Studies

"The fullest (almost an encyclopedic) description of the Tantric model of religious life yet published. It is an outstanding achievement, from the foreword by Kees W. Bolle to the notes and index."—Times Literary Supplement