Vessantara is a senior member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, who also has extensive experience of practice under the guidance of Tibetan Buddhist teachers. Vessantara is much in demand as a Buddhist teacher and has led retreats and courses around the world. He has written several books, including Tales of Freedom and two books on Buddhist meditation: The Breath and The Heart.

'The depth of Vessantara's own practice and comfort in visionary realms means this book is an invitation to experience our lives infused with imagination, light, love, power, and mystery.' - Vidyamala Burch, OBE; 'This wonderful book was an absolute treasure trove for me.... A gift of wisdom and inspiration.' - Professor Paul Gilbert, OBE, author of 'The Compassionate Mind'; '...a wonderfully rich, comprehensive, and thorough exploration of the world of Buddhist Vajrayana....' - Rob Preece, author of 'The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra'

• IllustrationsAbout the AuthorPreface to the New EditionAcknowledgementsPreface to the Original EditionPublisher's AcknowledgementsIntroductionPart One Meeting the Buddha Chapter One The Fountainhead of BuddhismChapter Two The Development of Buddhist SadhanasChapter Three The Benefits of Sadhana PracticeChapter Four Taking Up Sadhana PracticePart Two The Mandala of the Five BuddhasChapter Five Entering the MandalaChapter Six Touching the Earth in the Eastern RealmChapter Seven The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel in the SouthChapter Eight The Red Buddha and the Mudra of MeditationChapter Nine Crossed Thunderbolts and the Buddha of ActionChapter Ten At the Centre of the MandalaPart Three The Great BodhisattvasChapter Eleven For the Sake of All That LivesChapter Twelve The Thousand Arms of CompassionChapter Thirteen The Soft-Voiced Prince and the Flaming SwordChapter Fourteen Vajrapani - the Path of Heroic TransformationChapter Fifteen Green Tara - the Quick Way to Wisdom Chapter Sixteen White Tara - Cheating DeathChapter Seventeen The Eight Great BodhisattvasPart Four Tantra and the Tantric DeitiesChapter Eighteen The Tantric ApproachChapter Nineteen Prajnaparamita - the Book That Became a GoddessChapter Twenty Vajrasattva - Prince of PurityChapter Twenty-One The Tantric GurusChapter Twenty-Two The Oath-Bound DeitiesChapter Twenty-Three Dancing in the SkyChapter Twenty-Four The Dark Armies of the DharmaChapter Twenty-Five The Refuge Tree and Its Future GrowthNotesIllustration CreditsGlossarySelected ReadingIndex