The Buddha Tarot (Paperback)

by Robert M. Place (Author) "The legend of the life of Buddha has many variations..." (more)
Key Phrases: double vajras, Tusita Heaven

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"This deck is not just about Buddha. It is about us and about things in our culture that we may have forgotten. It is about how much our mystical heritage is like Buddhism. It is about why we can find Buddha in the Tarot, and a demonstration that the Tarot is a sacred tool, a mandala."
-Robert M. Place, creator of The Buddha Tarot


The combination of Buddhism and Tarot might seem strange at first, but the underlying archetypal pattern reveals stunning similarities. The story in the Tarot's major arcana parallels the story of Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment. This sequence of twenty-two cards has been interpreted by many as an allegorical description of the soul's journey to enlightenment, beginning with the naive Fool and culminating in the universal consciousness represented by the World card.

The Buddha Tarot includes a 79-card Tarot deck designed and created by artist Robert M. Place, acclaimed for his distinctive style and artwork with religious and sacred themes. Also included is a booklet exploring the parallels between the Tarot and Buddhism, the life of Buddha, and interpretations for each card.

Perfect for divination, meditation, and unlocking one's inner wisdom, The Buddha Tarot awaits you as a gentle guide on your journey toward enlightenment.



About the Author
Robert M. Place is an internationally known visionary artist and illustrator. He is recognized as an expert on the Western mystical tradition and the history and philosophy of the Tarot, and his work has appeared in many books and publications. Place is also the designer, illustrator, and coauthor of the highly acclaimed Alchemical Tarot and The Angels Tarot. He has appeared on The Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel and has conducted lectures and workshops throughout the country, including the Open Center and the Omega Institute in New York and the International Tarot Congress in Chicago. Place's work in precious metals have been displayed in museums such as the New York State Museum, the American Craft Museum, and the White House.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; Crds edition (February 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738704415
• ISBN-13: 978-0738704418
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #552,381 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Buddha Tarot Book Companion : A Review, January 1, 2005

By	June Kaminski, BellaOnline Editor "June Kaminski" (BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

Renowned artist and tarot scholar/writer Robert M. Place has produced a masterpiece in his new tarot 384 page companion book, The Buddha Tarot Companion: A Mandala of Cards. This book affords a rich unique perspective of the Tarot through the lens of the Buddhist paradigm. The companion deck comes in a beautifully illustrated box containing exquisitely designed cards that fit perfectly in my hand, a tiny black gossamer bag plus a bordered little white box with the instructions, "Embellish this box with protective and/or empowering symbols." Other suggestions that greet you as you begin your journey with the Buddha cards include: "Smudge with sage to cleanse and re-energize the cards after a reading." and "Store your deck with stones or crystals that absorb negative energy, promote healing, or provide protective energy." Also included in the box is a mini-book with guidelines on reading these particular cards. Both items are published by Llewellyn, who as always, have taken great care to ensure quality and aesthetics in the way the cards are packaged and presented.

Robert has done an amazing job in correlating the life of the Buddha with the Tarot journey through the cards. He describes how the Major Arcana fits perfectly with the life of Siddhartha and his journey of enlightenment. Each of the tarot trumps is a stage on the mystic's journey to enlightenment. In fact, it is Mr. Place's belief that the creators of the Tarot were directly influenced by the life of the Buddha, and incorporated archetypes into the Major Arcana based on his journey. He teaches that the ancient wisdoms were not isolated from one another. Instead, "the classical world maintained communications with India and the ancient Western philosophers were familar with Indian philosophies." As well, the Islamic world introduced the Christians to the life of the Buddha during the Middle Ages. "The European Christians were enamored with the story, and they transformed him into a Christian saint - St. Josaphat."

I was fascinated by the titles given to the Major Arcana cards. Each of the 23 cards reflect an important aspect of the Siddhartha's personal journey to become the enlightened one, the Buddha.

Robert Place has created a deck and book that not only meets the needs of people who practice Eastern beliefs. He also acts as a mediator to help people of the Western world learn about and appreciate the noble tenets of Buddhism and its teachings for life. I highly recommend this deck - I found it very easy to follow, the graphics are amazingly detailed and artistically rendered and the companion book clearly helps you to learn to "read" using a Buddhist world view.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shook My World, July 11, 2004

By A Customer

The Buddha Tarot certainly shook my world. It took me back to my junior high and high school days, where a serious interest in the study of Buddhism began for me. (Not an unusual thing, as I was living in Seattle during those years, and had many Asian friends, some of whom came from families that were practicing Buddhists.) The second phase of Buddhism in my life came when I was stationed in Hawaii during the early 70's, and had a chance to actually visit a Buddhist Temple (there is a lovely Buddhist temple off of the Pali Highway - many people visit here.

Robert Place has done some excellent work in bringing the Tarot and spirituality/religion together in previous decks/books: Tarot Of The Saints (combining Christian mythology with the Tarot Archetypes), The Angels Tarot (with Rosemary Ellen Guiley, entering the Angelic realm and working with the Kabbalah, alchemy and Christina mysticism), and The Alchemical Tarot (with Rosemary Ellen Guiley - combining alchemy with the Tarot Archetypes). I knew before I even had the deck in my hands that this was not a "make do" Tarot, where giant leaps of faith had to be made to match the life of Buddha with the Tarot Archetypes. This is amazing, considering that this is a well thought out 79 card deck (the 22nd card being Parinirvana, representing the death of the human Buddha and his attainment of total nirvana). Other than an added card, there is only one other change to the Trumps, and that is the placement of Justice as number eight and Strength as number eleven.

The LWB (Little White Book) that accompanies the deck is a wealth of information on Buddha and on the journey that represented his life. Enough background is provided so that the reader has a solid basis for understanding what the cards represent, and so that The Buddha Tarot can be easily understood and worked with, not just memorized and worked with by rote.
The life of Buddha - who he was, who his family was, where he was born - this is all discussed in a very palatable format. It is fascinating to learn that his birth was very similar to that of Jesus, and that soon after his birth a seer named Asita affirmed that there were to be two possible paths for Buddha: he had the choice of following a worldly life and being a great emperor over a unified India, or he could embrace asceticism and become a world savior - a Buddha. The journey that Buddha took to enlightenment is well presented in this booklet - including his teaching of the Four Noble Truths ( 1. All life is dukkha, suffering; 2. The cause of dukkha is tanha, desire; 3. The cure to life's suffering - dukkha, is to let go of tanha; 4. There is a method for overcoming tanha. It is called the Eightfold Path.) and the Eightfold Path ( 1. Develop right knowledge; 2. Develop right aspiration; 3. Develop right speech; 4. Develop right behavior; 5. Develop right livelihood; 6. Develop right effort; 7. Develop right mindfulness; 8. Develop right absorption.

Place follows this with a section discussing the esoteric (archetypal) aspects of Buddhism: the archetypal aspect of Buddha is called Adi Buddha, meaning the primordial Buddha. Buddha encompasses the entire cosmos, with the cosmos having a center and four cardinal directions - creating a mandala. On the plane under the Adi Buddha are five great Buddha's called jinas -Sanskrit for conquerors, referring to someone who has conquered spiritual knowledge and time. Each Jina represents a direction and the associations with that direction.

Each Tarot suit is represented by one of the Jina's, with border color for each suit representing the color associated with each specific Jina. The magickal implements associated with each Jina take the place of the traditional suit symbols.

(c) March 2004
Bonnie Cehovet

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspired Spiritual Tarot, July 11, 2004

By A Customer

The scope of vision in this deck has never been attempted before. Nothing like this has been created before - and you will never see the Tarot the same again. Buddhists believe that when Siddhartha became the Buddha he became not just one Buddha but, to represent the divisions of the world into the four directions and the center, at least five Buddhas. These Buddhas are called the five Jinas and Place found that they correspond to the five suits in the Tarot. They even provide magical tools which became the suit symbols and a female counterpart and other helpers, who became the queen and the other royal cards. This deck demonstrates that the Tarot is a sacred tool.