The Cult of Tara

FOREWORD ix
direction will be provided by essays, not in the sense of small, safe
studies, but in the sense of endeavors at interpretation of specific
phenomena, done with full awareness of the great task of the
general history of religions. The perennial aim of the history of
religions is the interpretation of man as a religious being. The
awareness of this aim must be reflected in the essays which in turn
will inform that gigantic task. I feel honored to present Stephan
Beyer's book as the first such essay in a series devoted to the interpretation
of religious phenomena.
Kees W. Bolle