The Green Tara

                   Background

   

Tara is the Goddess who represents Perfected Wisdom and teaches the inner and outer understandings of compassion and emptiness. There are many different representations of Tara, up to twenty-one in

all four sects of Tibetan Buddhism, but the

two more famous Taras worshipped are the

Green and White Taras. Green Tara

represents enlightened activity, and White Tara

represents compassion, long life, and serenity.

To explain how Tara came to be, we must

look at Avalokitesvara's story. Avalokitesvara

was looking down at the world of samsara from

his Pureland, and realized all the suffering the

lower three realms were enduring. He wept at

the sight, and from two tears appeared White

Tara and Green Tara, each acting as his

"guardian angels;" reassuring him that he

mustn’t stop striving to help all sentient

beings.

Interestingly enough, the Tara

figure originated in Hinduism; later, once

Mayahana became an established practice, she

was transferred into Buddhist teachings. She

was the first Bodhisattva to incorporate

feminine principles thus known as the

"Mother of Perfected Wisdom," and then later

noticed as the "Mother of Compassion of

Perfected Wisdom." Her face is always

depicted with a subtle smile and welcoming

eyes, producing the infinite wisdom that allows

laity to connect with her on a personal level;

and making her one of the most

worshipped deities amongst the Buddhist

community, especially women.

Tara is a beacon to lay worship and

devotion; laity can speak to her directly,

rather than through a mediating monk or nun.

But Tara tends to find deeper footing among

women; she is part of Tantric Meditation, which

is mostly practiced by women; and since women

in traditional Tibetan households tend to

maintain the domestic sphere, they do most of

their venerations in the comfort of their own

home; so being able to pray directly to Tara

pulls strong devotion from lay women.

Tara looks after all sentient beings and

protects them, just as a mother would her

children. She is the female figure of

Avalokitesvara, and can be modernly defined

as the embodiment of feminism; because she is

a powerful goddess (or Bodhisattava) who is

not only active in protecting all sentient

beings, but also has a compassionate side that

is easily identifiable by all.

                     Origin Myths

The Princess

Tara was a princess in another world system

named Yeshe Dawa, which means "Moon of

Primordial Awareness". She was devoted to

the Buddha of her world system and learns how

to be a bodhisattva from him. The other monks

of that system recommend she request to be

born a man in her next life so she can achieve

more in the way of enlightenment. She replies

that only "weak minded worldlings" see gender

as barrier to Enlightenment and she vows to

always be reborn in the form of a woman until

the end of samsara.

From the Tears of Avalokitesvara

Tara is a female form of Avalokitesvara, the

bhodhisattva of compassion. There are many

legends of how Tara came into existence. One

legend, similar to the legend of Kuan Yin says

that as Avalokitesvara wept for those sentient

beings trapped in the lower realms Tara was

born from a lotus flower that grew from his

tears. Another version of this story tells of

how the Green and White forms of Tara were

born from 2 tears of Avalokitesvara. Yet

another version of the legend says that Tara

was created from a blue beam of light

emanating from Avalokitesvara’s eye.

The Two Wives

Tara is said to be incarnated in all pious women

in Tibet. Legend says that 2 of the wives of

the great King Srong-btsan Sgam-po of Tibet

embodied the White and Green Taras.

                         Mother and Protector

Tara is also seen as a mother figure. Her

compassion for all sentient beings is compared

to love that of a mother for her child. She

protects those in earthly travel and is thought

to be the goddess of navigation. This is also

symbolic for she aids sentient beings as they

travel the path to Enlightenment. She is often

called upon in prayer by refugees.

'Tara' means 'Rescuer'. Aptly named, she

rescues us from the eight inner fears,

manifest in the eight outer fears.

8 outer fears: 

Lions = Pride

Wild elephants = Delusions

Forest fires = Hatred

Snakes = Envy

Robbers = Fanatical/wrong view

Prisons = Avarice

Floods = Lust

Demons = Doubt [3]

Outer fears manifest in realm of corporeal

reality- affects the physical body

Inner fears manifest in ultimate reality-

occurs in the mind