Tara
Tara (Skt. Tārā; Tib. སྒྲོལ་མ་, Drolma; Wyl. sgrol ma), 'She who Liberates' — a female deity associated with compassion and enlightened activity. There are different forms of Tara, such as the Eight Taras who Protect from Fear and the Twenty-One Taras, but the most popular are Green Tara, who is associated mainly with protection, and White Tara, who is associated with longevity.
It is said that Tara first manifested out of tears shed by Avalokiteshvara.
According to Jetsün Kushok Chimey Luding, Tara sadhanas are Kriya Tantra practices or originate from Kriya Tantra. Some, such as the Praise to the Twenty-One Taras only involve a front visualisation, while others, for example the Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik also have self-visualisation. Whichever is the case, it is important to observe Kriya Tantra practice requirements of purity through cleanliness, avoiding eating meat and so on. That is why, Jetsun Kushok adds, Tara practices, and especially Mañjushri practices, are best done in the morning before you have eaten any meat.
Texts
The earliest textual reference of Tara is the Manjushri mula kalpa, which arose between the 5th and 8th century, were Tara is mentioned in some of the mandalas. The following texts are found in the Tibetan Kangyur.
- The Tantra of Tārā, Source of All the Different Activities
- The Sūtra of Tārā Who Protects from the Eight Fears
- The Hundred and Eight Names of Tārā
Further Reading
- Bokar Rinpoche, Tara, the Feminine Divine, translated by Christian Buchet, Clear Point Press, 1999
- Chokgyur Lingpa, The Essential Instruction on the Threefold Excellence, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2002
- Jonang Taranatha, The Golden Rosary of Tara, Shang-Shung Edizioni, 1985.
- Jonang Taranatha, The Origin of the Tara Tantra, translated and edited by David Templeman, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, first published in 1981, revised edition 1995.
- Khenchen Palden Sherab, The Smile of Sun and Moon: Commentary on the Praise of the Twenty-One Taras, translated by Anna Orlova, Sky Dancer Press, 2004.
- Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, Tara's Enlightened Activity, Snow Lion, 2007
- Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Practice of Green Tara, Unpublished edited transcripts of teachings given at the Mahamudra Retreat Zentrum, Halscheid, Germany, 27 Oct. to 2 Nov. 1995.
- Stefan Beyer, Magic & Ritual in Tibet - the Cult of Tara (Motilal Banarsiddass, Delhi, 1973)
- Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Trulshik Adeu Rinpoche, Skillful Grace: Tara Practice for Our Times, translated and edited by Erik Pema Kunsang and Marcia Binder Schmidt, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2007