Green
Tara
Mother of all Buddhas
At Gar
Drolma Choling we practice Green Tara Meditation most Sunday mornings.
Green Tara embodies the transcendant wisdom and compassion of the enlightened mind. Doing the Green Tara meditation practice develops our own innate qualities of wisdom and compassion, and protects from fears created by our negative states of mind.
The
Origin of Tara
Some
of this information has been extracted from The ABC of Buddhism and
I Wonder Why, copyright Ven. Thubten Chodron
In the past, many eons ago, during the time of Buddha Dundubhisvara (Drum-sound), in the Universe called Manifold Light, there lived a princess by the name of Moon of Wisdom-knowledge. She was a very devoted disciple and would daily set out many offerings to the Buddha and His Sangha. Eventually she generated bodhicitta, the aspiration to attain Enlightenment and become a Buddha herself, in order to help all living beings. Some monks came to know of this, and urged her to dedicate the merits she had created to be reborn as a male. However, the princess rejected this advice, saying:
"Here
there is no man, there is no woman,
No self, no person, and no consciousness.
Labeling "male" or "female" has no essence,
But deceives the evil-minded world."
She
went on to make the following vow:
"There are many who desire Enlightenment in a man's body, but none
who work for the benefit of sentient beings in the body of a woman.
Therefore, until Samsara is empty, I shall work for the benefit of sentient
beings in a woman's body." From that time onwards the princess
dedicated herself to winning full and complete Enlightenment. Once she
accomplished that goal, she came to be known as Tara, the Liberator.
There is another story regarding Tara, which says that Chenrezig had been working for a long time to help sentient beings. He had been able to help hundreds of thousands of beings become free from Samsara, but then he checked and realized there were still so many more beings suffering in Samsara. He began to cry, and from the pool formed by his tears a lotus arose and Tara appeared from the lotus, saying, "Don't worry -- I will help you." Thus Tara is associated with Chenrezig, as well as with Amitabha Buddha (she has a tiny image of Amitabha Buddha on her crown.)
Why
Do Green Tara Practice?
Green Tara is the embodiment of all the Buddha’s compassionate
activities. On a personal level, the practice of Green Tara removes
obstacles and helps to overcome fear and anxiety. At the same time,
Green Tara is an active force in the world, able to eliminate suffering
of all kinds and bring happiness to sentient beings.
What
Does the Practice Involve?
Like most tantric vajrayana practices, Green Tara practice has 2 stages.
Each of the stages has specific prayers, and visualizations associated
with it. It is not necessary to already know the practice in order to
join us on Sunday morning. In fact, as is true with all tantric meditation,
it takes a great deal of time and repetition to become proficient at
Green Tara practice. Knowing this, we explain the practice in some detail
each Sunday morning.
What
about Green Tara Empowerment?
Although it is always preferable to have an empowerment from a qualified
lama before embarking upon tantric practice, Khenpo Sherab Oser, who
originally gave this sangha the Green Tara empowerment in 2002, has
given us permission to allow newcomers to practice it with us.
Does
the Image of Tara have Symbolic Meaning?
Green Tara is seated upon a lotus arising from the waters of a lake,
just as Tara is said to have arisen from the compassionate tears of
Chenrezig. Her right hand is in the mudra of supreme generosity indicating
her ability to provide beings with whatever they desire. Her left hand
at her heart is in the mudra of bestowing refuge: her thumb and ring
finger are pressed together to symbolize the united practice of method
and wisdom, and the three remaining fingers are raised to symbolize
the Three Jewels of Refuge - Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. In each hand,
she holds the stem of a blue utpala flower. Each flower consists of
three blossoms indicating that Tara, the embodiment of enlightened activities,
is the Mother of the Buddhas of the past, present and future.
Tara is dressed in the silken robes of royalty. She wears rainbow colored stockings, a white half-blouse, and various jeweled ornaments. These symbolize her mastery of the perfections of generosity, morality, and so forth. The tiara fastened in her black hair is adorned with jewels; the central one is a red ruby symbolic of Amitabha, her spiritual father and the head of her Buddha family.
She is
seated in a distinctive posture, her left leg withdrawn to symbolize
her renunciation of worldly passion and her right leg extended to show
that she is always ready to arise and come to the aid of those who need
her help. With a warm compassionate gaze, she looks down upon each sentient
being as a mother regards her only child. Her emerald-green color -
related to the wind element and hence to movement - signifies her ability
to act swiftly and immediately to bring benefits to sentient beings.
Tara is known as the "Mother of all Buddhas." This is because
she is the wisdom of reality, and all Buddhas and bodhisattvas are born
from this wisdom. This wisdom is also the fundamental cause of happiness,
and our own spiritual growth comes from this wisdom. That is why Tara
is called the Mother. Moreover, Mother Tara has much wisdom to manifest
many aspects, sometimes peaceful, sometimes wrathful, in different colors
- all to help sentient beings.
The Mantra of Tara:
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA.