- Tara's most theologically significant origin story is not the tears of Avalokiteshvara but the vow of the princess Yeshe Dawa, who refused rebirth as a man and pledged to attain enlightenment in female form in every lifetime, directly refuting the claim that enlightenment requires a male body.
- Green Tara's right foot extended (ready to spring up and act) is the iconographic expression of her primary quality: swiftness. She does not wait; she acts the moment she is called.
- The Praises to the Twenty-One Taras is among the most widely chanted liturgical texts in all Tibetan Buddhist traditions; daily Tara practice is virtually universal across Tibetan Buddhist schools.
- The Tara mantra (Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha) addresses liberation on three levels: from the cycle of conditioned existence, from the eight specific fears, and from the fundamental delusion of dualistic mind.
- Tara is understood as the mother of all Buddhas because she embodies prajna (wisdom), from which all enlightened beings arise, connecting her to the older Prajnaparamita tradition.
Two Origin Myths: Tears and the Vow
Tara's origins in Buddhist tradition are accounted for by two distinct myths, which represent different theological emphases and coexist in the tradition rather than competing with each other.
The more widely known in the West is the myth of the tears of Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara (Tibetan: Chenrezig) is the bodhisattva of compassion, one of the most important figures in the Mahayana and Vajrayana pantheons. In one account, Avalokiteshvara looks upon the ocean of suffering beings and weeps. His tears fall and form a lotus from which Tara is born. She is, in this myth, the embodiment of his compassion made feminine and active, the tears of infinite compassion taking a form that can assist.
The older and theologically richer origin, preserved in Taranatha's The Origin of Tara Tantra (composed 1608 CE, drawing on earlier Indian sources), involves a princess named Yeshe Dawa (Wisdom Moon) who lived in a distant age when another Buddha named Dundubhisvara was teaching. She practised the Dharma with great diligence and made offerings to the Sangha for millions of years. Some monks suggested she aspire to be reborn as a man to continue the path more effectively. This is the origin myth that carries the greater theological weight.
The Princess's Vow: Enlightenment in Female Form
The princess Yeshe Dawa's response to the monks' suggestion was precise and deliberate. She pointed out that the distinction between male and female was a construct of deluded mind, that in ultimate reality there was no such distinction, and that the claim that a female body was an obstacle to enlightenment was itself a form of delusion. She then made her vow: she would attain enlightenment in female form in every lifetime, and she would not rest until samsara was empty of suffering beings.
This vow is theologically significant on multiple levels. It directly addresses and refutes a claim that appears in some Buddhist texts: that a female rebirth is a lower form, that women must be reborn as men to make full spiritual progress. Tara's existence as a fully enlightened being in permanent female form is the practical refutation of that claim. She did not wait for a better rebirth; she became a Buddha in the form she had.
The vow also contains the bodhisattva commitment that defines Tara's character: she remains available to all beings until samsara is empty. This is not the individual liberation of the Theravada arhat but the Mahayana bodhisattva path, which holds the liberation of all beings as inseparable from one's own. Tara's continued accessibility, her willingness to respond to prayers from anywhere, is the living expression of this vow.
Tara is understood in Tibetan Buddhism as a fully enlightened Buddha, not a bodhisattva who has not yet completed the path. She chose to manifest as a bodhisattva (accessible, responsive) rather than as a transcendent Buddha, specifically to remain in a form that suffering beings can directly approach. This distinction matters: she is not a figure of aspiration but a source of direct refuge, a living Buddha who chose proximity to beings over transcendence from them.
Green Tara's Iconography: What Each Element Means
Green Tara's visual form is among the most standardised in Tibetan Buddhist iconography, with each element carrying precise meaning.
Green colour: Green represents active, compassionate action and the all-accomplishing wisdom of enlightened mind. It is the colour of the wind element, of vitality, and of the Karma (action) family of buddhas. Where White Tara's white indicates peaceful, purifying wisdom, Green Tara's green indicates the active, accomplishing quality of her compassion.
Posture (lalitasana): Tara sits in royal ease: her left leg is folded in, her right leg extends down to rest on a small lotus. This is the gesture of readiness. Unlike deities seated in full meditation posture (both legs folded), Tara can move. Her extended right foot is her signal to practitioners: she is not far away and unmoved; she is right here, already in motion toward you.
Blue lotus (utpala): She holds an utpala lotus in each hand, three blossoms on each stem representing the buddhas of the three times (past, present, and future). The blue lotus is specifically associated with the prajna wisdom that perceives emptiness directly, the deepest nature of reality.
Right hand in varada mudra: The right hand is extended palm outward in the boon-giving gesture, offering whatever the practitioner needs. The generosity of enlightened compassion is unconditional and unlimited.
Left hand in refuge mudra: The left hand holds the stem of the utpala near the heart, fingers extended, the gesture of taking refuge and offering protection simultaneously.
Crown and jewels: Tara's crown shows the five buddhas (Dhyanibuddhas), indicating her relationship to all five buddha families and all five wisdoms of enlightened mind. Her jewel ornaments represent the wealth of the dharma and the beauty of enlightened qualities.
The Twenty-One Taras: A Complete System
The Praises to the Twenty-One Taras is the foundational liturgical text of Tara practice in Tibetan Buddhism, chanted daily by millions of practitioners across all schools (Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya). The Praises enumerate 21 forms of Tara, each worshipped with a specific verse describing her form and function.
| Tara Form | Colour | Primary Function |
|---|---|---|
| Green Tara (Syamatara) | Green | Swift aid, protection, crossing danger |
| White Tara (Sitatara) | White | Long life, healing, white merit accumulation |
| Red Tara (Kurukulla) | Red | Magnetising, attraction, subjugating obstacles |
| Golden Tara | Golden yellow | Abundance, prosperity, increasing merit |
| Blue Tara (Ekajati) | Dark blue | Fierce protection, enemy destruction |
| Orange Tara | Orange | Supreme eloquence, dharma teaching |
| Black Tara | Black | Wrathful protection, destruction of obstacles |
Each of the 21 forms has its own sadhana (practice text), mantra, and iconography in the detailed Tibetan tradition. Green Tara is the most commonly practiced form for general protection and swift aid. White Tara has a separate major practice focus on longevity. The full Praises text is chanted as a unit that invokes all 21 forms simultaneously.
The system reflects the Tibetan Buddhist understanding that enlightened compassion is not one-size-fits-all but takes the specific form required by the specific need. The same fundamental quality of Tara's wisdom-compassion expresses differently in response to different circumstances: as healer, as warrior, as teacher, as protector, as prosperity-giver.
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha: The Mantra and Its Meaning
The ten-syllable Tara mantra is one of the most chanted mantras in the Buddhist world. Its recitation, in quantities of 108, 1,008, or more, is the central practice of Tara sadhana and is also practiced independently as a means of invoking Tara's presence and blessing.
Om: The sacred syllable that opens all Tantric mantras, representing the body, speech, and mind of all Buddhas and the fundamental nature of reality.
Tare: Vocative of Tara, meaning "O Tara" or "she who liberates." Specifically addresses liberation from samsara, the ocean of conditioned existence and suffering.
Tuttare: Addressed to Tara in her function of liberating from the eight fears (described below). Both the literal external dangers and their internal symbolic equivalents are addressed here.
Ture: Addressed to Tara in her function of liberating from the fundamental disease: the dualistic mind that perceives self and other as separate, which is the root of all suffering in Buddhist analysis.
Soha (Sanskrit: Svaha): The closing affirmation of Tantric mantras, sometimes translated as "may this be so," "hail," or "let the meaning take root in the mind." It seals the mantra and acknowledges its reception.
The three Taras in the mantra (Tare, Tuttare, Ture) represent three levels of liberation and are associated with the body, speech, and mind of Tara, the three levels at which her blessing operates. The mantra is complete in itself: to chant it sincerely is to invoke Tara's blessing on all three levels simultaneously.
The Eight Fears: Literal and Symbolic Protection
The traditional eight fears from which Tara protects are listed in the ancient sources as: lions, wild elephants, fire, snakes, thieves and robbers, floods, captivity (often interpreted as imprisonment or slavery), and demons (or ghosts). These represent genuine physical dangers in the context of ancient India and Tibet, where encounter with these threats was a real possibility for travellers and ordinary people.
The tradition also provides an allegorical reading in which each external fear corresponds to an internal afflictive state:
- Lions = Pride: the predator that attacks without cause; pride that destroys relationships and spiritual development.
- Wild elephants = Delusion/Ignorance: the massive blind force that cannot be reasoned with; fundamental ignorance of the nature of mind.
- Fire = Anger/Hatred: the emotion that burns indiscriminately; rage that destroys what it touches including oneself.
- Snakes = Jealousy/Envy: the silent poison that enters unseen; the green-eyed affliction that undermines genuine joy.
- Thieves and robbers = Wrong views/False ideology: those who steal the precious goods of genuine understanding and replace them with counterfeits.
- Floods = Desire and attachment: the flood that carries one away; the overwhelming force of craving that sweeps away discrimination.
- Captivity = Miserliness/Greed: the binding of mind and heart by attachment to possessions; the prison of grasping.
- Demons = Doubt: the spirit that cannot be seen clearly and therefore cannot be confronted directly; the doubt that undermines practice from within.
Tara's mantra (Tuttare, the second element) specifically addresses liberation from these eight fears. The external and internal readings are both valid and operate simultaneously in the practice.
Tara Sadhana: The Practice of Visualisation and Mantra
The Tara sadhana is a structured Tibetan Buddhist ritual practice that combines three elements: visualisation of the deity's form, recitation of praise verses and mantra, and the absorption of the deity's qualities. The structure varies by lineage and school but follows a general pattern.
The practitioner begins by taking refuge (in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) and generating bodhicitta (the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings). They then visualise Tara: green-skinned, seated in lalitasana, holding her lotuses, ornamented, and brilliant with the light of compassion. The visualisation may be in front of the practitioner (in front generation) or the practitioner may visualise themselves as Tara (self generation, a more advanced practice).
The practitioner recites the seven-line prayer to Tara, the Praises to the Twenty-One Taras, and then the Tara mantra, typically at least 108 repetitions, using a mala (prayer beads). As they chant, they hold the visualisation and allow the quality of Tara's compassionate presence to become real rather than merely imagined. The distinction between imagined and real, in this practice context, is a question of whether the mind actually engages with what it is generating or merely goes through the motions.
The session concludes with the dedication of merit: the practitioner offers whatever virtue has been generated by the practice for the benefit of all beings. This dedication is characteristic of Mahayana Buddhist practice and reflects the bodhisattva orientation that defines Tara's path.
Mother of All Buddhas: Tara and Prajnaparamita
Tara is sometimes called the Mother of All Buddhas, a title that connects her to the ancient Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) tradition in Indian Buddhism. The Prajnaparamita sutras, beginning in the 1st century BCE, personified the Perfection of Wisdom as a goddess, the Mother of all Buddhas: all enlightened beings arise from prajna (wisdom of emptiness) as from a mother.
Tara developed in relationship with the Prajnaparamita tradition, absorbing its identification of the feminine with wisdom, compassion, and the generative power of enlightenment. Where the Prajnaparamita goddess is primarily a philosophical abstraction (wisdom personified), Tara is personal, devotional, and responsive. She is what happens when the impersonal wisdom of the Prajnaparamita tradition comes into direct contact with the devotional needs of ordinary practitioners.
The title "Mother of All Buddhas" also reflects Tara's paradoxical status: she is a Buddha (fully enlightened) who manifests as a bodhisattva (accessible, responsive, seemingly still on the path alongside beings). In this she resembles certain presentations of Mary in Catholic theology: fully in the divine while remaining accessible, serving as a mediating principle between the fully transcendent and the fully human.
The Spread of Tara: India to Tibet to the World
Tara's worship began in India, where the earliest Tara texts and sculptures date to the 6th and 7th centuries CE. The most important centres of Tara worship were in Bengal and at the great Nalanda monastic university. When Buddhism began to decline in India under the pressure of Islamic conquest in the 12th and 13th centuries, many teachers fled to Tibet, bringing the Tara tradition with them.
Tibet received the Tara tradition primarily through Atisha (982-1054 CE), the great Indian master who came to Tibet in 1042 CE. Atisha had a particularly devoted relationship with Tara; she appeared to him in visions and gave him guidance at critical moments. His transmission of Tara practice to Tibet was enormously influential in establishing her as the most widely worshipped female deity in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
From Tibet, Tara practice spread throughout the Himalayan cultural zone: Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Mongolia, and parts of China and Russia. In the late 20th century, as Tibetan teachers fled the Chinese occupation and spread throughout the world, Tara practice followed. She is now one of the most practiced deities in Western Buddhist communities and has become a focus for Buddhist women's movements seeking to reclaim the feminine within Tibetan Buddhism.
Tara and the Hermetic Tradition
The Hermetic tradition's closest equivalent to Tara is Sophia (divine wisdom) in her active, responsive, accessible manifestation. In Gnostic and Neoplatonic thought, Sophia is the divine feminine principle of wisdom who descends into matter (often against her will or through a kind of divine tragedy) and who guides souls back toward the light. Tara's role as the active feminine wisdom who remains in the realm of conditioned existence by choice, to help beings ascend, maps onto this precisely but with the important difference: Tara's descent is fully conscious, fully compassionate, and completely voluntary. There is no tragedy in her descent; only love.
The bodhisattva vow, which Tara embodies perfectly, is the Mahayana Buddhist formulation of a principle that appears in the Hermetic tradition as the teaching that the truly wise do not leave behind the world they have transcended but descend again to serve those still struggling. The Hermetic magus, having ascended through the seven spheres in gnosis, returns to the material world not trapped but in deliberate service. Tara is this principle in its most perfected and personal form: she could withdraw into absolute transcendence and chooses not to.
The swift action of Green Tara, her immediate response to sincere invocation, corresponds to the Hermetic teaching that grace operates instantly through prepared conditions. The preparation is the practice, the mantra, the visualisation, the orientation of mind and heart. When the conditions are prepared, the response comes from what the Hermetic tradition would call the higher intelligence, and what the Tara tradition calls the fully enlightened compassion of the bodhisattva. The Hermetic Synthesis Course explores how this principle of prepared conditions and immediate response operates in practical inner work.
- The mantra: The Tara mantra (Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha) requires no initiation for basic recitation. Beginning with 108 repetitions daily, using a mala (108-bead prayer strand), is the most common entry point. The mantra can be chanted, whispered, or recited silently.
- Visualisation: Even a simple visualisation, imagining green light or Tara's smiling presence above or in front, adds depth to the mantra practice. Full visualisation as taught in the sadhana is more detailed and benefits from instruction.
- The Praises text: The Praises to the Twenty-One Taras is available in translation through many Tibetan Buddhist publishers. Reading it aloud is both study and practice.
- Lineage: For deeper practice, including the self-generation sadhana and the more advanced Tara tantras, initiation and instruction from a qualified teacher in a living Tibetan Buddhist lineage is the traditional and most effective path.
Tara's right foot is extended. She is not waiting for you to become worthy of her attention or to complete your preparations to a sufficient degree. The foot is already moving. The only condition she sets is the sincere call. For millions of practitioners across fifteen centuries, that has been enough: a moment of genuine need, a whispered mantra, and the sense of something turning toward them through the dark. Whether that turning is understood as the response of a real bodhisattva, the activation of the practitioner's own compassionate wisdom, or both simultaneously, the practice consistently reports: she comes.
Embodying Tara: Twenty-One Manifestations to Awaken Your Innate Wisdom by Easton, Chandra
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Frequently Asked Questions
Green Tara (Jetsun Dolma) is a bodhisattva and fully enlightened Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism, associated with swift aid, protection, and crossing from danger to safety. Her green colour represents active compassionate action. She is one of the most beloved and widely practiced deities across all Tibetan Buddhist schools.
Two myths: First, Tara born from the tears of Avalokiteshvara (the bodhisattva of compassion). Second and older: the princess Yeshe Dawa, told she should aspire to male rebirth for enlightenment, instead vowed to attain enlightenment in female form in every lifetime until all beings are free. This second myth is theologically more significant.
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. Tare = liberation from samsara. Tuttare = liberation from the eight fears. Ture = liberation from the dualistic mind and disease. Soha = may this be so / let the meaning take root. The mantra addresses liberation on three simultaneous levels.
The 21 Taras are 21 forms praised in the liturgical text Praises to the Twenty-One Taras, each with a specific colour, posture, and function. Green Tara gives swift aid. White Tara grants long life and healing. Red Tara magnetises. Blue Tara offers fierce protection. The Praises text is chanted daily across Tibetan Buddhism.
Tara sits in royal ease with her right foot extended outward, resting on a lotus. This signals her readiness to step forward and act immediately. Unlike deities in full meditation posture, she is ready at any moment to spring up and offer swift assistance to those who call her. This is the iconographic expression of her function as the bodhisattva of swift action.
The eight traditional fears are: lions (pride), wild elephants (delusion), fire (anger), snakes (jealousy), thieves (wrong views), floods (desire), captivity (miserliness), and demons (doubt). Both their literal sense as physical dangers and their symbolic sense as afflictive mental states are addressed by Tara's protection.
The Tara sadhana combines visualisation of Tara's form, recitation of her praises and the Tara mantra (108+ repetitions), and absorption of her qualities. The practitioner takes refuge, generates bodhicitta, visualises Tara, chants, and dedicates merit for all beings. Daily Tara practice is widespread across Tibetan Buddhism.
Tara is identified with prajna (wisdom of emptiness), from which all enlightened beings arise. All Buddhas arise from prajna as from a mother. This connects her to the older Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) tradition, where the divine feminine is the source of all enlightenment.
The princess Yeshe Dawa's vow directly refutes the claim that enlightenment requires a male body. Tara's existence as a fully enlightened Buddha in permanent female form is the living refutation. This story is particularly important for Buddhist women practitioners and the modern Tibetan feminist Buddhist movement.
Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) is the mother of all Buddhas in Mahayana Buddhism. Tara developed from this tradition. Where Prajnaparamita is primarily philosophical and contemplative, Tara is personal, devotional, and immediately responsive: the same wisdom made directly accessible to personal prayer.
Tara corresponds to Sophia (divine wisdom) in her active, responsive, accessible manifestation. The bodhisattva vow to remain available to all beings parallels the Hermetic teaching that the truly wise do not withdraw from the world but descend in service. Green Tara's swift response to sincere invocation corresponds to grace operating instantly through prepared conditions.
Who is Green Tara in Tibetan Buddhism?
Green Tara (Sanskrit: Syamatara; Tibetan: Jetsun Dolma) is one of the most beloved and widely practiced deities in Tibetan Buddhism. She is a bodhisattva, a being who has attained enlightenment but remains accessible to help all sentient beings. She is specifically associated with swift aid, protection, and crossing from danger to safety. Her green colour represents active compassionate action and the vitality of enlightened mind.
What are the origin myths of Tara?
Two origin myths are most common. The first: Tara was born from the tears of Avalokiteshvara (the bodhisattva of compassion, Chenrezig in Tibetan) as he wept over the suffering of beings. From his tears a lotus bloomed, and Tara emerged from it. The second and older: a princess named Yeshe Dawa practised the dharma for aeons. When monks told her she should aspire to be reborn as a man to attain enlightenment, she vowed to attain enlightenment in female form in every lifetime until all beings are free from suffering.
What is the mantra of Green Tara and what does it mean?
The primary Tara mantra is Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. Om is the sacred opening syllable. Tare means 'she who liberates from samsara' (the cycle of conditioned existence). Tuttare means 'she who liberates from the eight great fears' (specific dangers including lions, elephants, fire, snakes, thieves, water, captivity, and demons). Ture means 'she who liberates from disease and the dualistic mind.' Soha (Sanskrit Svaha) is an affirmation meaning 'may this be so' or 'let the meaning take root.'
What are the 21 Taras?
The 21 Taras are 21 forms of Tara, each with a specific colour, posture, attribute, and function, praised in the liturgical text Praises to the Twenty-One Taras. Green Tara is the primary active form. White Tara grants long life and healing. Red Tara is associated with magnetising and attraction. Blue Tara offers fierce protection. Golden Tara brings abundance. The Praises text is chanted daily by practitioners throughout Tibetan Buddhism as a fundamental practice.
Why is Green Tara's right foot extended?
Green Tara is typically shown seated in a posture of royal ease (lalitasana) with her left leg folded and her right leg extended outward, foot resting on a small lotus. This posture distinguishes her from more formally seated meditation deities. Her extended right foot signals her readiness to step forward and act: she is not withdrawn in contemplation but ready at any moment to spring up and offer swift assistance to those who call her. This is the iconographic expression of her function as the bodhisattva of swift action.
What are the eight fears that Tara protects from?
The eight traditional fears are: lions (representing pride), wild elephants (delusion/ignorance), fire (anger/hatred), snakes (jealousy/envy), thieves and bandits (false views and wrong ideology), floods (desire and attachment), captivity (miserliness), and demons (doubt). In both their literal sense (genuine physical dangers) and their symbolic sense (afflictive mental states), Tara is invoked for protection from all eight.
What is the Tara sadhana practice?
A sadhana is a structured Tibetan Buddhist ritual practice combining visualisation, mantra recitation, and devotional prayer. In Green Tara sadhana, the practitioner visualises Tara's form (green, seated with extended right foot, holding blue lotuses) in front of or above them, recites her praises and the Tara mantra (Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha) 108 times or more, and receives the blessing of her qualities. At the conclusion, the visualisation is dissolved into light and absorbed. Daily Tara practice is widespread across all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Why is Tara called the Mother of all Buddhas?
Tara is identified with prajna (wisdom), particularly the wisdom of sunyata (emptiness), which is understood as the mother of all enlightened beings. All Buddhas arise from prajna, just as all beings arise from a mother. Tara as the embodiment of prajna-as-compassion is therefore the mother from whom all enlightenment arises. This title connects her to the older Indian tradition of Prajnaparamita (the Perfection of Wisdom) as the mother of all Buddhas.
What is the significance of Tara's vow to attain enlightenment in female form?
The origin story in which the princess Yeshe Dawa refuses to be reborn as a man and vows instead to attain enlightenment in female form in every lifetime is theologically significant because it directly addresses and refutes the claim (found in some Buddhist traditions) that enlightenment requires a male body. Tara's existence as a fully enlightened being in female form is the living refutation of that claim. This story is particularly important for Buddhist women practitioners and for the modern Tibetan feminist Buddhist movement.
How does Tara relate to Prajnaparamita?
Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) is personified as a goddess in Mahayana Buddhism, the mother of all Buddhas who embodies the wisdom of emptiness. Tara developed partly from the Prajnaparamita tradition and shares her role as the feminine face of wisdom. Where Prajnaparamita is primarily contemplative and philosophical, Tara is active and devotional: the same wisdom made immediately accessible and responsive to personal prayer.
How is Tara connected to the Hermetic tradition?
Tara as the embodiment of active compassionate wisdom corresponds in the Hermetic tradition to Sophia (divine wisdom) in her accessible, responsive aspect. The bodhisattva's vow to remain available to all beings until samsara is empty parallels the Hermetic principle that the wise who have ascended do not remain above but descend again in service to those still struggling. Green Tara's swift action when called corresponds to the Hermetic teaching that grace operates instantly through prepared conditions.
Sources
- Beyer, Stephan. The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet. University of California Press, 1973.
- Blofeld, John. Bodhisattva of Compassion: The Mystical Tradition of Kuan Yin. Shambhala, 1977.
- Mullin, Glenn H. Female Buddhas: Women of Enlightenment in Tibetan Mystical Art. Clear Light Publishers, 2003.
- Taranatha. The Origin of the Tara Tantra. Trans. David Templeman. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1981.
- Willson, Martin. In Praise of Tara: Songs to the Saviouress. Wisdom Publications, 1986.
- Yeshe, Lama Thubten. Introduction to Tantra: The Transformation of Desire. Wisdom Publications, 1987.