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| dTam | |||
Green Tara
& the Air-Element
 This
old Tibetan thangka painting of the 8-armed Green Tara (the
8 arms symbolize her 8 various magical siddhis or wisdom powers)
shows Tara being surrounded by 20 other Tara deities (21
female wisdom activities of enlightenment).
The original mandala of wrathful Green Tara is inhabited by other deities
than shown above. Tara is also called the 'Quick Heroine' and can take
many magical forms to fulfill various spontanious wisdom activities. Beside
identifications during meditation she is also active as a so-called 'protector
deity'.
The
above shown 8-armed form of Tara stems from a very rare tantra lineage,
still kept alive in some Tibetan-Nepalese traditions. The tantra belongs
to the highest Buddhist tantra group, the Anuttara Tantra. In contrast
to the 'peaceful-only' White Tara with her symbol of a snow-white upala,
Green Tara's main attributes are the lightblue
upala-flowers (paeonia). The lightblue color of this flower signalizes
the potential that this basically peaceful deity 'can' change into wrathful,
when a dangerous situation occurs. Also her head-aura is painted lightblue.
Her main 2 hands are in the gesture of granting help and fearlessness.
Her right foot outside the lotos shows her continous readiness to
interact with all kinds of karmic hindrances. The main intention of Green
Tara is to avoid negative karma and to free oneself from old karmic bondages,
reaching enlightenment for oneself and for the sake of all sentient beings
as quick as possible.
Her
seed-syllable (basic sound) is dTam
and her short mantra is OM TARE TUTARE TURE
SOHA. Besides Karmadrikh and Vishvapani (two
male bodhisattva-forms of Buddha Amoghasiddhi)
she is the most popular bodhisattva (enlightened
being) of the air-element or 'Karma-Family'
(Buddha Amoghasiddhi). In older times this element (family) was also named
Sword (Khadga),
Wisdom (Prajna)
or Double-Cepter (Vishva)
family.
The
air-element (color green)
tries to unite and interact between all other elements and realms (from
gods to demons to ghosts to animals etc.).
Thereby it is the basis and basic spirit of all mandalas (circle
of unity). All Buddhist mandalas are seated
on a so-called 'vishva' or 'double-dorje', symbolizing the unity and interaction
between the elements (see animated logo beside).
The vishva and the sword of wisdom-activity (khadga)
are the main symbols of the 'Karma-Family'. The seed-syllable of the air-element
in general is the green HA.
The direction is the North and the realm are the manifold worlds of the
powerful demi-gods and titans.
In
many aspects the characteristics of the Buddhist understanding of the air-element
and the understanding from the viewpoint of Western astrology are identical.
In Western astrology the air-element is symbolized by the quick thinking,
spontaneous, harmony-seeking and magical powerful zodiac signs libra, aquarius
and gemini and there planetary equivalents Venus, Uranus and Mercury. The
esoteric wisdom aspect of Venus could be seen as a Green Tara archetype.
Some
results of taking Green Tara as a main object of meditation are: spontaneity,
quick thinking, quick acting, magical perfections, fearlessness and the
wisdom-based wish to help others as good and effective as possible. - One
of my main teachers, Kalu Rinpoche, was secretly
honored as an emanation of Green Tara.
*.Click for image enlargement *.Click here for Hans receiving.this special initiation *.Click here for Damtzig Dorje.(Amoghasiddhi) *.Click here for peaceful.2-armed Green Tara *.Click here for.Vishvapani |
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| 18th
century painting (from unknown thangka collection)
Click Image for Enlargement |
