Tara
Tara is a goddess in Buddhism and Hinduism, and is considered a powerful and compassionate deity:
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Taken on Wednesday December 4, 2024
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Posted on Wednesday December 4, 2024
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Dinesh said:
In Buddhism, Tara is a tantric goddess of compassion and spiritual travel who helps people on their path to nirvana. She is often depicted seated on a lotus throne in a pose of royal ease, with her right foot on a smaller lotus to signify that she is ready to act if needed. Tara is sometimes referred to as the "Wisdom Goddess" and the "Mother of all Buddhas". She appears in many forms, including the Green Tara and the White Tara, each representing a different aspect of her role.
Hinduism
In Hinduism, Tara is the goddess of felicity and sanguineness, and is also known as the "Wisdom Goddess". She is the consort of Brihaspati, the god of Jupiter. According to some Puranas, Tara had a son named Kacha with Brihaspati and a child named Budha with Chandra.
Tara is associated with death and symbols of mortality, such as skulls, in some of her forms. Her temple at Tarapith, established around 1225 BCE, is considered a place where her power and presence are most accessible
Dinesh said:
If you’ve studied Buddhism even briefly, you’ve probably heard of Tara. There are many different forms of Tara, but Green Tara and White Tara are the most commonly discussed. You might have learned to recite mantras to Tara or tried various Tara practices. But if we don’t fully understand the history and importance of Tara in Tibetan Buddhism, it may seem odd at first to recite mantras, meditate on, or connect with the qualities of Tara. Let’s shine a little light on that. You can find a short Tara teaching by Khen Rinpoche
Tara (occasionally referred to as the Tara Goddess) is most well-known as a female Buddha who embodies the divine feminine. In the Buddhist tradition, Tara is also discussed as a female bodhisattva who practiced the Buddhist path and eventually became a fully enlightened Buddha; at other times, she is recognized as a meditational deity. There is some overlap between these two manifestations. But before we get to that, let’s talk about Tara the Buddha.
In The Explanation of Tara by Taranatha Kunga Nyingpo, he recounts that long ago, a princess named Wisdom Moon had great faith and respect for the Buddha. She had heard the monks say she should pray to be reborn in a male body to practice the dharma and serve sentient beings more effectively. This event was at a time in history when women had even less freedom than today and were entirely subject to the authority of their families and husbands. She replied to them, saying, “Here, there is no man nor woman—no self, no person, no consciousness. The labels’ male’ and ‘female’ have no essence; the foolish worldly ones are thoroughly mistaken.”