Green Tara ~ Om tāre tuttāre ture sohā

                                             

The 21 Taras painted by Salga according to the Nyingma terma tradition 

When people ask me where do you feel at home the most, which part of the country, my mind first goes to the mountains in northern India and then eastwards to the lands of buddhism. It was during my trip to Nepal, that buddhism resonated in me, more Vajrayana buddhism that it's Mahayana sister. I felt a connection to imagery and the buddhist texts of Tantra - the same buddhism that is found in the Tibetan valley. I glanced at the sculptures and pictures of the Boddhisatvas and Taras and felt an immediate connection. Of course it helped immensely that my teacher with whom I was travelling in Nepal,  was a deep believer herself and I used her energy to guide me to this ancient mystical world. 

Since then, a mantra that settled deep within my body is a mantra dedicated to the Green Tara - Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha, here's a gorgeous version by Deva Premal. In Tibetan Buddhism, Taras are the mother Goddesses - the mother of all Buddhas. This particular mantra is the song and sound of the Green Tara, a Tara that Tibetans believe to alleviate suffering ~ mental, emotional and physical. She is invoked in sickness, for success especially before long journeys. While the version by Deva Premal is more musical, when chanted in monasteries, Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha sounds like all Tibetan buddhist chants, an endless stream of words flowing one after the other, where you'd hardly be able to notice where the meditator is stopping to take a breath. 

While we mostly remember her to rid ourselves of our worldly external problems, we are in fact also asking the Green Tara to remove afflictions that we carry deep within our minds, that bind is in negative energies and hence perpetuate negative actions. The Hindu goddess who springs to my mind, and she is capable of literally springing as well, is Durga, who is my go to Goddess when I seek help and advice. Exactly like Durga, Green Tara when invoked promises to descend to help her children on this earth. But for that she needs to be called upon. You need to submit your ego at her doorstep as you enter her abode to seek help. Which is when mantras that help us appeal specific goddesses are so powerful. They are not merely a string of words you repeat without meaning or without intention, you are beseeching the Goddess to come to earth and help you rid yourself of a situation you've found yourself in that doesn't serve you.

A painting of the 21 Taras as per the Atisha tradition, Source

The Taras in Tibetan Buddhism are Buddhas in their own right, and they are known to be Buddhas of Compassion and Action. According to legend, Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion had vowed that he would liberate all sentient beings from samsara - the cycle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth. However, he faced a lot hardships while trying to fulfil this goal of his, his resolve was shaken and he cried a lake-full of tears. In this lake of tears, a lotus grew, and when it bloomed, the goddess Tara was revealed.

Tara is the goddess of universal compassion and she represents good enlightened action. There are twenty-one forms of Tara - each fulfilling a different  objective and need of all beings. Green Tara, is the chief of the twenty-one Taras and it the main liberator. We use her star (Tara means star) to navigate through life and overcome dangers and fears and anxieties. As with all deities in Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism, the iconography is immensely important and denotes different powers of the deity. However, as with all religions, different sects have different takes on the energies and powers as well as the icons of the Taras, here is a helpful map that outlines the various systems.

Green Tara, more about the deity & her icon here

In the above picture, her green colour and her posture symbolises air, action & protection. 

Her left leg is folded in the contemplation position.

Her right leg is outstretched, ready to spring into action. 

She holds her left hand in a gesture of granting refuge, and her right hand is held in a giving way. 

She also holds in her hands closed blue lotuses, symbolising power and purity.

Green Tara, also lovingly called Dolma by the Tibetans, is therefore like Durga the ideal goddess to be called upon in today's Covid-19 crisis. As promised, she will descend, and help humanity and all other beings to rise above this calamity externally but also internally extinguish 8 dangers.

1. The Lion of Pride : A bloated ego & contempt for others.
2. The Elephant of Ignorance: Dulled with the addiction of sensual pleasures which spurs us to embark on false paths.
3. The Fire of Anger : Driven by the wind, swirling clouds of anger that has the ability to burn forests down.
4. The Snake of Jealousy : Hiding in the deep pit of ignorance, unable to bear the success of others, it's poison infecting others and you.
5. The Thieves of Distorted Views : Incorrect wrong views that border on fanaticism and have the power to destroy all that is good and beautiful. 
6. The Chain of Miserliness : Greed that binds man tightly in a never-ending embrace of cyclic existence
7. The Flood of Attachment : The heady mixture of desire and attachment that has us spiralling up & down in our karmic deeds, unable to liberate ourselves from birth, aging, sickness and death. 
8. The Carnivorous Demons of Doubt : To be found in confusion, ailing those who are deluded and do not know what path to take in that blinding incertitude.

Om tāre tuttāre ture sohā

Like Om mani padme hum ~ one can not ascribe a particular meaning to this mantra and it is indeed much larger than the sum of it's parts. Very briefly om tare tutatre  is a prayer to the Green Tara to come liberate us from diseases, suffering, the 8 fears listed above and soha, means to establish the root of the path within your heart. By praying to the Goddess we seek to purify the impurities of the body, speech & mind and transform our bodies into Tara's holy body, holy speech, and holy mind - signified by Om. 

To you, embodiment of all the Buddhas' actions, I prostrate always - whether I am in happy or unhappy circumstances - with my body, speech and mind.