Tara in Tibetan Buddhism: The Complete Guide to the Twenty-One Taras
In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Tara bodhisattva is one of the most revered female bodhisattvas. She is known for her swift compassion and her ability to save all suffering beings. The name "Tara" comes from the Sanskrit word Tārā, meaning "ferryman" or "savior," symbolizing her ability to guide sentient beings across the sea of suffering in samsara.
Twenty-One Taras (Tibetan: sgrol ma nyer gcig) are the core of the Tara faith, representing twenty-one manifestations of Tara's compassionate power.
The Origin of Tara: The Legend of Being Born from Tears
The most widely circulated story about the origin of Tara comes from Tibetan Buddhist scriptures: When Avalokiteshvara was guiding sentient beings, he saw countless beings still drowning in the sea of suffering and felt extreme sorrow, shedding two tears. These two tears manifested as Green Tara (the tear from her left eye) and White Tara (the tear from her right eye). From then on, Tara became the concrete manifestation of Avalokiteshvara's compassion, dedicated to saving all from suffering.
Why "Twenty-One"?
The number "twenty-one" holds special significance in Tibetan Buddhism. According to the *Homage to the Twenty-One Taras*, this is a system of practice transmitted by great masters such as Atiśa (982–1054), originating from the tantric tradition of Vikramaśīla in India.
Twenty-One Taras bodhisattva represent the perfect manifestation of all of Tara's virtues, activities, and powers, encompassing the four activities of pacification, enhancement, attraction, and subjugation. Each Tara bodhisattva possesses a specific color, mudra, seed syllable, and associated virtues and benefits.
Twenty-one Taras: Names and Brief Introduction
Twenty-One Taras are led by Green Tara and arranged according to the common lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Each Tara has a unique color, form, and merits, and each protects the different needs of sentient beings, just like twenty-one gentle yet powerful guardians who comprehensively cover the suffering and expectations of sentient beings.
1. Swift Heroic Tara (Green Tara — Root Form)
As the central figure of the twenty-one Taras, Green Tara has a green body, one face, two arms, holds an utpala (blue lotus), and sits in royal ease on a lotus throne — light and compassionate. Her merits are the most comprehensive; she encompasses the merits of all other twenty Taras. She is the core of liberation. Prayers to her bring blessings, remove obstacles, dispel suffering, and fulfill wishes.
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2. Fierce White Tara (White Tara)
White Tara has a pure white body symbolizing unstained purity. With seven eyes — one on the forehead, one on each palm, and one on each sole — she is also called the 'Seven-Eyed Tara,' perceiving all suffering and acting at once. Together with Amitāyus and Uṣṇīṣavijayā she forms the 'Three Deities of Long Life.' Her core merits are longevity, healing, and clearing obstacles. She is invoked for health, long life, and the protection of oneself and one's elders.
3. Golden-Faced Tara (Golden Tara)
Golden Tara has a golden-yellow body, warm and radiant like sunlight, symbolizing merit and enrichment. Her core merit is to increase beings' fortune, wisdom, wealth, and influence — helping people overcome scarcity, live in abundance, and gain greater wisdom and capacity in work and life.
4. Uṣṇīṣa Victorious Tara
This Tara has a white body, a dignified face, and a noble crown protrusion (uṣṇīṣa). Her core merit is to eliminate afflictions, karmic obscurations, and obstacles to death — freeing beings from ignorance, clearing past karma, and granting the blessings of all Buddhas, clearing the path to ultimate liberation.
5. Hūṃkāra Tara
Hūṃkāra Tara has a blue body with natural ferocity, empowering beings through the divine force of the syllable 'Hūṃ.' Her core merit is to subdue all demons, evil spirits, and curses — eliminating all poisons, terror, and harmful intrusions, guarding beings from evil forces, and bringing peace to the mind.
6. Tara Victorious Over the Three Worlds
This Tara has a red body, symbolizing great power and magnetizing force. Her core merit is to conquer all afflictions and ignorance across the three realms of desire, form, and formlessness — helping practitioners break free from the bondage of samsara while also protecting worldly endeavors and accomplishing all virtuous activities.
7. Enemy-Vanquishing Tara
Enemy-Vanquishing Tara has a red body and a fierce bearing. Her core merit is to destroy all inner and outer adversaries. Whether interpersonal conflicts, workplace competition, litigation, or obstacles in career — prayers to her resolve contradictions, overcome hindrances, keep one free from disputes, and ensure smooth progress.
8. Demon-Army Subduing Tara
This Tara has a blue body and a majestic countenance. Her core merit is to destroy all demons, evil spirits, and demonic armies. She guards beings from haunting spirits, nightmares, and the fears and disasters caused by demonic obstacles — forming a solid shield of protection for practitioners and laypeople alike.
9. Triple Gem Offering Tara
Triple Gem Offering Tara has a yellow body and a compassionate heart. Her core merit is to protect and uphold the Three Jewels — the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Prayers to her bring blessings from the Three Jewels, remove obstacles in practice and life, increase virtue and roots of goodness, strengthen faith, and guide beings on the right path.
10. Demon-Capturing Tara
Demon-Capturing Tara has a blue body with great taming power. Her core merit is to hook and subdue all demonic obstacles and evil forces. Rather than simply suppressing them, she transforms malevolent forces into Dharma protectors, so they no longer harm beings — while also guarding practitioners from disturbance so they can focus on their path.
11. Poverty-Dispelling Tara
Poverty-Dispelling Tara has a yellow body symbolizing abundance and hope. Her core merit is to relieve destitution and scarcity. She grants beings clothing, food, and material resources — helping people escape poverty and worry — while also cultivating their merit so that poverty is eliminated at its root.
12. Blazing Flame Tara
Blazing Flame Tara has a red body surrounded by roaring flames, symbolizing purification. Her core merit is to burn away all afflictions, karmic obscurations, and demonic hindrances — purifying body and mind, clearing past sins and troubles, so that beings may travel lightly toward purity and fulfillment.
13. Wrathful Tara (Furrowed-Brow Tara)
Wrathful Tara has a blue body in a fierce aspect, with a stern face and piercing eyes. Her core merit is to subdue the most extreme demonic obstacles and powerful enemies. For stubborn hindrances and powerful evil forces, she utterly destroys them with fierce power — protecting practitioners from harm, helping them escape difficulty, and strengthening their resolve on the path.
14. Hunger-Relieving Tara
Hunger-Relieving Tara has a yellow body and a compassionate heart. Her core merit is to eliminate famine, hunger, and obstacles related to food. She guards beings from the suffering of hunger and thirst, ensures sufficiency of food and clothing, and dissolves all troubles related to food and eating while protecting the health of the body.
15. Great Peaceful Tara
Great Peaceful Tara has a white body and a serene face. Her core merit is to pacify all wars, conflicts, epidemics, and disasters. She brings great stillness and peace — both inward and outward — freeing the world from strife and liberating beings from fear and anxiety into inner serenity and harmony.
16. Tara Who Destroys Evil Rebirths
This Tara has a blue body — compassionate yet majestic. Her core merit is to liberate beings from the three lower realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals. She eliminates the karmic causes leading beings into lower rebirths, guides them to practice virtue and accumulate merit, transition to higher rebirths, and move toward light and fulfillment.
17. Tara Who Eliminates Untimely Death
This Tara has a white body and a compassionate face. Her core merit is to eliminate untimely death by accident, natural disaster, or violence. She protects the lives of beings, helps people avert disasters and misfortune, and ensures a lifetime of peace and smooth passage.
18. Great Brahmā Mother Tara
Great Brahmā Mother Tara has a yellow body with innate nobility. Her core merit is to bestow authority, prestige, and the power of eloquent speech. She helps people dissolve interpersonal obstacles, earn the respect and support of others, enhance their own influence and persuasiveness, and receive greater recognition in work and life.
19. Great Auspicious Tara
Great Auspicious Tara has a red body symbolizing auspiciousness and fulfillment. Her core merit is to govern all good fortune. She increases beings' blessings, wealth, good luck, and positive connections — allowing all wishes to be fulfilled smoothly, filling life with auspiciousness and joy, and keeping all adversity and troubles at bay.
20. Tara Who Destroys the Four Māras
This Tara has a blue body of incomparable ferocity. Her core merit is to completely destroy the four great demonic obstacles: the kleśa-māra (afflictions), skandha-māra (aggregates), mṛtyu-māra (death), and deva-māra (gods of desire). These four māras are the greatest obstacles to practice and liberation. Prayers to her help beings break through obstructions, stabilize their resolve on the path, and ultimately attain Buddhahood.
21. Wish-Fulfilling Tara
Wish-Fulfilling Tara has a green body, echoing the root Green Tara. Her core merit is to fulfill all virtuous wishes of beings. Whether worldly — peace, wealth, health — or transcendent — spiritual accomplishment, rebirth in the Pure Land — all can be realized through sincere and virtuous prayer. She is the most devoted guardian deity for all beings.
The Color and Career Classification of the Twenty-One Taras
|
Colors |
Symbol of career |
Representative Merits |
|
Green |
All activities |
Swift liberation, removing all obstacles |
|
White |
Pacifying activities |
Healing, longevity, purifying karma |
|
Yellow/Gold |
Increasing activities |
Increasing merit, wisdom, and wealth |
|
Red |
Loving activities |
Attracting beings, increasing influence |
|
Blue/Black |
Subduing activities |
Overcoming demons, destroying evil |
Green Tara and White Tara: The Two Most Widely Practiced
Among the twenty-one Taras, Green Tara and White Tara are the most well-known and widely practiced:
Green Tara is the essence of Tara, and the other twenty Taras are manifestations of her. She is green in color, with her right leg outstretched, symbolizing her readiness to save sentient beings; her right hand holds the varada mudra (gesture of granting wishes), and her left hand holds a blue lotus. Practicing Green Tara can quickly remove all obstacles and bestow protection and accomplishments.
White Tara symbolizes longevity, merit, and purity. She has seven eyes (one on her forehead, one on each hand and foot), representing omniscient awareness of the suffering of sentient beings. In longevity practices, White Tara is often grouped with Amitabha Buddha and Ushnishavijaya as the "Three Deities of Longevity."
Modern Significance of Tara Worship
In contemporary times, Tara worship is not limited to Tibetan Buddhist practitioners; an increasing number of people draw inspiration from Tara's symbolic meaning:
- Symbol of Feminine Power: Tara represents feminine energy encompassing compassion, wisdom, and action, a profound interpretation of the sacred feminine archetype in Eastern tradition.
- Psychological Healing: The teachings of unconditional compassion and acceptance of fear and suffering within the Tara faith offer profound insights into the mental health of modern people.
- Ecological Spirit: Tara's connection to the earth, water, and nature resonates with contemporary spiritual needs for ecological conservation.
How to Begin Practicing the Tara Practice
For beginners who wish to practice the Tara practice, please refer to the following steps:
1. Refuge and Bodhicitta: Based on taking refuge in the Three Jewels and generating Bodhicitta.
2. Reciting Praises: Recite the Twenty-One Praises to Tara daily, visualizing Tara with a pure mind.
3. Mantra Practice: The Green Tara mantra is Om Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā. Reciting this mantra brings great merit.
4. Receiving Transmission: If conditions permit, seek the formal transmission and oral instruction of Tara practice from a qualified master.
5. Combining Study and Contemplation: Read Tara-related scriptures and commentaries to deepen understanding and faith.
Conclusion
The Twenty-One Taras system is one of the most complete female deity practice traditions in Tibetan Buddhism, encompassing a comprehensive system of all compassionate activities in Buddhism. Whether seeking worldly protection, averting calamities and increasing blessings, or pursuing ultimate liberation, Tara's compassionate door is always open to all sentient beings.
As the opening lines of the *Twenty-One Taras Praise* proclaim: "Homage to Tara, swift and valiant one!"—May all sentient beings receive Tara's compassionate protection, be liberated from the sea of suffering, and attain perfect enlightenment.