English ⌄
Deutsch Español Français Italiano Nederlands Português 中文 བོད་ཡིག
Explore Projects Updates About Donate
The Home of Tibetan Buddhist Texts in Translation
ISSN 2753-4812
ISSN 2753-4812

Tārā Series

Tārā

English (45) | Deutsch (10) | Español (11) | Français (18) | Italiano (1) | Nederlands (1) | Português (2) | 中文 (3) | བོད་ཡིག (44)

Deity on whom I meditated in lives gone by,

You are the enlightened activity of all buddhas, past, present, and future,

Brilliant white, with your one face, two hands, and seven eyes,

Mother of the buddhas, holder of the utpala flower, to you I pay homage!

A series of texts related to the noble saviouress Tārā (sgrol ma):

Introduction

by Stefan Mang
A brief historical introduction to the deity Tārā (sgrol ma), the noble saviouress.

Advice

recorded by Nyangral Nyima Özer
This four-line verse on the inseparability of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, spoken by Ārya Tārā, is included in the recent 53-volume anthology known as the Ḍākinīs' Great Dharma Treasury.
Ḍākinī Treasury

History

by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche
A brief history of the sacred image of Tārā, the Wish-Fulfilling Wheel (yid bzhin 'khor lo), in Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s residence, known as ‘The Garden of Immortality’ ('chi med grub pa'i dga' tshal), in Dzongsar Monastery, Derge, East Tibet.
History Dzongsar

Lineage Prayers

by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
A prayer to the lineage of The Profound Essence of Tārā (zab tig sgrol chog), the practice of Green Tārā which was revealed as a mind treasure by Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa (1829–1870).
Lineage Prayers Chokling Tersar
by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye
A lineage prayer for the practice of Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik ('chi med 'phags ma'i snying thig), the Heart-Essence of the Deathless Noble Tārā, a revelation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo which is associated with longevity.
Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik Lineage Prayers Rinchen Terdzö
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
A lineage supplication for the Red Tārā revealed as a terma by Drikung Tertön Ösel Dorje—a revelation which Jamyang Khyentse helped to compile and which is included among his own collected writings.
Lineage Prayers
by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
A brief prayer to the lineage of Zabtik Drolchok, the practice of Green Tārā which was revealed as a mind terma by Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa.
Lineage Prayers Chokling Tersar Rinchen Terdzö Nyingma Mönlam
by Jigme Lingpa
A prayer to the lineage of Atisa's tradition of White Tārā "Wish-Fulfilling Wheel" as practised in the Longchen Nyingtik. The main sādhana is the composition of Jigme Lingpa, and although it is not among his revealed treasures, is part of the Longchen Nyingtik's core text collection.
Longchen Nyingtik Lineage Prayers
by Tsultrim Zangpo
A lineage prayer to accompany the sādhana of Tārā in blue-green form by the same author.
Lineage Prayers

Praise

by Atiśa Dīpaṃkara
Tārā herself is credited with composing this short praise, through which Atiśa, who had fallen sick in Nyethang, recovered his health.
Praise
from the Words of the Buddha
Perhaps the most popular of all prayers to Tārā, this tantra praises her twenty-one forms, both peaceful and wrathful. The first twenty-one verses are at once a series of homages to Tārā and a poetic description of her physical features, postures, qualities, abilities, mantras, and hand gestures. The remaining six verses describe how and when the Praise should be recited, as well as the benefits of its recitation.
Praise Benefits Kangyur
by Candragomin
This praise of Tārā is one of several such texts attributed to the famous Indian master Candragomin. It focuses on Green Tārā (śyāmatārā), who is lauded for her swiftness in action.
Praise Tengyur
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
An acrostic text extolling the goddess Tārā, which Jamyang Khyentse wrote in 1924 when he was 31 years old (or 32 by Tibetan reckoning).
Acrostic Praise
by Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen
A simple outline identifying the main features of each verse in the famous, widely-chanted liturgy known as Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage.
Topical Outlines
by Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen
Drakpa Gyaltsen's influential, word-by-word commentary to the popular Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage.
by Trulshik Rinpoche
Trulshik Rinpoche compiled these brief verses of praise and mantras so that all those connected with him could recite them daily or on special occasions. The deities included are Buddha Śākyamuni, Vajrasattva, Amitāyus, Amitābha, Ratnaśikhin, Medicine Buddha, Maitreya, Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrī, Vajravidāraṇa, Vijayā, Tārā, Guru Padmasambhava, and the union of Hayagrīva, Vajrapāṇi and Garuḍa.
Praise Buddha Śākyamuni Vajrasattva Amitāyus Amitābha Mañjuśrī Uṣṇīṣavijayā Avalokiteśvara

Prayers

by Alak Zenkar Pema Ngödrup Rolwe Dorje
A short, eight-line prayer to Tārā in the recognition that she and her twenty-one forms are none other than pure awareness and its manifestations.
Prayers
by Atiśa Dīpaṃkara
It is said that Atiśa spoke this prayer to the goddess Tārā during a life-threatening storm on his journey across the ocean to meet the master Serlingpa. Tārā, who is renowned for the swiftness with which she protects living beings from fear and danger, appeared directly and rescued Atiśa and his fellow travellers from peril.
Prayers
by Chöying Tobden Dorje
A brief prayer to noble Tārā requesting protection from fear and the fulfilment of aspirations.
Prayers
by Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima
A simple, four-line supplication to Tārā requesting her protection from fear and suffering in this life, the next and the bardo state.
Prayers
by Drikung Kyobpa Jikten Sumgön
Jigten Gönpo composed these seven verses of supplication following a visionary experience in which he saw seven different forms of Tārā. The prayer became known as the 'sevenfold refuge' (skyabs bdun ma), and is renowned for the extraordinary blessings it conveys.
Prayers
by Dromtön Gyalwe Jungne
This short prayer to White Tārā is included in the praises to the Three Deities of Long Life (tshe lha rnam gsum) compiled by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and included in the Compendium of Sādhanas.
Prayers Compendium of Sādhanas
by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye
A brief six-line supplication to the guru, indivisible from Ārya Tāra, mother of all the buddhas, written at the behest of Jampal Tendar and other devoted disciples.
Prayers
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
This prayer to Tārā, written in 1936, calls upon her aid to overcome various obstacles, including threats of danger, poverty, depleted vital energy and harmful forces.
Prayers
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
One of several prayers to Tārā by Jamyang Khyentse, this one was written in Darjeeling during the holy month of Saga Dawa in either 1957 or (more likely) 1958.
Prayers
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
A short, four-line supplication of White Tārā, Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, who overcomes death and bestows longevity and wisdom.
Prayers
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
A short prayer to noble Tārā requesting her guidance, protection and assistance on the path to awakening.
by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
This brief supplication to the saviouress Tārā incorporates and expands upon the literal meaning of the syllables of her root mantra (oṃ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā).
Damngak Dzö Compendium of Sādhanas Khyentse Kabab
by Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen
Extracted from Drakpa Gyaltsen's Four-Maṇḍala Prayer to Tārā (sgrol ma'i gsol 'debs maN+Dal bzhi pa).
Prayers Compendium of Sādhanas
by Khenchen Ngawang Palzang
A short prayer invoking and praising Tārā in her twenty-one emanations and calling upon her to dispel obstacles and assist progress along the path to ultimate realization.
by Mipham Rinpoche
This four-line verse of homage to noble Tārā is also a prayer that incorporates the syllables of her root mantra: oṃ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā.
Prayers
by Ratna Lingpa
This brief prayer of aspiration is extracted from The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel: A Sādhana of Yeshe Tsogyal as Noble Tāra (Ye shes mtsho rgyal 'phags ma sgrol mar sgrub pa'i thabs yid bzhin nor bu), a treasure (terma) revealed by Ratna Lingpa.
Termas Aspiration Prayers Rinchen Terdzö
revealed by Sera Khandro
A short, two-verse prayer to noble Tārā in her twenty-one emanations, composed (or revealed) in response to a request from a monk-physican named Samten.
Prayers Ḍākinī Treasury
revealed by Sera Khandro
A beautifully evocative prayer of aspiration to be reborn in Tārā's pure realm, known as The Land of Turquoise Leaves (g.yu lo bkod).
Aspiration Prayers Ḍākinī Treasury

Sādhanas

by Dudjom Rinpoche
A brief daily practice of Green Tārā, composed at the request of Ngawang Palmo.
Sādhanas Restricted
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
This brief text, which includes ter marks, is of uncertain origin, but the editors of the latest edition of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö's writings included it on the basis that it is possibly a revelation of his and note that he encouraged his students to recite it during a period of frequent earthquakes.
Sādhanas Termas Restricted
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
A brief sādhana of White Tārā with a special focus on increasing longevity through purifying the potential for untimely death. It was composed for a lama from Dodrup named Tendzin.
Sādhanas Restricted
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
This short sādhana of Red Tārā, who is associated with the activity of magnetizing, was composed at the request of Khandro Tsering Chödrön (1929–2011) and her sister Tsering Wangmo of the Lakar family.
Sādhanas Magnetizing Restricted
by Jigme Lingpa
Jigme Lingpa tells us that he arranged this ritual of the Twenty-One Tārās based on the authoritative tradition that derives from Nāgārjuna and The Manifest Source Tantra of Tārā. In order to create the full liturgy, which he did at the request of the First Dodrupchen Jigme Trinlé Özer (1745–1821), he also added other elements from various pith instructions.
Longchen Nyingtik Sādhanas Restricted
by Tsultrim Zangpo
This simple sādhana, which includes a feast offering, focuses on Ārya Tārā in blue-green form, surrounded by her retinue of twenty other forms.
Sādhanas Restricted

Sang Offering

by Karma Chakme
A brief liturgy to accompany the offering of sang (bsang), or fragrant incense smoke, to the goddess Tārā and her retinue.
Sang Offering

Seven-Branch

by Lakṣmī
This seven-branch offering, which is found in many Tārā sādhanas, is attributed to the famous nun Lakṣmī (Gelongma Palmo), founder of the Nyungné tradition.
Seven Branches Compendium of Sādhanas Ḍākinī Treasury

Tsok

by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
This short Tārā feast-offering was composed for practitioners who wish to offer a simple gaṇacakra feast within a Tārā sādhana, such as the Zabtik Drolchok.
Tsok Rinchen Terdzö Restricted

Windhorse

by Adeu Rinpoche
A simple invocation of Tārā in various forms—White, Yellow, Red, Blue and Green—as a means to increase windhorse and perfect different forms of enlightened activity.
Lungta
by Patrul Rinpoche
This brief practice calls upon the goddess Tārā and other deities to grant their inspiration and blessings, so that the practitioner's lifespan, merit, prosperity, renown, good fortune, magnetism (dbang thang) and 'windhorse' (rlung rta) may all increase.
Lungta

Related Topics

Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik Ḍākinī Treasury Kurukullā Mārīcī Parṇaśavarī Three Deities of Long Life

Ārya Tārā

Courtesy of Himalayan Art Resources

Further information:

BDRC T619 (sgrol ma)
Himalayan Art Resources

Download this collection:

EPUB  PDF 

DONATIONS

If you find this site useful, please consider helping us to achieve our goal of translating more classic works from the Buddhist tradition and making them freely available. Please support us on Patreon.

Quick Links

Words of the Buddha | Indian Masters | Tibetan Masters | Topics

Tools

Other Sites

84000 | Rigpa Wiki | Himalayan Art | Buddhist Digital Resource Center | Treasury of Lives

Social

Twitter/X | Facebook | Instagram

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

LICENSE

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

ISSN 2753-4812

This website uses cookies to collect anonymous usage statistics and enhance the user experience.
Decline
Accept