Introduction to Tārā

Introduction to Tārā

by Stefan Mang

Tārā is among the most venerated female deities in the Buddhist world, particularly within Tibetan Buddhism, where she occupies a central position in both liturgical and devotional practice. As suggested by her name—often translated as “Savior”[1]—Tārā is revered as a compassionate protectress who swiftly responds to the needs of beings facing worldly and spiritual dangers.[2] To this day, both lay and monastic Tibetan Buddhists commonly invoke her for this purpose. Her enduring popularity is reflected in the widespread ritual, textual, and iconographic traditions devoted to her many forms.

According to the Tibetan commentarial tradition, the first verse of The Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage recounts the origins of Tārā. It is generally regarded as the main canonical source narrating the goddess’s mythical emergence. Commentarial literature elaborates that Tārā arose from a teardrop of Avalokiteśvara, the Lord of the Triple World, thereby embodying his boundless compassion. In this form, she is especially praised for the swiftness with which she responds to the suffering of sentient beings.[3] While this version is considered canonical, Tibetan commentators have expanded upon it by recounting additional stories and variations concerning Tārā’s mythical origins.[4]

The worship of Tārā can be historically traced to India, where she emerged within both Buddhist and Hindu religious milieus. Her origins remain the subject of scholarly debate: some argue for a Buddhist genesis later absorbed into Hindu traditions, while others suggest a more reciprocal process of mutual influence.[5] In early Buddhist depictions,[6] as well as in later origin stories,[7] Tārā is consistently portrayed as a companion of Avalokiteśvara. From the eighth century onward, however, she gained increasing popularity as an independent deity, eventually replacing Avalokiteśvara as the savior from the eight great dangers (aṣṭamahābhaya, ’jigs pa chen po brgyad).[8] Around the same time, her cult became firmly established in major Indian Buddhist centers such as Nālandā and began to spread across South and Southeast Asia.[9]

Tibetan historical sources recount that the goddess was introduced to Tibet as early as the seventh century, when the Nepalese princess Bhṛkutī brought a sandalwood statue of Tārā as part of her dowry to King Songtsen Gampo (srong btsan sgam po, 617–650).[10] Although a few texts dedicated to Tārā were translated in the centuries that followed,[11] her cult did not take firm root until the eleventh century, when the Indian master Atiśa (982–1054) actively promoted her worship.[12] Over the following centuries, devotion to Tārā flourished in Tibet, giving rise to diverse ritual systems and tantric lineages, many of which remain active today.

In her most iconic form, she is referred to simply as Tārā, Green Tārā, or Tārā of the Khadira Forest (Khadira-vaṇī-tārā, grol ma seng ldeng nags ma). Her root mantra—oṃ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā—invokes her through three epithets: Tārā (Deliverer), Tuttārā (*Savior),[13] and Turā (Swift One).[14] She is called upon for blessings that offer protection, alleviate distress, heal illness, and bring prosperity. It is especially her protective power that gave rise to her prominence as Tārā Who Protects Against the Eight Great Dangers (Aṣṭa-mahābhaya-tārā), defending practitioners from external threats such as lions, elephants, fire, snakes, robbers, floods, infectious diseases, and demons.[15] These eight dangers came to be interpreted not merely as outer threats but as symbolic representations of internal afflictions that lead practitioners astray from the spiritual path. This metaphorical reading is found, for example, in the writings of the First Dalai Lama, Gendün Drupa (dge ’dun grub pa, 1391–1474), who mapped each external danger onto a corresponding mental defilement: the lion of pride, the elephant of ignorance, the fire of anger, the snake of jealousy, the thieves of false views, the chains of greed, the water of desire, and the demons of doubt.[16]

As her cult expanded, multiple ritual systems developed around Tārā, corresponding to the four enlightened activities (catur-karman; las phrin las), which encompass the full spectrum of tantric ritual intent: pacifying (white), enriching (yellow), magnetizing (red), and subjugating (black). Tārā is most frequently invoked in her white and red forms, while her yellow and black forms appear to be less commonly practiced. Through these colours and corresponding activities, numerous other female Buddhist deities were assimilated into her mandalic network and came to be regarded as manifestations of Tārā.[17] As White Tārā, or Wish-fulfilling Wheel (Cintā-maṇi-cakra Tārā, sgrol dkar yid bzhin ’khor lo), she joins the triad of long-life deities alongside Amitāyus and Uṣṇīṣavijayā, and is revered for her rejuvenating and life-extending qualities. As Red Tārā, and in her manifestations such as Kurukullā, she magnetizes and subdues both the external world and the inner emotions and mind of the practitioner. In her yellow form, and in manifestations such as Vasudhārā, she increases wealth, merit, and knowledge. As Black Tārā, and through wrathful manifestations such as Siṃhamukhā, she overcomes obstacles and expels negativity.

The Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage inspired the most well-known collective manifestation of the goddess. While the Praise itself does not name or identify specific forms of Tārā, the iconographic traditions all identify one particular form of Tārā with each of the first twenty-one verses. Each form is then associated with one enlightened activity and, based on this activity, each Tārā is given a specific name. Later on, many of the prominent female Buddhist deities found their place among the twenty-one Tārās, such as Sarasvatī, Uṣṇīṣavijayā, Sitātapatrā, Kurukullā, Bhṛkutī, Mahāmāyūrī, and Mārīcī.[18] The traditions differ, however, in their identification of which verse describes which form and activity of Tārā.

As both a swift protector from worldly and spiritual dangers and a central figure in advanced tantric practice, Tārā continues to embody the principle of enlightened compassion within the ritual, iconographic, and devotional fabric of Tibetan Buddhism.

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Further Reading

Beyer, Stephan. The Cult of Tārā: Magic and Ritual in Tibet. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978.

Ghosh, Mallar. Development of Buddhist Iconography in Eastern India: A Study of Tārā, Prajñās of the Five Tathāgatas and Bhṛikuṭī. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1980.

Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.

Khenchen Palden Sherab. The Smile of Sun and Moon. Translated by Anna Orlova. Boca Raton: Sky Dancer Press, 2004.

Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal. Tara’s Enlightened Activity: An Oral Commentary on the Twenty-One Praises to Tara. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2007.

Landesman, Susan. “Goddess Tārā: Silence and Secrecy on the Path to Enlightenment.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 24, no. 1 (Spring, 2008): 44–59.

Obermiller, Eugéne, trans. and ed. History of Buddhism (Chos ḥbyung) by Bu-ston. Vol 2, The History of Buddhism in India and Tibet. Materialien zur Kunde des Buddhismus 19. Heidelberg: O. Harrassowitz, 1932.

Roerich, George N. (ed.). The Blue Annals. Calcutta: Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1949.

Shaw, Miranda. Buddhist Goddesses of India. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2006.

Shin, Jae-Eun. 2010. “Transformation of the Goddess Tārā with Special Reference to Iconographical Features.” Indo Koko Kenkyu: Studies in South Asian Art and Archaeology 31 (2010): 17–31.

Sonam Gyaltsen. The Clear Mirror: A Traditional Account of Tibet’s Golden Age. Translated by Taylor McComas. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion, 1996.

Stevens, Rachael. “Red Tārā: Lineages of Literature and Practice.” PhD diss., Oxford University, 2010.

Tāranātha. The Origin of the Tārā Tantra. Translated and edited by David Templeman. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1995.

Willson, Martin. In Praise of Tara: Songs to the Saviouress. Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 1996.

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