Tara in Vajrayana Buddhism

12 Pages·2022·0.11 MB·English

by  Gurmeet Kaur

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Feminist Theology
Tara in Vajrayana Buddhism: 2022, Vol. 30(2) 210 –221
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Gurmeet Kaur
Panjab University, India
Abstract
Tara is both a Buddhist and Hindu deity. She is widely worshipped in the esoteric branch of
Buddhism: Vajrayana. Even in the exile, Tibetan refugees follow the practice and rituals associated
with Tara. Lamentably, she has been given an auxiliary and secondary role in comparison to
male deities. Various feminist scholars have begun to look at aspects of society through the
lens of gender. They have been at the forefront of studying gender roles and its psychological
consequences for those who try to abide by them. In religious studies, especially in Asian context,
many of these discourses are difficult to perceive because they were unconsciously appropriated
as truth by the people of the society in which they circulated as an inviolable aspect of the worlds
or as nature. This study is an attempt to examine the representation of Goddess in various
ancient texts as essential to the study of the divine feminine. This hybrid study merges traditional
Indology with feminist studies, and is intended for specialists in the field, for readers with interest
in Buddhist, and for scholars of Gender studies, cultural historians, and sociologists.
Keywords
Buddhist gender lens, feminist tantric studies, feminization of Buddhist studies, iddhipādas,
tāntric theology
Introduction
Buddhism is among the first religious traditions in India that inducted women into its
monastic order and encouraged them to pursue their spiritual pursuits. However, they are
not as free as men because of the secondary position given to them within their own
traditions. Nevertheless, Vajrayana1 among the three branches of Buddhist traditions2 has
1. Esoteric Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism and Vajrayana: these three terms are used interchange-
ably in this article as synonyms.
2. The other two are Theravada and Mahayana.
Corresponding author:
Gurmeet Kaur, Panjab University, 2nd Floor, Adjacent to Student Centre, Chandigarh 160014, Punjab, India.
Email: [email protected]
Kaur 211
made an attempt to champion the cause of women’s spiritual rights and succeeded to
some extent. Women remained a theme for sages as well as tantric practitioners. While
sages see women as obstacle in their path to nirvana, Tantra practitioners or Tantrics
believe that women have special mental and physical powers that can help them to go
beyond the material world. The former believes in renouncing women—as per Pancha
Makara3—the latter embraces women to become clairvoyant. In both cases, women are
central for gaining or losing the path of the spiritual pursuits.
During the literature review, a researcher found number of female divinities in
Vajrayana support this claim. It not only embraces female energies like Ḍākinī but it also
has the concept of the female Buddha and a Goddess like Tara, and a female divinity like
Hārītī in its tradition. Unlike other two branches of Buddhism, Vajrayana stresses the
fundamental postulate that truth resides within the body of a human, irrespective of the
gender of that body, whether male or female. Yet, without the body of women, no tantric
practice is considered to be complete. Clearly, the female body is acknowledged as the
abode and medium of realizing the truth in Tantric Buddhism.4 In Tantra, the existence
of women as equal beings in this world is acknowledged. In other words, Tantra starts
with transgressing with the help of women, unlike other religious traditions all around
world. Take, for example, the opening verse of Hevajra Tantra, where Buddha is said to
be residing in the vagina of Vajrayogini (Powers, 2009): “So rather being an entirely new
and profane version of Buddhism, as the mainstream scholarship suggests, Tantric or
esoteric Buddhism emphasized the prevailing attitudes about women, physicality, and
sex that was already being practiced throughout the Indo-Tibetan region” (The Confucian
Weekly Bulletin, 2020).
Tantric Buddhism is known for the inclusion of the female principle and for its depic-
tion of human sexuality: most commonly representative of the sexual union of divine
beings with their consorts like Father (Yab) and Mother (Yum). Their images depict the
essential details for becoming an enlightened one, including wisdom (Tib. Shes Rab,
Pāli: Paññā) and skilfulness or skillful means (Tib. Thabs, Pāli: Upāya), and the two
joining in ultimate reality. It also corresponds with the possession of two aspects in non-
duality—negative and positive or static and dynamic, Paññā–Upāya (Tib. Thabs Dang
Shes Rab). In this sense, Esoteric Buddhism uncovers the possibility that God or Deity is
beyond gender binary and is imaginable as both male and female. However, at the same
time, it exhibits paññā as a passive principle, such as the enjoyed, not the enjoyer; the
known, not the knower; the object, not the subject (Young, 2004). Furthermore, “The
Tantras usually recommend that the female consort be young and attractive between the
3. Pancha Makara are a way to cleanse and transcend the mind. Each M stands for a particu-
lar practice. These are Wine (Madya), Fish (Matsya), Meat (Mamsa), Money (Mudra) and
Sexual Intercourse (Maithuna).
4. Take the example of Saraha, the wandering yogi and one of the mahasidhhas. He overturned
many social norms of his time, including oppressive normative gender roles. Two of Saraha’s
important teachers and consorts were women who were technically lower than him from the
standpoint of caste, class and gender. Yet, each of these nameless women met Saraha as an
equal on the path of spiritual practice, and each of them had a realization that led Saraha
further in his own spiritual development.
212 Feminist Theology 30(2)
ages of twelve and twenty, with sixteen being the most popular age . . . This emphasis on
teenagers also maintains the male adept’s dominance” (Young, 2004).
So undoubtedly, Esoteric Buddhism broke some of the serious myths in relation to
women’s potential as spiritual being; yet, it confined the women in silos of traditionally
ascribed gender roles. To limit the focus of article, this study is an attempt to focus on the
popular Buddhist tantric deity Tara in the less well-known branch of Buddhism; Vajrayana
seen through the lens of gender.
Tara is part of both the Hindu and Buddhist Tantric5 Pantheon which makes her a
significant deity in both religious traditions. In Vajrayana Buddhism, Tara was intro-
duced as one of its 21 types, that is, UgraTara.6 Shaw (2015) defined UgraTara as dark
blue, intense and daunting with upward blazed hairs and disheveled dress. This descrip-
tion of UgraTara is said to have the resemblance of Kali, Hindu Goddess (Dhavalikar,
1963). In the Hindu tradition, she is part of the 10 māhāvidyās7 as per Śiva Purāṇa.
Similarly, in the second book of the Mahabharata Sabhā Parva, Tara is called as residen-
tial deity8 and is installed in every house to keep away the demons.
While western scholars like Stephen Beyer trace her origin in Hinduism, Indian schol-
ars like Benoytosh Bhattacharyya says the origin of Tara is neither Hindu nor Buddhist;
but it is of Tibetan extraction. Not only the deity is non-Indian origin, but also her wor-
ship and practices connected herewith are from a distant area (Bhattacharyya, 1982).
Some scholars opine that she originated in the vicinity of Ladakh and then went to
Tibet and Nepal. On the contrary, “Tara9 and UgraTara10 are said to have been discov-
ered and introduced from China or Tibet by Nāgārjuna11 in the Brahmanical literature”
(Bhattacharyya, 1982). Tara had ardent followers like Bama Khepa12 in India and sNang
sa ‘Od ‘bum in Tibet. Āryamanjuśrîmûlakalpa13 suggests that Tara was adopted by
5. SK Moharana (2001) in his book asserts that “Outwardly it may seem that there is no dif-
ference between Tantrism within the fold of Hinduism and that within Buddhism. However,
the idea that Buddhism is not Saktism, forms the main difference between two main tantric
systems.”
6. The violent form of Tara.
7. These are the most important deities of Tantra. They all have different attributes and are thus
designated Kālī, Tārā, Soḍaśī, Bhuvaneśvarī, Bhairavī, Chinna-mastakā, Dhūmāvatī, Bagala
or Bagala- mukhī, Mātaṅgī and Kamalātmikā or Kamalā.
8. Skt. Grha Devī.
9. P Kumar (1974) states that Tārā is also known by Chamunda and is a form of Mahamaya. Her
worship was once very popular in Assam (State of India) and several images of Chamunda
also have been discovered in the province in India.
10. “Wrathful Tara.”
11. GC Nayak (2006) claims that Nāgārjuna was the first philosopher to teach the teachings
of Śūnyatā. He produced many philosophical masterpieces like Mūlamadhyamakakārikā,
Śūnyatā-saptati. This Nāgārjuna is to be distinguished from another Nāgārjuna who lived as
late as the eighth century CE, and was, apart from being an exponent of Tantra, an alchemist
and the author of Rasaratnākara. However, it is to be noted that the Tibetan tradition identified
both the Nāgārjuna’s as one and the same.
12. Bamakhepa worshipped the Mother in the form of Tara and became a famous Tantric saint
practicing Sadhana at the Tarapith cremation ground in West Bengal.
13. It is Mahayanic Buddhist Literary Source and text of the Kriya Tantra. It is dedicated to
Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī.
Kaur 213
Buddhists first and later by Hindus. Buddhist scholars like John Woodroffe and Hara
Prasad Shastri second the introduction of Tara from China to India (Bhattacharya, 1982).
Nevertheless, the consensus among scholars is that Tara is the Supreme Goddess in
Vajrayana. There is an unspoken understanding among Tibetan Buddhist followers that
worshipping Tara will yield strength and prosperity. So far, the focus of Indo-Tibetan
oriental studies has remained on the psychological impression and influence of Tara and
distinct divinities on mortals. Researchers and scholars have explored the impact of Tara
in Indian and Tibetan societies. No study presents the factors that influence the psychical
image of Tara in general public discourse and the phenomenology of religion—that is, as
an experiential religious tradition. It is a compelling reason to examine the representation
of Goddess in various ancient texts as essential to the study of the divine feminine.
This article primarily analyses the historical manner in which Tara is represented by
religious scholars in various ancient texts. Second, it focuses on how stories drawn from
past religions traditions translate to create their androcentric form into one defined to and
for women. Accordingly, while examining it, it is imperative to comprehend the origin of
Tara and the other scholarly work done by various Buddhist and non-Buddhist scholars
in the coming sections.
Who Is Tara?
In Sanskrit and Pāli, Tara means “star” or “planet.” In Tibetan, she is known as Dölma
(Tib. sgrol-ma) which means “saviour” or “Protector Deity” (Regmi, 1987). In her ulti-
mate nature, she is identical with the Prajñāpāramitā, the Holy Perfection of Wisdom,
who is the Mother of all the Buddhas. She was also conceived as a personified star guid-
ing sailors under night skies (Landesman, 2020).
Willson (1996) suggests that Tara can be viewed through three strands—as Bodhisattva,
Mother Goddess and Tantric deity. The Vrata kātha,14 a well-known story in Nepal, also
establishes Tara’s being born as a female Bodhisattva. Lamentably, this tale is confined to
Nepal because in Myanmar, Buddhist women entreat to take birth as a male in their next
life (Thomas, 2014). That is to say, she is both Bodhisattva and Buddha because the path
of Bodhisattva ultimately leads to attaining Buddhahood. Palmo (2013) also endorses the
existence of the female Bodhisattva in Buddhism, relying on Theravada and Sarvāstivāda,
as well as non-Tantric Mahayana sources.
Tara is one of the most important Buddhist Goddess in Tibetan Buddhism as per the
Treatise on the Sum TOTAL of Mysteries15 (Skt. Guhyasamāja Tantra, Tib. gSang ba
‘dus pa). She is among the most celebrated religious preceptors of fervent cultists. Tara
as goddess sets a new path for both monks and nuns in the modern world: “She is the first
14. Each festival in Hinduism is associated with a mythological story. Without such stories, the
festival is incomplete. Usually, women fast during such festivals and break their fast after
reading or hearing the fast story or Varta Katha. This ritual has been part of Hindu culture
since nomadic society.
15. It is one of the oldest Buddhist Tantras and is ascribed by tradition to the sage Asaṅga. Much
of its symbolism, appearing at the beginning of the Vajrayana tradition, exercised a normative
influence over that tradition’s development.
214 Feminist Theology 30(2)
women’s libber” (Lama Tsultrim Allione, 2016). In the contemporary era, the most
widely known Taras are as follows:
• Green Tara, identified for clemency and compassion, the consort of the one of the
Dhyani Buddha16—Amoghasiddhi;
• White Tara, who is also acknowledged for compassion, prolonged life, healing
and tranquility;
• Red Tara, who is associated with attracting all good things;
• Black Tara, acknowledged for vigor and power;
• Yellow Tara, who is associated with abundance and prosperity;
• Blue Tara, who is known for the alteration of anger.
There is also recognition of 21 Taras in some sects of Vajrayana.17 A practice text
entitled “In Praise of the 21 Taras” is recited during the morning in all four sects of
Tibetan Buddhism. Some Tibetan Buddhists practice a mantra meditation called Tara
Practice. The main Tara mantra is Oṃ Tāre Tuttare Ture Svāhā:
Tāre [means] she who liberates from the cycles of worldly existence
Tuttare [means she] who liberates from [the suffering caused by] the eight dangers
Ture [means she] who quickly liberates from illnesses
[Svāhā means] Salutations to Mother Tara. (Landesman, 2020)
Is She Feminist?
In the modern era, where women are advancing their rights everywhere, the question in
Vajrayana is often asked: Is Tara feminist? The response to this enquiry lies in the subtle
interaction between Tara and her devotees. The definition of feminism which sees women
as human beings, not objects, seems to the point; the knower, not the known. It is crucial
to record hither that religious historians suggest the gods and goddesses are the produc-
tions of their followers. It could mean that goddesses are not feminist, but are rather the
invention of patriarchal males and serve their needs:
Alas! Lady Arya, listen a little to me! All qualities of your body, speech and mind are manifested
for sentient beings sake. (Verse 22, Sadhana of Arya Cittamani Tara)
16. The other four Dhyani Buddha’s are Vairocana, Amitabha, Ratnasambhava and Akṣobhya.
17. ‘The Swatantra Tantra relates her origin in a Cholana lake, which lay on the western slope
of the mount Meru, the Indo-Tibetan borderland which had around it several lakes and many
monasteries. People living there looked for a deity to help cross these lakes. Ultimately, their
desire had divine sanction. On Cholana’s right bank close to village Tar was a mountain.
People one day saw on it twenty-one figures of the goddess Tara which have come into exist-
ence of their own’ (Jain and Daljeet, 2008).
Kaur 215
Therefore, Tara herself is neither feminist nor non-feminist. She does not exist as an
autonomous entity. Her creation is reliant on people only in connection with those who
know her and follow her. Thus, it is crucial to look into specific situations to find out
where her representation is feminist and where not.
Interestingly, all the available texts, prayers and commentaries devoted to Tara are
created by men. Take an example of “Praises of twenty one Taras” in the Tibetan Buddhist
canonical list of texts, Kangyur, finally compiled by Bu ston.18 It is a classic example of
the exclusion of women from the production of knowledge. The aforementioned state-
ment is endorsed by “Feminist epistemologists and philosophers who argue that domi-
nant knowledge practices disadvantage women by denying them epistemic authority”
(Anderson, 2000).
In line with this claim, the rest of this article is divided in four parts. The first elaborates
on Tara’s rejection of androcentricism to a limited extent and her embracing of androgy-
neity; and the second on the Tara represented as Mother. The article’s third segment exam-
ines the attempt to show the Tara as revelatory of the “feminine” attributes of Deity.
Finally, the last section of the article explores Tara as receptive of human longings.
Rejecting Androcentricism and Embracing Androgyneity
Tara is the principle example of a female Buddha who attained enlightenment. Tara is a
combination of the following three jewels: her mind is Buddha, her speech Dharma and
her body Sangha. In other words, she is the whole class of deities (Purna, 1997).
According to the Sutra tradition of Tibetan Buddhism before enlightenment, Tara was
a Bodhisattva and was promised that, after she reached the stage of enlightenment, she
would always appear in the female form for the benefit of all living beings. Lamentably,
she was urged by her adherents to pray to be reborn as a male in succeeding births. The
whole story is put in this way by Tibetan Historian and of Jo-nang School of Tibetan
Buddhism—Tāranātha.
The Buddha named Tathagata Turya and the daughter of the king Jnanachandra are
believed to be lived in the same time in the world system called Visvaprabha. The
Princess was possessed with supreme devotion to the doctrine of the Buddha. For thou-
sands of years, she worshipped Buddha and his retinues:19
Accordingly, each and every day she prepared materials for offering, equal in measure of value
to filling entirely with precious gems a space extending for two yojanas everywhere in the ten
directions. When she had finished this, she first produced the thought of enlightenment. At that
time, the bhikshus addressed her: Due to your wholesome roots of merit, you should be reborn
in the body of a man. According to our teaching, if you make an earnest commitment to
accomplish such wholesome deeds, this will surely be the result. It is said that they spoke to her
many times in this fashion. (Tārānātha J, Norbu. N and Vajranātha, 1985)
18. Bu-ston Rin-chen-grub (1290–1364) mastered the teachings of renowned Indian and Tibetan
scholars. He was master and expounder of particular methods (bu lugs) in the fields of Tantra
and philosophy and was prominent in the spiritual lineages of Tibet’s greatest lamas.
19. It includes uncountable members of monastic order like śrāvakas and bodhisattvas.
216 Feminist Theology 30(2)
This ignorance was responded to in this way: “Here, no man, no woman, No I, no
individual, no categories. Men or Women are only denominations created by confusions
of perverse minds in this world” (Mull, 2004). Miranda Shaw correctly puts it that by
abiding by the teachings of Gautama Buddha, Tara repudiated the hegemony of men in
the religious and spiritual realm and embraced the womanhood. However, she ignores
the fact that the overwhelming emphasis is on men, and even sexual yogas are described
from male’s standpoint.
According to the Suryagupta and Nyingma traditions, Tara has 20 forms. In all these
forms, she exhibits attributes of an androgynous person; for instance, Tārā Mahā-śānti
(Tib. sgrol ma zhi ba chen mo) provides great peace; however, Tārā Pramardinī or Tārā
Apavādi-pramardanī (Tib. sgrol ma rab ‘joms ma or sgrol ma rgol ba ‘joms ma) crushes
the adversaries. In other words, the tradition records both feminine and masculine quali-
ties in Tara. It is in sync with the middle path20 as taught by Buddha. On the contrary, she
is represented in the gender-specific role of motherhood, popularly known as the Mother
of all Buddhas. Such gender-specific values ultimately trickled down through Buddhist
epistemologists in Tibetan culture, life, art and music, and so on.
Motherhood
Motherhood is not an unusual category in the scholarship on women in ancient texts of East
and especially India. Vajrayānist unhesitatingly follows the ancient Indian texts and reflects
on the “glorious and high position” of Tara as mother in their texts. In this respect, they
have also domesticated and personalized Tara. Willson (1996) calls her the goddess of the
underworld, the earth and the heaven: “Tara is the much-loved Tibetan Buddhist mother
goddess. Monks and devotees around the world chant and evoke her energies daily, calling
upon her for everything from world peace, to inner peace and protection” (Brockway,
2015).
Beyer (1978) also writes, “She is patron deity in a second sense of the word, a per-
sonal deity rather than a monastic patron, a mother to whom her devotees can take their
sorrows and on whom they can rely for help” (p. 55). Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the fifth
Dalai Lama, has also written about the iconographic epithets in the verses of his poetry:
Upon the orb of a moon in the centre of the anthers of a soft and tender lotus, its petal full
blown, the body of the goddess, sensuous, ravishing, mother of all the Conquerors: there I
direct my prayer. (Beyer, 1978: 59)
Albeit that motherhood is ascribed a greater position in any social realm among all
the other gender roles given to women in society, it is frequently assessed in Buddhism
that motherhood, being bound by extreme attachment, makes her cling to re-birth. In
this sense, a mother’s attachment seems to be negative and unproductive. In another
words, it is replaceable with joy and equanimity. The glorification of the Bodhisattva
gives the clear, however ideal, representation of the chaste mother; one who cares for
all but is free of attachment. “At least Buddhists do not idealize the self-sacrificing,
20. Later propounded in Tibet by Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna.
Kaur 217
over-burdened mother as The Woman Fulfilling Her True Potential . . . the mother to
whom every son and husband is entitled by rights of masculine privilege” (Gross,
1993).
Tara is equated with mother to the bodhisattvas and Buddhas through wisdom, but
grew in fame through her birth myth and her activities as Princess Jhañācandrā. It
seems that some disciples gradually saw Tara as possessing the ultimate prize of
Buddhahood, despite the traditional restriction of her female gender (Lam, 2014). So,
if one makes an in-depth survey of the domestication of Tara in Esoteric Buddhism, it
can be found that, on one hand, her nature is said to be infinite, while, on the other
hand, she is domesticated in sex-specific gender roles through various rituals and
prayers.
Tara Revealing From and For Male
According to the well-known anecdote of Tibet, Tara appeared on the earth from a tear
shed from Avalokiteśvara’s eye. When the tear fell on the earth, it created a lake, and a
lotus opened in the lake, revealing Tara. In a different account of this story, Tara arises
from the heart of Avalokiteśvara. In both versions, it is Avalokiteśvara’s outpouring of
compassion which manifests Tara as a being. Datt (1978) asserts that
The chief and most active of the supernatural female Buddhists or “energies” are Tara and
Marici. Tara is the consort of Avalokita who is now held to be incarnate in the Dalai Lamas and
she is the most popular deity in Tibet both among lamas and laity. She corresponds to the
goddess of Mercy and queen of heaven (Kwan-yin) of the Chinese. (p. 358)
Such ancient anecdotes and paradigms not only gave birth to ritual mimesis but also
spurred monarchical actions in Tibet. Since most of the scholars21 studied in India and
went back to Tibet, the King was assumed to represent a deity, as the keeper of social
order. The reason for Tara’s popularity in Tibet is associated with the two wives of King
Srong-Tsan-Gampo, the introducer of Buddhism in Tibet. In other words, there is not
even a single tale of her having an independent origin or birth. She is always consort of
Avalokiteśvara or King Srong-Tsan-Gampo.
Another popular folk drama of central Tibet is the story of sNang sa ‘Od ‘bum which
describes the trials and tribulations of one of Tara’s best-known devotees. This narrative
confers an account of Tara’s intercession in the heroine’s miraculous conception and birth:
Skilled in means, compassionate, born in the house of Sakya,
Unconquerable conqueror of Mara,
His body shining like a pile of gold:
Homage to the kings of the Sakya!
In the highest dwelling of Potala,
21. Tibetan scholars like Thonmi Sambhota and Rinchen Zangpo.
218 Feminist Theology 30(2)
Born from the green syllable of TAM,
Saving beings with the light of the syllable TAM
Homage to mother Tara!
These stories and symbols extracted from past religious traditions translate to create
an androcentric model, defined to and for women. Take an example of the popular
6-day ritual of Tara in which prayers of the first 2 days are devoted to Avalokiteśvara.
For 3–6 days, four mandala offerings are made to Tara. This custom is a thanksgiving
ceremony for preceding boons and praying for future kindness. Even though the ritual
is one of thanksgiving to her, it is initiated with the worship of her consort which gives
her secondary status in her own ritual, thus falling prey to the patriarchal setup of
society:
Yet in their [Tibetan Buddhists] devotion lies one of the basic paradoxes of the Tibetan
religion: in spite of her close touch with the lives of her people, Tara shares in the essential
nature of the deities of the monastic cult. She, too, is basically alien to the human experience,
ultimately “other,” without personality, appearing and dispensing her miraculous favours as
unapproachable and impersonal light. She, too, is a cosmic force which may be manipulated
by an expert in her ritual or may be directed to one’s own benefit by the recitation of her
mantra, the sonic reverberation of her power. (Beyer, 1978)
To sum it up, Tara’s compassion and wisdom within tantric sources are modeled on
the male deity’s virtues (Landseman, 2020).
Tara as Receptive to Human Longings
In various tales and songs, Tara shows characteristics of the compassionate mother
and caregiver. So many of her devotees have composed a hymn in her praise. These
hymns are the window into the culture that existed during that time in Tibet. Here are
some examples. The song by Gedun-dr’up, First Dalai Lama of Tibet, requests Tara
for mercy and protection in verse 19 of the praise of the venerable Lady
Lek-Dr’I-Ma:
Refuge thus worthy! From all dangers such as evil spirits, demons, sickness and plague,
Untimely death, bad dreams and evil signs, please protect embodied being swiftly.
Similarly, Lodr’o Gyats’o (Matisāra) pays homage to Arya Tara. In the very first
verse, he says,
“Well born of the holy Actions of all universal Conquerors! Supreme Refuge of all the three
Realms” Being! Venerable Treasure of Compassion!- I bow at Your lotus feet, Tara, Mother of
Conqu’rors!
Another hymn by Lozang tanpa gyaltsan pays reverence to Arya Tara in the opening
verse:
Kaur 219
Three infallible jewels of Refuge combined in one, Divine mother whose nature is compassion,
I bow to you from my heart! Till I’m enlightened, Support me, I pray, with the hook of your
compassion!
A Song of Longing for Tara, the Infallible (Tib: Dung bo lu may ma) written by Lama
Lobsang Tenpey Gyaltsen (2009) and translated by Lama Thubten Yeshe, includes the
words:
I take refuge in you, Tara; like you, no Buddha could ever deceive me. But understanding the
odd character of these times, most Buddha’s have gone into the bliss of nirvana. Even though
they have great compassion, we have no connection. Since for me there are no other deities, you
are my principal deity. Bestow realizations upon me, Divine Mother, essence of love. Arouse
the great power of your compassion and think of me.
In other words, Tara is not an exchangeable projection screen for human needs but the
historical Virgin and Mother of Buddhas, who gives a firm historical anchoring to (hu)
mankind strivings.
Tara Rescuing Menfolk
“One of the hallmarks of the Tara cultus is her direct and immediate accessibility to any-
one who calls on her” (Monaghan, 2010). It indicates that one does not need to follow
long rituals to evoke this deity. Yet, in the available narrations, homage and stories, Tara
is seen as rescuing mostly menfolk, which makes one think about the presence of women
in Tantra as well as the accessibility of Tantric rituals. There are stories of eight masters
being saved from the following eight fears: Master Digvarman, Master Amarasimha,
Master Devsimha, Master Sanghamitra, Master Subhasa kirti, Master Buddhadasa,
Master Triratnadasa and Master Jnanadeva. However, the possibility of Tara rescuing
womenfolk cannot be negated. Martin Willson has documented a few stories in his book
where young girls are rescued by Tara. Similarly, Landesman also gives an account of a
story of four sisters22 and a brother23 who mirror the function of Tara and Avalokiteśvara.
Conclusion
This article examined the historical manner in which Tara is represented by religious
scholars in numerous ancient texts. Despite the limitless possibilities of Tara’s impact
on daily life of people following Vajrayana, she is restricted to gender-specific sex
roles like motherhood and consort of Dhyani Buddha or King. Her origin and genera-
tion are dependent on the person (mostly male) who is a tantric practitioner. Despite
being Buddha, who is considered as epitome of non-attachment to worldly things, Tara
is consistently shown as a deity who is receptive to human longings. So it is imperative
22. Jayā, Vijayā, Ajitā and Aparājitā. These four sisters acted as Bodhisattva’s attendant or
messengers.
23. Tumburu.