Green Tara

Sources describe Tārā as a fully awakened female buddha/bodhisattva figure within Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism rather than as a folkloric origin tale. In Vajrayāna she is treated as a meditation deity (yidam) and is sometimes described in tantric contexts as associated with Amoghasiddhi Buddha; sources indicate this association as part of Vajrayāna iconographic and soteriological frameworks rather than a single narrative origin.

Green Tara is conventionally depicted in Tibetan iconography as a youthful, active female figure in a seated posture of ease (lalitāsana) on a lotus throne, often with one foot partly extended on a padma (lotus) as a sign of readiness to aid; devotional descriptions frequently characterize her as youthful (some sources noting 'about 16 years old') and bearing the green coloration that identifies this manifestation. Museum and devotional accounts describe her as a radiant savioress and an embodiment of the perfected, enlightened mind in feminine form.

Doctrinally and devotionally Green Tara 'hears the cries of beings in saṃsāra and saves them from worldly and spiritual danger.' She is invoked to grant power to overcome obstructions, fears, and dangers, and functions as an embodiment of enlightened wisdom and active compassion. In Vajrayāna practice she is a yidam used in visualization and mantra practice to cultivate and receive swift assistance and liberation from suffering.