Green Tara

Green Tara

Ancientwell-documentedMahāyāna BuddhismVajrayāna BuddhismTibetan Buddhist devotional practiceTibetHimalayan BuddhismBroad Mahāyāna / Vajrayāna regions
Origin

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.

Appearance

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.

Abilities

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.

Weaknesses & Wards

Weaknesses

  • other
    No inherent weaknesses listed in provided sources

Wards

  • mantra
    Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha (devotional invocation to request Green Tara's aid)
  • ritual
    Deity visualization and mantra practice (yidam practice) to invoke protection and removal of obstacles
  • other
    Keeping images (thangka, statue) of Green Tara as devotional focus
More from Mahāyāna Buddhism

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Arhat

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Avalokiteśvara

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Bhaiṣajyarāja (Medicine King Bodhisattva)

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Bhaiṣajyasamudgata

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Cintāmaṇicakra (Nyoirin Kannon / Ruyi-lun Guanyin)

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Dharmapāla

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Community Record

Sources
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    Tara (Buddhism) - Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 'Tara (Buddhism)'wiki
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    Green Tara Mantra: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha - Learn How to Say It. Yowangdu, 'Green Tara Mantra: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha - Learn How to Say It'other
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    Green Tara Year End Retreat 2024 - Drepung Loseling. Drepung Loseling, 'Green Tara Year End Retreat 2024'other
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    Fine Antique Tibetan Copper Gilded Goddess of Liberation Green Tara Statue (Buddha Museum). Buddha Museum, 'Fine Antique Tibetan Copper Gilded Goddess of Liberation green Tara Statue'other
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    Green Tara | Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Museum of Art, 'Green Tara' (thangka description)other
  6. [6]
    Green Tara - Dreaming in Japanese (Leanne Ogasawara). Dreaming in Japanese, 'Green Tara' (interpretive / devotional essay)other
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    Green Tara Light? (Buddhism StackExchange Q&A). Buddhism StackExchange, 'Green Tara Light?' (community Q&A regarding meditational experiences)other
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    Green Tara and Parvati (Hinduism StackExchange Q&A). Hinduism StackExchange, 'Green Tara and Parvati' (comparative question/answer discussion)other
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    Order of the White Moon Goddess Gallery presents: Green Tara by Mystic Raven. Order of the White Moon, 'Green Tara' (devotional page)other
well-documented