WHO IS TARA, AND WHY DID WE NAME OUR SITE AFTER HER?

In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions, Tara is "the goddess who guides through troubles."

Tara embodies the compassionate activity of all the Buddhas; her name means "the liberator" or "one who saves". She is known to her Hindu worshipers as beautiful, energetic, and compassionate. In Buddhist mythology, she is born from Avalokitesvara's tears of compassion, or from her own vow to become enlightened and remain a woman.

There are 21 forms of Tara in Buddhist Tibet. White Tara offers health, long life, and prosperity. Black Tara and Red Tara are fierce guises of the goddess who foster the evolution of compassion. Green Tara encourages growth and is most protective of her followers.

Click here to see a full-size image of Green Tara.

For more information, see:

Kinsley, David R. Hindu Goddesses. Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.

Kinsley, David R. Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine. The Ten Mahavidyas. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.

Leidy, Denise Patry, and Robert A. F. Thurman. Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment. Boston: Shambhala, 1997.