Tushita Heaven Thangkas
Green Tara
Tara represents the entire enlightened activities of all Buddhas and hence she is called the mother of the Buddhas of three times. It is said in Sutra that Avalokiteshvara Bodhhisattva saved and ferried over countless suffering beings from the sea of birth and death. It happened one day when Avalokiteshvara looked at the misery of the world he shed tears out of great compassion from his eyes. The tears turned into a lotus flower from which appeared white and green Tara who said to him, " please don't be so sad. We'll assist you in liberating living beings, although they are countless in number the power of our vow is also immeasurable".
Since then they had been liberating countless numbers of living beings daily. The name of Tara was thus known to all Buddhas in ten directions. There are 21 forms of Tara ( the Saviouress). In reality they are all the transformed bodies of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion.
Green Tara appears as young beautiful maiden. Her body is green in colour. She has one face and two arms, she wears a crown bedecked with Five Buddha images. She wears all kinds of bodhisattva ornaments studded with jewels and celestial garments of varied colour. She sits on a lotus throne in Lalita attitude in half lotus posture. Her left hand shows the gesture of refuge vows and right hand the varada mudra because she is quick to answer the petitions of those who seek her aid. Tara is known as the great liberator from eight kinds of danger or fears. The cultivation of Tara sadhana will eliminate all demoniac and karmic obstacles, eradicates disaster and lenthens one's life span.
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White Tara
The origin of White Tara is the same as about Green Tara. She appeared out of tear drops of Avalokiteshvara when he saw that the beings in Samsara are still full of misery in spite of his efforts to liberate them. This form of Tara is described in the meditational text as follows:
White Tara is seated in full Vajra posture and her left hand which is poised at the heart holds the stem of a lotus that opens into blossom beside her left shoulder. Her right hand is in the varada mudra symbolizing supreme generosity. She is seated upright on a moon disc. She is wearing all sorts of precious ornaments and looks beautiful maiden of sixteen years of age. Amitabha Buddha image sits upon the head as a crown. The practice of White Tara is basically performed in order to prolong life as well as for healing purpose. It is said that because Arya Tara is the collective manifestation of the enlightened activity of all Buddhas, her sadhana is easily accomplished. The recitation of her Mantra merely a hundred thousand times with the motivation of Bodhicitta will cause avertion of hindrances.
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