Early Origin Story of how Tārā came to Tibet that predates Padmasambhava and Atīśa ( Atisha).

It involves the two wives ( circa 623 C.E. ) of a King called Songten Gampo. Princess Bhrikuti who came from Nepal and purportedly brought Green Tārā with her and the people of Tibet called her a manifestation of Green Tārā. The other wife, Princess Wencheng was known as a manifestation of White Tārā. Princess Bhrikuti and Princess Wencheng were devout Buddhists and their marriage brought an introduction of Tārā worship and Buddhism to Tibet and was accepted even though the predominant religion at the time Tibet was the Bon religion. 

Tāraṇātha

Tārā's history in Tibet is primarily attributed to Tāraṇātha, a Tibetan historian who authored the Tārā Tantra. Born in 1575 A.D., Tāraṇātha spent most of his life in Tibet before eventually traveling to Mongolia, where he passed away. He belonged to a Buddhist sub-sect called Jo Nang, which held radical mystical beliefs about the existence of two voids - a regular void containing all possibilities and a hyper-super void without any phenomenon. These beliefs were considered heretical and old-fashioned, leading to poor political connections and the eventual dissolution of the sect by the 5th Dalai Lama.

Tāraṇātha's writings, including the Tārā Tantra and commentaries on the Kālacakra, were based on historical facts gathered from previous written sources and stories passed down orally by his teacher, Buddhaguptanātha, who hailed from India. The Tārā Tantra documents Siddha masters who traveled from India to Tibet and the historical myths and legends associated with the goddess Tārā. Tāraṇātha was a devout practitioner of Tārā's teachings and compiled the Tantra out of his love for Tārā and compassion for all living beings. The Tantra is replete with stories of people praying to Tārā as their tutelary divinity and experiencing miracles and metaphysical phenomena. Reading these stories gives the impression that Tāraṇātha painstakingly collected and preserved these myths and encounters with Tārā.

Avalokiteshvara Origin Story

The story of Tārā's origin involves the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteśvara, who vowed to free all sentient beings from the lower realms of existence. He made this vow before other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, promising to tirelessly work until all beings were liberated. Despite his determination and joy, he hesitated when he saw countless beings still suffering and falling into lower realms. As per his vow, he shattered into countless fragments, which were gathered and put back together by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. From his tears of grief, Tārā emerged as a Buddha of Compassion, with limitless power to liberate beings.

While the common interpretation of this story is that Tārā was born from Avalokiteśvara's tears, it is more likely that his ordeal shattered his former approach to life, leading him to rely on Tārā's feminine wisdom and ask for her help in his future efforts. The story inspires us to persevere in the face of challenges, ask for help, grieve, rest, and continue working towards our goals.

Despite the widespread recognition and celebration of Tārā's story and practices in Tibetan monasteries, little progress was made toward improving the status of females in Tibetan society. It was only in the last century that opportunities for women to practice Tārā began to arise on a larger scale, despite the presence of powerful female spiritual adepts in Tibet throughout history.

In Tibet, where there are well-documented Tārā practices and sequences that have come from and have been practiced for generations. Although early manifestations of Tārā and her practices could be from India and had roots and cross-pollination in Śaiva Tantra as well as Indian Buddhism, they were preserved, recorded, and practiced for hundreds of years faithfully in Tibetan monasteries. This is important to understand because, the enlivened energy and solid awakening processes of the Tārā worship rituals, mantras, teachings, and iconography are vital and vivid in these lineages.

Once in the 1990s, I was invited to a White Saraswati long-life empowerment practice with Luding Khenchen Rinpoche while he was visiting the Satya community in Minnesota. He took one of those long scripture books held together with boards. He told me through his translator that this book was 75 generations old. I felt like I was actually going back in time 1000 years while he performed the ritual. So the empowerment that day, with him, was the same thing that generations of Tibetans had been practicing. The transmission and teachings of Tārā's energies were very powerful that day and in hindsight, I can say, this event transformed and changed the trajectory of my life in an incredibly positive way since then I have been guided on an inner level by Tārā and she has guided me to write this book and share with you her sublime and powerful practices.

In Tibet, she is worshipped to develop specific inner qualities and to gain an understanding of outer, inner, and specific inner channel teachings such as meditation instructions, compassion, loving-kindness, and emptiness. It is important to note that Tārā is actually different aspects of the same quality which is ultimately a tantric non-dual enlightenment the Tibetan Buddhists call Shunyata or Rigpa.

There are many Meditation Practices associated with Tārā and various Tibetan Buddhist lineages have different iconography and overviews of the practices.

In this book, I am concentrating on the Māndala of the 21 Tārās Practices. I am offering a simple overview of the 21 Tārās including the Praises or Teachings, Mantras, Seed Syllables, and Prayers used in simple worship of her to uplift with compassion, peace, and radiant love. I bring these teachings to you from the lens of my deity, meditation practices, and the inner guidance I have gotten from these Tārās. I have been guided on the inner level to share this with you.

Historically, The Māndala of the 21 Tārās is a roadmap of sorts. A Roadmap for the Path to Enlightenment. Each one of the Goddesses represents one of the four actions of a Buddha; pacification, increase, subjugation, and destruction. They are identified by their respective color: white, yellow, red, blue/black, and green. Each Tārā has their own function, mantra, praise/teaching, and iconography which can vary in traditions. The Mantra "Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā" of the Green Tārā, who is the central leader deity in the Māndala of the 21 Tārās, can be used with the entire group and each Tārā has additional mantras and seed syllables attached to the main central deity Green Tārā Mantra. The 21 emanations of each Tārā, personify the 21 methods of enlightenment taught by the Buddha and each Tārā uses specific mantras, weapons, meditation techniques, and actions, leading to ultimate realization. There is a tantric view that there are 21 pairs of blockages or knots in the ḥum an body and practicing the Māndala of the 21 Tārās, leads to these blockages being unblocked, ultimately attaining Buddha-hood. While there are many different ways to practice the 21 Tārās practices as there are several lineages of the practices in Tibet, this publication is an overview of a simple introductory practice of this life-changing and radical feminine empowered set of sequences.

Lesson Summary

In the early origin story of Tārā in Tibet, two wives of King Songten Gampo, Princess Bhrikuti and Princess Wencheng, introduced Tārā worship and Buddhism to Tibet. Princess Bhrikuti brought Green Tārā with her from Nepal and was considered a manifestation of Green Tārā, while Princess Wencheng was known as a manifestation of White Tārā.

• Princess Bhrikuti and Princess Wencheng were devout Buddhists and their marriage played a significant role in the acceptance of Tārā worship and Buddhism in Tibet.
• Tāraṇātha, a Tibetan historian and practitioner of Tārā's teachings, authored the Tārā Tantra based on historical facts and oral stories passed down by his teacher.
• According to the Tārā Tantra, Tārā's origin story involves the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteśvara, shattering into fragments and being put back together by other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. From his tears, Tārā emerged as a Buddha of Compassion with the power to liberate beings.
• Tārā's story and practices have been celebrated in Tibetan monasteries, but progress in improving the status of females in Tibetan society has been slow until recent times.
• Tārā worship rituals, mantras, teachings, and iconography have been preserved and practiced for generations in Tibetan monasteries.
• The Māndala of the 21 Tārās is a roadmap for the path to enlightenment. Each Tārā represents one of the four actions of a Buddha and has their own function, mantra, praise/teaching, and iconography.
• The central leader deity in the Māndala of the 21 Tārās is Green Tārā, and her mantra "Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā" can be used with the entire group.
• Practicing the Māndala of the 21 Tārās unblocks the 21 pairs of blockages or knots in the human body, leading to the attainment of Buddha-hood.
• This publication provides an overview of a simple introductory practice of the Māndala of the 21 Tārās.