White Tara : Purity, Nepalese Thangka
41" x 24" Framed. Painting 20" x 15"
"Upon the orb of a moon in the center of the antlers of a soft and tender lotus, its petals full blown, the body of the goddess, sensuous, ravishing, mother of all the Conquerors: there I direct my prayers." The Fifth Dalai Lama wrote in praise of Tara, the mother of all Buddhas. White Tara confers longevity and fulfills earthly desires through the activities of pacifying, increasing, and subjugating. She holds a lotus in her left hand, a symbol of the mind's innate purity. Her right hand is extended out in the gesture of bestowing boons. On both palms, and on the soles of her feet are eyes of transcendent wisdom, symbolizing that all her activities are conducted with omniscient awareness. An inverted eye on her forehead similarly indicates her enlightened vision.  Shakyamuni Buddha, the lion of the Sakya clan sits above her head, in the earth as a witness pose.
The initiatory rites of White Tara are said to prolong the recipient's life removing diseases, sins, obscurations, and untimely death.  Reciting the Sadhana, the practitioner invokes the qualities of the goddess within his own being. The qualities of White Tara are ultimately inseparable from our own. Her loving kindness reflects an innate altruism that arises spontaneously from recognizing our oneness with creation. Awakening is reaching outward to embrace the world with infinite compassion. If we see through to Tara's essence, she frees us from self-serving thoughts and encourages us to act selflessly and wisely for the benefit of all beings: the surest prescription for a long and fulfilled life.
Open seven eyes, like Tara, and be sure that everything you do, every step you take, every thought you think, is fueled by compassion. You will then be inseparable from White Tara, the embodiment of pure love.
By Romio Shrestha &  Ian Baker: Celestrial Gallery
Handpainted by monks in Nepal