Somebody I follow on Twitter (12-Step Buddhist) is always mentioning "doing Green Tara." Though I knew it wasn't about tea, I couldn't get the image of him sipping green tea out of my head, so I looked it up...Tara means "star," "planet," or "she who ferries across." She is a bodhisattva embodying compassion in the female form of a young goddess. She is often considered to be such an advanced bodhisattva that she is actually a Buddha.
Tara’s name is said to derive from the verb meaning "to cross" or "to traverse". In Pali the verb tarati means "to get to the other side." This word is cognate with the Latin "trans" (across). The word Tara also literally means "star."
Green Tara (Shyama Tara or Dark Tara) is seated on a white moon-disk. Her green complexion symbolizes the active function of the fully-enlightened being. The moon symbolizes her peacefulness. The moon is resting upon a lotus. The lotus symbolizes her freedom from any defilement, just as the lotus rises out of the mud of the swamp, but the blossom itself is pure and undefiled. In the same way, Green Tara arises in the world but is completely undefiled by the world.
All this is very interesting but just what is your friend Doing?
ReplyDeleteNow that's a good question!
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