Green Tara

Genuine hand painted thangka on cotton canvas.

Place of origin: Nepal

Tara manifests in many different forms. In Tibet, these forms included Green Tara’s manifestation as the Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti, and White Tara’s manifestation as the Chinese princess Kongjo (Princess Wencheng).

As one of the three deities of long life, White Tara (Saraswati) is associated with longevity. White Tara counteracts illness and thereby helps to bring about a long life. She embodies the motivation that is compassion and is said to be as white and radiant as the moon.

Green Tara is an incarnation of the maternal energy, imparting enlightenment, to both the individual and the collective. The current presentation of Green Tara originates in Buddhism from around the 7th century CE. Green Tara (Khadiravani) is usually associated with protection from fear and the following eight obscurations:

lions representing pride

wild elephants representing delusion/ignorance

fires representing hatred and anger

snakes representing jealousy

bandits and thieves representing wrong views, including fanatical views

bondage representing avarice and miserliness

floods representing desire and attachment

and evil spirits and demons representing deluded doubts