Green Tara, the female Buddha of the forest, provides protection from fears and obstacles. She sits with one foot in the meditation posture and one foot in the world, thus embodying active compassion, and becoming a model for modern day contemplative life.
The Thangka of a Thousand Taras
This one-of-a-kind thangka was masterfully painted by an artist in Nepal and given to Tara Mandala to support the building and adornment of the Tara Temple. If you look closely you can see that each Tara is unique, each face transmitting her own beauty. This distinctive feature was made possible only by lovingly and painstakingly using a one-hair brush.
The individual Taras correspond to a number on the thangka and can be sponsored for $1,000 each.
You can sponsor a Tara on several payment plans:
- a one-time donation of $1000
- two donations in a year of $500 each
- $83.33 a month for a year
- $41.67 a month over two years.
People are having fun choosing numbers from 1-999 signifying significant dates like the birthdays of their children, parents, pets or magical numbers. This has been a wonderful way for many people to weave their energy into the blessings of the temple. There have been many touching moments in this process: a young man with AIDS with tears in his eyes gave in the name of everyone in the world living with AIDS; a mother gave to the child in her womb; a son gave to heal an estranged relationship with his parents. Dedications have been made in the memory of a loved one, for parents, for each of their children or grandchildren. Some have sponsored in their own name, others for their enemies, a beloved pet, lineage holders of the past, a birthday, anniversary, or to remember a dear friend. It has been truly heart-warming to feel all these intentions support the temple and have this merit spread so widely.
At this time, over 600 Taras have been sponsored. The thangka now hangs in the Tara Temple and continue to radiate blessings along with the book of dedications.
Each sponsor of a Tara receives a beautiful Green Tara pendant blessed by Lama Tsultrim and a 5″x7″ glossy photograph of the “Rainbow Tara” – one of the Tara statues in the temple that was illuminated by rainbows from the sun passing through a crystal in a stained glass window.
“Tara is accessible even to those who have not received the initiation of Tara. She is simply present. The reemergence of Tara’s energy, her feminine wisdom, and her compassion are essential for the earth and all people right now. We are out of balance, and feminine wisdom is lacking. One problem for those who know this is that they are not sure how to find feminine wisdom. They ask, “How do I access it in myself and then bring it into the world?” Entering a practice like Green Tara creates the template for the development of that wisdom. In other words, it begins to help you access the wisdom of the feminine through the process of identification. This is important not only for women but for everyone.”
~ Lama Tsultrim, Green Tara Explanation and Commentary
