Detailed Introduction
"Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha" -- this Green Tara Mantra is among the most popular in all of Tibetan Buddhism. Green Tara is seen as the embodiment of the tears of compassion that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva shed, the foremost of all the Buddha Mothers, and she is known for her "swift rescue": it is said that the moment devotees recite her mantra in earnest, Green Tara comes at once to offer protection.
The Origin of Green Tara
Legend has it that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, gazing down on the suffering of all beings from Mount Potalaka, wept tears of pity that would not stop falling. The tear from the left eye became Green Tara; the tear from the right became White Tara. Green Tara stands for compassion in action -- she sits in a half-lotus posture, yet her right foot reaches forward, ever ready to rise and rescue, a sign that she does not wait passively but answers every cry for help actively and fast. Her body is emerald green, alive with vitality and active energy; her right hand forms the boon-granting mudra (palm turned outward), her left holds a blue lotus, and her whole form radiates the light of compassion.
Analysis of the Mantra
- Om: the universal primordial sound, standing for the three mysteries of the Buddha (body, speech, and mind).
- Tare: means "the liberator," Tara rescuing beings from the ocean of cyclic existence.
- Tuttare: means "dispelling all fears," Tara removing the eight great terrors -- lion peril (pride), elephant peril (ignorance), fire peril (anger), serpent peril (jealousy), bandit peril (wrong views), shackle peril (desire), flood peril (attachment), and demon peril (doubt).
- Ture: means "granting all accomplishments," Tara bestowing every attainment, worldly and transcendent.
- Svaha: means "perfect accomplishment," the mantra's concluding syllable, the prayer fulfilled in full.
Merits of Recitation
People often speak of the merits this way: fear and anxiety dissolved, disaster and accident kept at bay, safe travels, growing wisdom and merit, obstacles to practice swept aside, and the blessing and guardianship of Tara herself. In the Tibetan tradition she is held to be especially protective of women -- recited during pregnancy she is said to keep mother and child safe, and recited in the hard passages of a marriage, to bring the wisdom to make the right decisions.
Methods of Practice
- Simple practice: 108 recitations a day (one round of the mala), or in multiples of seven (7, 21, and so on).
- Complete practice: begin with taking refuge and generating bodhicitta, visualize Green Tara above the crown of your head radiating light to bless you, then recite the mantra, and conclude by dedicating the merit.
- Special occasions: when fear or anxiety rises, before setting out on a journey, at a hard crossroads of decision, or when praying for others.
Spread in Taiwan
Once Tibetan Buddhism took root in Taiwan, devotion to Green Tara flourished along with it. Tibetan Buddhist centers around the island (such as Drikung Kagyu, Karma Kagyu, and Gelug centers) hold Green Tara dharma assemblies and empowerments regularly, and many Chinese Buddhist practitioners have taken up her mantra too, folding it into daily practice. Green Tara's gentle, compassionate image, together with the "swift rescue" that marks her devotion, has made her especially dear to women practitioners in Taiwan.