Tara (, ; , ), Ārya Tārā, or śyāmatārā, also known as Jetsün Dölma (Tibetan: rje btsun sgrol ma), is an important figure in Buddhism, especially revered in Vajrayana Buddhism, Navayana Buddhism, and Mahayana Buddhism. She appears as a female bodhisattva in Buddhism, and as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements. She is known as Duōluó Púsà (多羅菩薩) in Chinese Buddhism, and as Tara Bosatsu (多羅菩薩) in Japan.
Tārā is a meditation deity revered by practitioners of the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism to develop certain inner qualities and to understand outer, inner and secret teachings such as karuṇā (compassion), mettā (loving-kindness), and shunyata (emptiness). Tārā may more properly be understood as different aspects of the same quality, as bodhisattvas are often considered personifications of Buddhist methods. Tara is one of the most important Buddhist goddesses in Tibetan Buddhism as per the Treatise on the Sum TOTAL of Mysteries (Skt. Guhyasamāja Tantra, Tib. gsang ba ‘dus pa). She is among the most celebrated religious preceptors of fervent cultists.
There is also recognition in some schools of Buddhism of twenty-one Tārās. A practice text entitled Praises to the Twenty-One Taras is the most important text on Tara in Tibetan Buddhism. Another key text is the Tantra Which is the Source for All the Functions of Tara, Mother of All the Tathagatas.
The main Tārā mantra is the same for Buddhists and Hindus alike: . It is pronounced by Tibetans and Buddhists who follow the Tibetan traditions as . The literal translation would be "Oṃ O Tārā, I pray O Tārā, O Swift One, So Be It!"
Etymology
तारा Tārā, Sanskrit, feminine noun, "a fixed star" or "planet"
evolved from:
अवलोकितेश्वर Avalokiteśvara IPA: , Sanskrit, "Down [upon Earth('s sentients')(sounds)] looking lord", implicit interpolation of sounds indicated in recent philology though the verb is for sight, male in original form though evolved, especially in Tibet as female Tara and in China as female 觀音 (traditional) 观音 (simplified) Guānyīn (Pinyin Mandarin pronunciation), Chinese, "Attending to [hearing] the sounds [of Earth, especially sounds of suffering] [divine personage, often made explicit as Boddhisattva by further appending that title]"
ध्रुव Dhruvá, Sanskrit, male noun, North Star, iconically fixed star
རྗེ་བརྩུན་སྒྲོལ་མ།།, སྒྲོལ་མ (Jetsun) Sgrol ma or D(r)ölma, or rje btsun ma (Wylie), Tibetan, Dzongkha (national language of Bhutan), "(Venerable (feminine)) Saviour" from sgrol ba, Tibetan, verb, "to save, rescue, liberate; to carry, transport, or cross; and to expel or drive away [evil]" + ma.Tibetan.mother.
多羅菩薩 たらぼさつ Tara Bosatsu, Japanese, from 多羅菩薩 Duōluó Púsà (Pinyin Mandarin pronunciation), Chinese, Much Gatherer Bodhisattva.
ताराष्टोत्तरशतनामावली Tārāṣṭottaraśatanāmāvalī, Sanskrit, "108 Names of [Divine Personage] Tara", ia a commonly associated set of 108 alternate names and epithets.
Emergence as a Buddhist deity
Within Tibetan Buddhism Tārā is regarded as a bodhisattva of compassion and action. She is the female aspect of Avalokiteśvara and in some origin stories she comes from his tears:
"Then at last Avalokiteshvara arrived at the summit of Marpori, the 'Red Hill', in Lhasa. Gazing out, he perceived that the lake on Otang, the 'Plain of Milk', resembled the Hell of Ceaseless Torment. Myriad beings were undergoing the agonies of boiling, burning, hunger, thirst, yet they never perished, sending forth hideous cries of anguish all the while. When Avalokiteshvara saw this, tears sprang to his eyes. A teardrop from his right eye fell to the plain and became the reverend Bhrikuti, who declared: 'Child of your lineage! As you are striving for the sake of sentient beings in the Land of Snows, intercede in their suffering, and I shall be your companion in this endeavour!' Bhrikuti was then reabsorbed into Avalokiteshvara's right eye, and was reborn in a later life as the Nepalese princess Tritsun. A teardrop from his left eye fell upon the plain and became the reverend Tara. She also declared, 'Child of your lineage! As you are striving for the sake of sentient beings in the Land of Snows, intercede in their suffering, and I shall be your companion in this endeavor!' Tārā was then reabsorbed into Avalokiteshvara's left eye."
Tārā manifests in many different forms. In Tibet, these forms included Green Tārā's manifestation as the Nepalese Princess (Bhrikuti), and White Tārā's manifestation as the Chinese princess Kongjo (Princess Wencheng).