| The mantra we are explaining in this article is Green | | | | spiritual dangers of greed, hatred, and delusion: the |
| Tara, "Om Tara Tuttare Ture Svaha". Tara, whose | | | | three factors that cause us individual suffering. |
| name means "star" or "she who ferries across," is a | | | | 3. Lastly, ture represents the culmination of the |
| Bodhisattva of compassion who manifests in female | | | | spiritual path in terms of deliverance into the altruistic |
| form. In Tibetan, Tara is known as "Dölma" | | | | path of universal salvation - the Bodhisattva path. In |
| (Sgrol-ma), or "She Who Saves." In particular she | | | | the Bodhisattva path we aspire for personal |
| represents compassion in action, since she's in the | | | | enlightenment, but we also connect compassionately |
| process of stepping from her lotus throne in order to | | | | with the sufferings of others, and strive to liberate |
| help sentient beings. | | | | them at the same time as we seek enlightenment |
| Singing to Tara and singing to the stars. To she who | | | | ourselves. Tara therefore delivers us from a narrow |
| is a Star. Feminine protectress. | | | | conception of the spiritual life. She saves us from the |
| The syllable Om has no conceptual meaning, and is | | | | notion that spiritual progress is about narrowly |
| sound representing the entire universe, past present | | | | liberating ourselves from our own suffering, and |
| and future. | | | | instead leads us to see that true spiritual progress |
| The central part of Tara's mantra is a loving play on | | | | involves having compassion for others. |
| her name. A traditional explanation of the mantra is | | | | By the time we have been liberated from mundane |
| that the variations of her name represent three | | | | dangers, liberated from a narrow conception of the |
| progressive stages of salvation. | | | | spiritual path, and led to a realization of compassion, |
| 1. Tara presents salvation from mundane dangers and | | | | we have effectively become Tara. In Buddhist |
| suffering. Tara is seem as a savior who can give aid | | | | practice the "deities" represent our own inner |
| from material threats such as floods, crime, wild | | | | potential. We are all potentially Tara. We can all |
| animals, and traffic accidents. Tara is therefore said | | | | become Tara. |
| to protect against ordinary worldly dangers. | | | | Svaha, according to Monier Monier-William's Sanskrit |
| Tara is a bodhisattva embodying compassion in the | | | | Dictionary, means: "Hail!", "Hail to!" or "May a blessing |
| female form of a young goddess. | | | | rest on!" We could see this final blessing as |
| 2. Tuttare presents deliverance into the spiritual path | | | | symbolizing the recognition that we are, ultimately, |
| conceived in terms of individual salvation. In traditional | | | | Tara. |
| terms, this is the path of the Arhat, which leads to | | | | Her mantra can therefore be rendered as something |
| individual liberation from suffering. This is seen in | | | | like "OM! Hail to Tara (in her three roles as a |
| Mahayana Buddhism as a kind of enlightenment in | | | | savioress)!" |
| which compassion does not figure strongly. Tara | | | | The mantra's benefit is beyond conceptual thought. |
| therefore offers individual protection from the | | | | |