Walk into any Tibetan temple, and you’ll see her. She’s green, she’s sitting in a weirdly active pose with one leg tucked and the other ready to spring, and she’s everywhere. Honestly, if you’ve spent five minutes looking into Eastern spirituality, you’ve probably seen the image of Tara. But most people just see a "goddess" and move on.
That's a mistake.
Who is Tara in Buddhism? She isn't just a deity in the way Westerners think of Greek or Roman gods. In the Vajrayana tradition, Tara is a fully enlightened Buddha. She is the "Mother of all Buddhas." But more than that, she’s basically the ultimate rebel of the Buddhist world.
The Princess Who Refused to Be a Man
There’s a legendary story about Tara that still feels radical today. Millions of years ago, there was a princess named Yeshe Dawa (Moon of Primordial Awareness). She was a powerhouse of meditation. She spent aeons making offerings and helping others.
Eventually, some monks—acting like classic gatekeepers—told her she had enough "merit" to finally be reborn as a man. In their eyes, that was the only way she could reach full enlightenment.
Yeshe Dawa wasn’t having it.
She basically told them that gender is a "weak-minded" fabrication of the ego. She noted that while there were many who reached enlightenment in male bodies, there were very few who did it in female ones. So, she made a vow: she would attain enlightenment in a woman’s body, and she would continue to be reborn as a woman until the very end of time.
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She didn't just want to be equal; she wanted to prove that the "feminine" wasn't a handicap. It was a vehicle.
Green Tara vs. White Tara: The Two Heavyweights
If you’re trying to identify her, you’ll mostly run into two versions. They are technically the same "being," but they do very different jobs.
Green Tara (Syamatara) is the "action" version. Her skin is green because she belongs to the Amoghasiddhi Buddha family—the family of "all-accomplishing activity." Look at her right foot. It’s not tucked in. It’s stepping off her lotus throne. This is key. It means she is literally ready to jump up and help you the second you call.
People turn to her for "The Eight Great Fears." Back in the day, these were literal: lions, elephants, fire, snakes, thieves, water (drowning), captivity, and evil spirits. Nowadays, we interpret those as psychological fears—anxiety, pride, attachment, or jealousy. She’s the one you call when life is hitting the fan right now.
White Tara (Sitatara) is different. She’s serene. She sits in a full lotus. She has seven eyes—one on her forehead, two on her face, and one on each of her palms and the soles of her feet. This isn't just a "creepy" aesthetic choice. It symbolizes her ability to see suffering in every corner of the universe simultaneously.
White Tara is about the long game. She’s associated with:
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- Longevity: Extending your life so you have more time to practice.
- Healing: Dealing with chronic illness or deep-seated trauma.
- Serenity: Finding peace when the world is chaotic.
Basically, Green Tara is the emergency responder; White Tara is the long-term therapist and doctor.
The Tear of Compassion
There’s another origin myth that’s a bit more poetic. It involves Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Legend says he was looking down at the world, and he saw so much suffering that he started to cry.
His tears formed a lake. A lotus grew in that lake. When the lotus opened, Tara was inside.
In some versions, a tear from his left eye became Green Tara, and a tear from his right eye became White Tara. It’s a beautiful way of saying that she is the "active" manifestation of compassion. Compassion isn't just feeling bad for someone; it’s the urge to do something about it. That "urge" is Tara.
Beyond the Colors: The 21 Taras
While Green and White are the most famous, there are actually 21 primary forms of Tara. They come in all sorts of colors—red, yellow, black, blue.
For example, Kurukulla (Red Tara) is the goddess of magnetizing and "enchantment." She’s fierce. Then you have Ekajati (Blue Tara), who is a terrifying protector with one eye and one tooth.
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Why so many? Because humans are complicated. Sometimes you need a gentle mother (White Tara), and sometimes you need a warrior who can smash through your own stubborn ego (Black or Blue Tara). It’s a psychological toolkit.
Why She’s Trending in the 21st Century
Honestly, Tara is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. In a world where people are deconstructing old power structures, a female Buddha who explicitly chose to be female is a big deal.
She’s also accessible. You don’t need to be a monk to connect with her. The common mantra—Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha—is chanted by millions.
- Tare represents liberation from mundane suffering.
- Tuttare represents liberation from the eight fears.
- Ture represents liberation from spiritual ignorance.
It’s a complete system wrapped in a short phrase.
Actionable Insights for Connecting with Tara
If you want to move beyond just reading about her and actually use this archetype in your life, here is how you can practically engage with the concept of Tara:
- Identify Your "Great Fear": Don't just ask for "help." Be specific. Are you dealing with the "thief" of self-doubt? Or the "lion" of pride? Naming the obstacle makes the "active" energy of Green Tara more focused.
- Use the Visual Cues: If you feel overwhelmed and "stuck," visualize the Green Tara posture—the leg stepping out. It’s a mental trigger for movement and agency. If you’re sick or burnt out, visualize the seven eyes of White Tara, focusing on the idea that your pain is seen and held.
- The 10-Second Mantra: You don't need a meditation cushion. When you're in a high-stress moment (like a bad meeting or a flight with turbulence), just repeating Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha can act as a "pattern interrupt" for the nervous system.
- Embody the Vow: Remember Yeshe Dawa's refusal to be limited by labels. Use her story as a prompt to check where you are letting societal "monks" tell you that you aren't enough or aren't in the right "form" to succeed.
Tara isn't a statue on a shelf. She's a representation of the capacity to be both incredibly soft and incredibly fast. She’s the reminder that wisdom isn't just sitting still—it's moving into the world to fix what's broken.
Next Steps:
To deepen your understanding, you could research the "Praises to the 21 Taras," a traditional prayer that breaks down the specific attributes of each manifestation. You might also look into the historical spread of Tara worship from 6th-century India into Tibet and Nepal to see how her iconography evolved alongside different cultures.