Green Tara is one of the many ancient Buddhas who can help living beings on their evolutionary journey to buddhahood. She is also known as the Savioress for her work in helping those in trouble or in need. It is said that she came into being from the tears of Avalokiteshvara (Kuan Yin) Bodhisattva who wept out of compassion for the suffering of living beings and their unwillingness to let go of that which caused their suffering.
What Green Tara Does
Green Tara is usually associated with protection from fear and the following eight obscurations: lions (pride), wild elephants (delusion/ignorance), fires (hatred and anger), snakes (jealousy), bandits and thieves (wrong views, including fanatical views), bondage (avarice and miserliness), floods (desire and attachment), and evil spirits and demons (deluded doubts).
Other Origin Stories Concerning Green Tara
The following story is told of the origins of Tara: “There is a young princess who lives in a different world system, millions of years in the past. Her name is Yeshe Dawa, which means “Moon of Primordial Awareness”. For quite a number of aeons she makes offerings to the Buddha of that world system, whose name was Tonyo Drupa. She receives special instruction from him concerning bodhicitta—the heart-mind of a bodhisattva. After doing this, some monks approach her and suggest that because of her level of attainment she should next pray to be reborn as a male to progress further. At this point she lets the monks know in no uncertain terms that from the point of view of Enlightenment it is only “weak minded worldlings” who see gender as a barrier to attaining enlightenment. She sadly notes there have been few who wish to work for the welfare of beings in a female form, though. Therefore, she resolves to always be reborn as a female bodhisattva, until samsara is no more. She then stays in a palace in a state of meditation for some ten million years, and the power of this practice releases tens of millions of beings from suffering. As a result of this, Tonyo Drupa tells her she will henceforth manifest supreme bodhi as the Goddess Tārā in many world systems to come.”
LFBCS Course P04X-Advanced Buddhism, Green Tara Dharma Discourse
This course is based on a Dharma Discourse by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III given on the Green Tara Dharma. This is not the Dharma practice manual, but is a detailed discourse on the tantra. It includes a description of the Inner Tantra initiation given in Pasadena, California. You can only receive the Dharma practice itself from someone who has the ability to perform the required outer- or inner-tantra initiation. The complete initiation requires many days to learn.
It is only available to Xiuxing Seminary students and requires completion of many courses as prerequisites. Enrollment in this course and completion of your preliminary practices is required for initiation in this Dharma.
CLICK for course description that includes list of required Learning from Buddha College and Seminary courses needed to be able to enroll in P04X or receive initiation into Green Tara Dharma. The Curriculum and homework for this class is still under development.
CLICK for article on “Your Yidam,” April 25, 2021.
CLICK for DCB35-Learning from Buddha. It includes a PDF of text. Just click “Preview” in Lesson one to download and go to “If You Cultivate Yourself but Do Not Learn Dharma, You Cannot Generate Realization Powers.” This is the chapter on tantric practice. The PDF of the text should be available to anyone and not just to those enrolled in the course.
CLICK for article on “German Rinpoche Receives Guidance from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III-Revised.” This article also mentions and has links to articles on his Green Tara practice.
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