Originally this article was published last month. I have revised the information on P04X-Green Tara Dharma to better define the requirements and to seek feedback from you on who might be interested in receiving this Dharma and feel their study and practice will be ready to receive it in the next six months. It is only open to Xiuxing Seminary students enrolled in courses at the Learning from Buddha College and Seminary (LFBCS). A syllabus of required courses and their prerequisites along with the prerequisites for Green Tara Initiation are included below. All of the courses on that list have been revised except the three that are still under development. Contact me or Reba for information on how to become a member of the Xiuxing Seminary and enroll in the LFBCS courses.
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 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 and will include initiation and the Dharma manual that can enable you to practice this tantra. It includes a description of the Inner Tantra initiation given in Pasadena, California, which I, Zhaxi Zhuoma, received. 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 or even years to learn. I am considering holding such a Dharma Assembly in New York City next spring. I will require a personal interview with anyone seeking this initiation.
The Green Tara initiation is only available to Xiuxing Seminary students and requires completion of many courses as prerequisites as well as the ability to write and understand English. Enrollment in this course and completion of your preliminary practices is required for initiation in this Dharma. The following charts are PDFs of the prerequisites for Green Tara initiation and the required LFBCS courses and their prerequisites. If any of you are interested in receiving this Dharma please let me know as there will be no more public announcements about it.
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.
Article originally posted September 23, 2024.
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.
Article originally posted September 23, 2024.
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