Green Tara

Hung in temples, monasteries, and private homes, the sacred religious images of Tibetan Buddhism, called thangkas, are meant to aid in the visualisation of different aspects of the mind during meditation. Like other images and sculptures within this philosophical-religious system, they serve a specific role in worship, so the depictions must adhere to established canons. Each deity has its own graphic map, containing specific gestures, postures, attributes, attire, and appropriate proportions. The central figure in this thangka is Tārā (Tibetan: Dölma). According to legend, the compassionate Avalokiteśvara (Tibetan: Chenrezig), who felt deep sorrow for all beings, wept so much that his tears formed a lake. From it grew two lotus flowers, and upon these appeared the White and Green Tara – female bodhisattvas of compassion. The Green Tara shown in this depiction is dressed in royal attire and jewellery, sitting in the typical pose of her iconography: her left leg is in a meditative posture, while her right leg is extended forward, ready for action. Her right hand forms the gesture symbolising supreme generosity, while her left hand shows a sign of protection and release from fears and anxieties. On her head, there is a diadem, with Amitābha (Tibetan: Opame), the ruler of the lotus family of deities, depicted at its centre. Her green skin – representing wind – along with her primary attribute of peony flowers, the lotus, and her overall posture, emphasise her constant readiness to help all beings. In the clouds, three bodhisattvas are shown sitting in positions indicating concentration and meditation: Avalokiteśvara on the left, Amitābha in the centre, and Vajrapāṇi (Tibetan: Chana Dorji) on the right. The lower part of the composition features stylised mountains emerging from a yellow lotus flower, auspicious Buddhist symbols (the golden endless knot, two fishes, and a protective parasol), as well as two unidentified figures. Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron