Tara is one of the most popular female deities in Tibetan Buddhism. There are different kind of Taras in the Tibetan Ikonography. The most populars are the White Tara [Tib.: »སྒྲོལ་དཀར - sgrol dkar«], and the Green Tara [tib.: »sgrol ljang སྒྲོལ་ལྗང«].
The main reason for this popularity is are here special protective functions.
In ancient Tibet, traveling outside the cities and villages was not without danger. Therefore, protection from danger was a very important matter.
The Tara protects against the Eight Great Dangers of Life.
Tara protects against eight specific dangers in people's everyday lives. However, each of the physical dangers corresponds to a mental state of mind:
Physical Danger | Mental Danger |
---|---|
Lion | Pride |
Poisonus Snakes | Envy / Jealousy |
Imprisonment | Avarice |
Robbery | Wrong Views |
Wild Elephants | Ignorance |
Demons | Doubts |
Fire | Hatre |
Floods | Attachments |