English
Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, 3:00 PM, at Rainbow Temple, True Buddha School Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu will preside over a Green Tara Homa Ceremony, discourse Vajra Sutra, and bestow empowerment for Green Tara Uncommon Practice. (Live Webcast Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLl20r-KQlapX_5fT-N3cOw)
【Tara Mudra :】
Interlace the fingers of both hands inwards; place the middle fingers upright touching and point the index fingers apart. Touch the thumbs lightly against the middle fingers. (hold the mudra in front of your chest)
【Tara Seed Syllable :】
【Green Tara Mantra :】
「om。da-la。du-da-la。du-la。so-ha。」
【Tara Mantra :】
「om。da-la。deng-mu。so-ha。」
Prayer of Supplication:''Together with all sentient beingsI sincerely pray to Divine Green TaraFor eradication of calamities and hindrancesGood fortune, wealth, wisdomAnd fulfillment of all wishes''
【Green Tara Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】
Green Tara has one head and two arms. Her body is slender, shapely, and jade green in color. She wears a small Five-buddha Crown. Her origin, Amoghasiddhi Buddha, is her crown ornament. Her countenance is that of a youthful 16-year-old girl. 84,000 lights flow from the tuft of seven-treasure-colored hair between the eyebrows. It's very rare to find such magnificence and beauty in the world.Green Tara wears celestial garments and a multi-layered skirt. She is adorned with various precious jewels and her entire body radiates rainbow light. The light of a moon disc shines behind her. She sits upon a white lotus Dharma throne in the unhindered (half-lotus or wish-fulfilling) position. Her right foot extends downward and steps on a lotus to symbolize saving sentient beings anytime, anywhere.
Green Tara holds a lotus (utpala) in both hands. Her right hand rests upon her right knee with the palm facing outward forming the Wish-fulfilling Mudra while holding a lotus. Her left hand is in front of her chest and holds the stem of the utpala between her ring finger and thumb. There are three utpalas on the stem. One is in bud, one is half-bloomed, and the last is fully blooming. The three lotuses signify that Green Tara keeps her vow of taking refuge in Buddhadharma and acts accordingly throughout the three times of past, present, and future.
She has the look of a loving mother who would save her children anytime. She is elegant and magnificent. Anyone who desires to be beautiful in future lifetimes can accomplish this by practicing Green Tara Dharma.
【Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Dharma Discourse - Green Tara Background and Key Cultivation Formula】
In the past, out of great compassion for all sentient beings, two teardrops fell from the eyes of Avalokitesvara. One teardrop transformed into White Tara and the other transformed into Green Tara. Green Tara's compassion is therefore considered the greatest.
Green Tara is a great world-saving bodhisattva. In Tibetan Vajrayana, Green Tara, also known as Tara Bodhisattva, and has 21 emanations. She and White Tara are regarded as sisters. Green Tara is a great bodhisattva who is highly venerated by Vajrayana practitioners. She is the easiest to get close to and the easiest to attain spiritual union with. Some practitioners cultivate only Green Tara Dharma for their entire lives, and through this practice obtain great wisdom. By sincerely chanting her name and reciting her mantra, one will eventually reach attainment.
Green Tara made three wishes. The first wish was made in a past lifetime when she was Princess Prajna. Someone asked her, ''Why did you manifest yourself as a female instead of a male?'' Green Tara replied, ''Because there are fewer females saving sentient beings.'' She vowed that she would save sentient beings in the form of a female forever. In other words, she vowed to save sentient beings while manifesting as a female.
Green Tara's second wish was to protect and support all who are suffering and in difficulty. That is, she vowed to protect and bless all suffering beings. She is also able to subjugate all demons and evil spirits.
Green Tara's third wish was to share Avalokitesvara's burden of saving sentient beings. It was due to the hardship and deep sorrow she endured while saving sentient beings that Avalokiteshvara summoned White and Green Tara, who vowed ''We will help undertake Avalokitesvara's painful burden of saving sentient beings.''
When Shakyamuni Buddha was meditating under the Bodhi tree, Green Tara, who was atop his crown, recited this mantra: ''Om。da-la。du-da-la。du-la。so-ha。ha-ha-ha-ha-ha。'' Because of this, the Buddha achieved spiritual union with Green Tara and attained enlightenment! The lineage of Tara arose from Buddha's spiritual union with her.
In the Vajrayana practices, it's relatively easy to attain spiritual union by cultivating the Tara Sadhana. Padmasambhava also practiced Green Tara and attained spiritual union. The first Tara Padmasambhava attained spiritual union with was Simhamukha. In ancient times, there were many patriarchs who took Green Tara as their principal deity. The first was the great Nagarjuna Bodhisattva, patriarch of the Middle Path Sect. In the Kagyu Sect, patriarchs Tilopa and Naropa also cultivated Green Tara. Chandrakirti, Bhavaviveka, and Venerable Atisha all cultivated Green Tara.
There was a time when Vajrayana seemed to have disappeared from India. Seeking Dharma transmission from Suvarnadvipi Dharmakīrti, Venerable Atisha traveled to Jambi, Java of Indonesia to find him. Atisha had already practiced Green Tara Dharma at Jogyakarta near Barabudur prior to seeking guidance from Suvarnadvipi Dharmakīrti. Atisha brought the Green Tara Dharma back to India and then transmitted it to Tibet. The reason Tibet has the Green Tara Dharma is because Venerable Atisha brought it there.
Green Tara's left hand holds the stem of an utpala between her ring finger and thumb. There are three utpalas on the stem. The utpala at the top of the stem is in bud. That is, it is a closed, not yet bloomed lotus. The second utpala is partly bloomed. The third utpala is in full bloom.
I will tell you the key cultivation formula. One first visualizes a ''dang'' syllable within the lotus in bud. One visualizes seeing through the closed bud to the ''dang'' syllable within it. One next visualizes a ''dang'' syllable within the half- bloomed lotus. Finally, one visualizes a ''dang'' syllable within the fully bloomed lotus. The ''dang'' ascends into the sky, enters one's central channel through one's crown chakra, then descends into one's heart. At that instant, the lotus in one's heart blooms just like the lotus held in Green Tara's hand. The ''dang'' enters into the center of the lotus in one's heart. This is a spiritual union.
One must perform this visualization during each cultivation session. As long as one performs this visualization, Green Tara will descend. Guru Sakya Zheng-kong specially taught me this key cultivation formula. He said ''When cultivating Tara Practice, one must visualize a bud lotus, a half-bloomed lotus, and a fully blooming lotus. The ''dang'' syllable within the lotus enters one's body and descends to the lotus blooming in one's heart. Even though one is not yet in spiritual union with Green Tara at that time, she will definitely descend when one performs the visualization. This is the key cultivation formula for causing Green Tara to descend.''
Green Tara consists of 22 deities. Green Tara is the primary deity, and the other 21 deities are all Taras. The practices of the 21 deities and the all-inclusive practice of Green Tara constitute 22 dharmas altogether. Attaining spiritual union with Green Tara is equivalent to attaining spiritual union with the 21 Taras. One may apply this practice toward any country, on any day, at any time, at any place, or on any person. The 21 Taras are capable of managing anything that may transpire in this world.
Since attainment of spiritual union with Green Tara is equivalent to attainment of spiritual union with all the Taras, one will be able to easily attain spiritual union with Marici and Ekajati. This is the special feature of Green Tara cultivation. The division of each Tara's work is well-defined. The 21 Taras are in charge of 21 kinds of calamities and 21 kinds of blessings, which include everything.
There are three benefits to practicing Green Tara:
- One's heart will transform into a compassionate heart that wants to save the world, and one's mind will transform into the great bodhi mind of no-birth and no-death.
- One then reaches enlightenment and sees the buddha nature. One's pure land will be the Realm of Eternally Quiescent Light.
- One will be able to accomplish all worldly blessings and wisdom by starting from practices based on material form that bring worldly fortune and rewards. Later, by exercising detachment from material form, one will attain the supermundane pure land.
Dharma Conforming Vajra and Pure Vajra are the secret names of those who practice Green Tara Dharma. Practitioners are given these names because, after observing all phenomena, they attain the state of complete non-hindrance. They bestow all merits on sentient beings causing them to be liberated from the ocean of suffering, attain happiness, and, through cultivation, reach supreme attainment and become gloriously radiant and beautiful.
!!Please be aware that before engaging in any True Buddha Vajrayana practices, one must first take refuge and receive the respective empowerment.!!
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