The Goddess Tara in Buddhist Art - Research Paper Example

Though not explicitly mentioned anywhere, Tara’s rise did pave the way for more active involvement of women in Buddhist society. Women began to find a say in matters that up until then had primarily been the dominion of men. Goddess Tara was considered as an enlightened role model within the Buddhist tantra. According to folklore, “Tara was born out of the tears of Lord Buddha”(Santhanam, 2005) In tantric literature, she is the first female Buddha. Tara follows a tradition of strong female role models, starting in the ancient Vedic period and continuing through early Mahayana times.

Some of the duties that Tara performs are similar to those of her contemporaries like Goddess Prajnaparamita. Goddess Tara is also associated with an ancient star cult that provided help to seafarers lost at sea. It is also interesting to note that ‘Tara’ means star in Sanskrit. She is also considered to protect humans from nature’s fury including ocean waves, floods, fires, epidemics, etc. With time she has also come to be regarded as a guide to achieve Moksha, which is the Sanskrit word for enlightenment.

Tara emerged as Goddess during a time when Buddhist society was mainly patriarchal. Her manner of presentation was similar to those of male bodhisattvas of earlier times. Tara is unbiased in guiding all “motherly” sentient beings and helps extricate them from the ocean of suffering. She has got rid of all actions deemed morally wrong and has also gotten over her attachment towards worldly pursuits. “As a Bhagavati, Tara is a female Buddha who is spontaneously present, totally living in the moment without getting bothered by thoughts of the past or the future”.

(Landesman, 2008)Tara has many dimensions to her state of being, and this is visually depicted in paintings on cloth and powdered colours on flat surfaces. She is at times a golden goddess who showers prosperity on her worshippers and also protects