SevenStarEsseneCrown
______________


Seven Stars in Crown Over Virgo with Moon under Her feet. Triple Verification of Extreme 5,400BC Antiquity and Highest of Dynastic Sources. Arya Tara of Tibetan Buddism, Aire Crown of TARA and Atarah Crown of Libra of Hebrew language
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From Egyptian Anaglyphs

The Westminster review, Volumes 37-38
 By Westminster College (New Wilmington, Pa.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=VSigAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=crown+of+seven+stars+virgo+head&source=bl&ots=7IbTz-0y_E&sig=_Bc-vbbmX1tHoAnLAQHPvm74zzU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nX3yTrWaK8Lm0QHbs5iDAg&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=crown%20of%20seven%20stars%20virgo%20head&f=false


____________________













There is a strong presumption in favour of
The
Zodiacal Signs
being of
Antidiluvian Origin.
Thus the First
Hermes
is also called
Enoch and Seth,
and is
Recorded to have
Inscribed the sciences
 on
Brick and Stone
 in Arabia
 before the deluge.
Josephus
relates the
same circumstances
of the
Patriarch Seth,
 and thus
the
Indentification
would appear complete









Considered as a labour of the soalr Hercules, teh sign of Virgin and its appendages was no doubt a pictural record of the deliverance of the Virgin, Hesione,
from a sea-monster. ... In some cases it is, as in the above illustration, a virgin and child;
bt the sign was reguently exhibited on the Egyptian Sphere, as appears from several examples in Kircher,
as
a
Tree.
In One case this tree is distinguised by the forms
or
Two dogs
among it's branches, and
looking both ways:
it was probably a memento of
TheTree of Life,
which the Orientals say was
a
vine;
and some of th e
Mahometans,
a
wheat-sheaf.


The Earth [The Lineage of the Gods and Mankind and the Actual Earth itself .. ] is Hit with a "Flood" = Deluge of Wickedness against it and the Ancient Church = Earth = Astrea = Themis = Isis = Cybele, = Bona Dea = Virgo. A [Great Serpent Vatican, Levites, Typhon, Python Teutonic/Zionist Cult of Blood Ritual Sacrifice] is fabled to persecute Ancient Church = Earth = Astrea = Themis = Isis = Cybele, = Bona Dea = Virgo right up until the birth of the child, HORUS, of the Ancient Church = Earth = Astrea = Themis = Isis = Cybele, = Bona Dea = Virgo ... whom the [Great Serpent Vatican, Levites, Typhon, Python Teutonic/Zionist Cult of Blood Ritual Sacrifice] desired to devour with floods of Water "as soon as it was born;" but the child HORUS of the Ancient Church = Earth = Astrea = Themis = Isis = Cybele, = Bona Dea = Virgo Escapes

______________________________________



The
Liberation of this Virgin
was a pictural record of
The
Earth
emerging from
The
Flood
[Deluge, -
 Metaphorically, Wickedness.]
that
Had swallowed it:
hence see appears to have been the same as
Isis or Cybele, or Bona Dea.
 She typified
the
Ancient church
[Red-Haired Green/blue Eyed Sons of Red Gods = Grail King lineage]
in common with
Astrea or Themis,
called
Virgo
by the astronomers and poets.
This church,
in the character of
Isis and Latona,*
was fabled to be
 persecuted
by a
"great serpent."
"Vatican" means "Serpent"
PPR Archives


The
Levites
Namee themselves after
Leviathion,
The
Great Serpent of the Sea
PPR Archives



The
Vatican & Levites
=
The
Teutonic/Zionist
Cult of Blood Ritual Sacrifice
Secret and Suppressed
Jim Keith



 who
Sought to devour her man child **
Horus
 "as soon as it was born;"
 but the wings of a "great eagle," or quail, 'were given to her,' ... which bore her to
Phile and Delos
(signifying epiphany),
 Where
She nourished her son
for a prescribed time, ***
till he was
 Able to subdue here enemy,
Which he eventually did. ...

... ... and the
flight of the woman, in the Revelations,
from the
 face of the serpent into the wilderness.
The
Floods of Water
vomited, after her
by the
Serpent Typhon, ****
and in
one case, and by
Python, in another,
was
the
Deluge, -
 Metaphorically, Wickedness.

in Arabic,
means the deluge.
It cannot, therefore, be mistaken.
 His bull's-head is depiected in the Hindoo matsee or diluvian avator. he also typlified teh flood,-" and the end shall be
with a flood." So the Revelations, xii., v. 15 and 16, "And the serpent east out of his mouth water (so Isis received Latona after her flight into her floeating temple), and openined her mouth and swalloed
up the flood," At Heliopdis, the temple of the Syrian horus, was shown teh consecrated mouth or crevice by which the earth absorbed the remnant of the flood p. 203

From Egyptian Anaglyphs

The Westminster review, Volumes 37-38
 By Westminster College (New Wilmington, Pa.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=VSigAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=crown+of+seven+stars+virgo+head&source=bl&ots=7IbTz-0y_E&sig=_Bc-vbbmX1tHoAnLAQHPvm74zzU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nX3yTrWaK8Lm0QHbs5iDAg&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=crown%20of%20seven%20stars%20virgo%20head&f=false























As
Astrea
has
 "a crown of seven stars."
 so
 Latona, or "the woman,'
may be said to be
 "clothed with the sun, and have the moon under her feet." p. 203
- Revelations, xii.
From Egyptian Anaglyphs

The Westminster review, Volumes 37-38
 By Westminster College (New Wilmington, Pa.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=VSigAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=crown+of+seven+stars+virgo+head&source=bl&ots=7IbTz-0y_E&sig=_Bc-vbbmX1tHoAnLAQHPvm74zzU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nX3yTrWaK8Lm0QHbs5iDAg&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=crown%20of%20seven%20stars%20virgo%20head&f=false




Virgo
__________________________________

Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for virgin, and its symbol is (Unicode ♍). Lying between Leo to the west and Libra to the east, it is the second largest constellation in the sky (after Hydra). It can be easily found through its brightest star, Spica.

Contents  [hide]  1 Location 2 Notable features 2.1 Stars 2.2 Exoplanets 2.3 Deep sky objects 3 Mythology 3.1 Astrology 4 Visualizations 5 Citations 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Location

The bright Spica makes it easy to locate Virgo, as it can be found by following the curve of the Big Dipper to Arcturus in Boötes and continuing from there in the same curve ("follow the arc to Arcturus and speed on to Spica").^[1]

Due to the effects of precession, the First Point of Libra, (also known as the autumn equinox point) lies within the boundaries of Virgo very close to β Virginis. This is one of the two points in the sky where the celestial equator crosses the ecliptic (the other being the First Point of Aries, now in the constellation of Pisces.) This point will pass into the neighbouring constellation of Leo around the year 2440.

[edit] Notable features

[edit] Stars

Besides Spica, other bright stars in Virgo include β Virginis (Zavijava), γ Vir (Porrima), δ Virginis (Auva) and ε Virginis (Vindemiatrix). Other fainter stars that were also given names are ζ Virginis (Heze), η Virginis (Zaniah), ι Virginis (Syrma) and μ Virginis (Rijl al Awwa).

The star 70 Virginis has one of the first known extrasolar planetary systems with one confirmed planet 7.5 times the mass of Jupiter.

The star Chi Virginis has one of the most massive planets ever detected, at a mass of 11.1 times that of Jupiter.

The sun-like star 61 Virginis has three planets: one is a super-Earth and two are Neptune-mass planets.

[edit] Exoplanets

With 26 known exoplanets orbiting around 20 stars in this constellation, Virgo has more confirmed exoplanets than any other constellation. 8 planets in this constellation were discovered in 2009, which is the most planets discovered in a single constellation in a single year.

[edit] Deep sky objects

Because of the presence of a galaxy cluster (consequently called the Virgo cluster) within its borders 5° to 10° west of ε Vir (Vindemiatrix), this constellation is especially rich in galaxies.

Some examples are Messier 49 (elliptical), Messier 58 (spiral), Messier 59 (elliptical), Messier 60 (elliptical), Messier 61 (spiral), Messier 84 (lenticular), Messier 86 (lenticular), Messier 87 (elliptical and a famous radio source), Messier 89 (elliptical) and Messier 90 (spiral). A noted galaxy that is not part of the cluster is the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), an unusual spiral galaxy. It is located about 10° due west of Spica.

[edit] Mythology

According to the Babylonian Mul.Apin, which dates between 1000 BC and 686 BC, this constellation was known as "The Furrow", representing the goddess Shala's ear of grain or corn.^[2] One star in this constellation, Spica, retains this tradition as it is Latin for "ear of grain", one of the major products of the Mesopotamian furrow. The constellation was also known as AB.SIN and absinnu. For this reason the constellation became associated with fertility.^[3] According to Gavin White the figure of Virgo corresponds to two Babylonian constellations - the 'Furrow' in the eastern sector of Virgo and the 'Frond of Erua' in the western sector. The Frond of Erua was depicted as a goddess holding a palm-frond - a motif that still occasionally appears in much later depictions of Virgo.^[4]

The
Greeks and Romans

Virgo
with their
goddess of wheat,
Demeter-Ceres
who is the
mother of Proserpina-Persephone.
 Alternatively,
she was
Sometimes identified
as the
 virgin goddess Iustitia
or
Astraea,
holding the
Scales of justice in her hand
as the
constellation Libra.^[5]
 In the Middle Ages,
Virgo
was sometimes associated with
the
 Blessed Virgin Mary.^[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgo_%28constellation%29

[edit] Astrology

As of 2002, the Sun appears in the constellation Virgo from September 17 to October 30 . In tropical astrology, the Sun is considered to be in the sign Virgo from August 23 to September 22, and in sidereal astrology, from September 16 to October 15.

[edit] Visualizations

Virgo is often portrayed carrying two sheaves of wheat, one of which is marked by the bright star Spica.

H.A. Rey has suggested an alternative way to visualize Virgo, which graphically shows the virgin lying down in a supine position.^[6] The stars γ Vir, η Vir, β Vir, ν Vir, and ο Vir form the virgin's head. The stars γ Vir, δ Vir, ζ Vir, α Vir (Spica), and θ Vir form the virgin's blouse. The stars α Vir, ζ Vir, τ Vir, ι Vir, and κ Vir form the virgin's skirt. The stars 109 Vir and μ Vir represent the Virgin's feet, and the star ε Vir represents the virgin's hand.

[edit] Citations

[edit] References

• Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Virgo (constellation) (category)

• The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Virgo
• Star Tales – Virgo

[show] v d e Virgo constellation

[show] v d e The 88 modern constellations

[show] v d e Constellation history

[hide] v d e The Zodiac
Astrology | Signs of the Zodiac
Aries													Taurus													Gemini													Cancer													Leo													Virgo													Libra													Scorpio													Sagittarius													Capricorn													Aquarius													Pisces
Astronomy | Constellations of the Ecliptic
Aries												Taurus												Gemini												Cancer												Leo												Virgo												Libra												Scorpius												Ophiuchus												Sagittarius												Capricornus												Aquarius												Pisces
See also: Ecliptic coordinates  · Precession of the equinoxes  · 13-sign zodiac  · Zodiacal light

Coordinates: 13^h 00^m 00^s, +00° 00′ 00″

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgo_%28constellation%29



The
Sign LibraLibra

Chapter 1 | Table of Contents | Chapter 3

The Witness of the Stars
E. W. Bullinger

The First Book
The Redeemer
(His First Coming)
"The sufferings of Christ"

 

Chapter II
The Sign Libra
The Redeemer's atoning work, or the price deficient
balanced by the price which covers

5. Libra (the Scales)

In the first chapter of this book we saw that this Coming Seed of the woman was, among other things, to give up His life for others.

The second chapter is going to define and develop the manner and object of this death.

The name of the Sign, together with its three constellations and the names of the stars composing them, give the complete picture of this Redemption.

The Sign contains 51 stars, two of which are of the 2nd magnitude, one of the 3rd, eight of the 4th, etc.

The Hebrew name is Mozanaim, the Scales, weighing. Its name in Arabic is Al Zubena, pruchase, or redemption. In Coptic, it is Lambadia, station of propitiation (from Lam, graciousness, and badia, branch). The name by which it has come down to us is the Latin, Libra, which means weighing, as used in the Vulgate (Isa 40:12).

Libra contains three bright stars whose names supply us with the whole matter. The brightest a (in the lower scale), is named Zuben al Genubi, which means the purchase, or price which is deficient. This points to the fact that man has been utterly ruined. He is "weighed in the balances and found wanting."

"None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him;
For the redemption of their soul is costly,
And must be let alone for ever."
Psalm 49:7, RV

"Surely men of low degree are vanity (Heb. a breath),
And men of high degree are a lie;
In the balances they go up;
They are altogether lighter than vanity" (Heb. a breath).
Psalm 42:9, RV

This is the verdict pronounced and recorded by this star Zuben al Genubi.

Is there then no hope? Is there no one who can pay the price?

Yes; there is "the Seed of the woman." He is not merely coming as a child, but He is coming as an atoning sacrifice.

He is coming for the purpose of Redemption! He can pay the price which covers! Hence in the upper scale we have another bright star with this very name Zuben al Chemali--THE PRICE WHICH COVERS! Praised be God! "They sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy...for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed...to God by thy blood" (Rev 5:9). This is the testimony of b, the second brightest star! It has another name, al Gubi, heaped up, or high, telling of the infinite value of this redemption price. But there is a third star, g, below, towards Centaurus and the Victim slain, telling, by that and by its name, of the conflict by which that redemption would be accomplished. It is called Zuben Akrabi or Zuben al Akrab, which means the price of the conflict!

There is, however, some reason to suppose that Libra is a very ancient Egyptian corruption, bringing in human merit instead of Divine righteousness; "the way of Cain" instead of the way of God. In the more ancient Akkadian the months were called after the names of the signs, and the sign of the seventh month is the sign that we now call Libra. The Akkadian name for it was Tulku. Tul means mound (like dhul and dul), and ku means sacred; hence, Tulku means the sacred mound, or the holy altar.

Not only is the name and its meaning different, but the teaching is infinitely greater and more important, if we may believe that the original picture of this sign was not a pair of scales, but the representation of an holy altar. This would agree still better with the three constellations which follow.

The names of the stars would also be more appropriate, for it is the Sacrifice of Christ which they foreshadowed, and here it was that the price which covered was paid, and outweighed the price which was deficient. What that price was to be, and how it was to be paid, and what was to be the result in the Person of the Redeemer, is set forth in detail in the three sections of this chapter by the constellations of The Cross endured, The
Victim slain,
and
The
Crown bestowed.

1. CRUX (The Cross)
The cross endured

6. Crux (the Cross)

The Hebrew name was
Adom,
which means cutting off, as in Daniel 9:26 "After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off." The last letter of the Hebrew alphabet was called Tau, which was anciently made in the form of a cross. This letter is called Tau, and means a mark; especially a boundary mark, a limit or finish. And it is the last letter, which finishes the Hebrew alphabet to this day.

The Southern Cross was just visible in the latitude of Jerusalem at the time of the first coming of our Lord to die. Since then, through the gradual recession of the Polar Star, it has not been seen in northern latitudes. It gradually disappeared and became invisible at Jerusalem when the Real Sacrifice was offered there; and tradition, which preserved its memory, assured travellers that if they could go far enough south it would be again seen. Dante sang of "the four stars never beheld but by the early race of men." It was not until the sixteenth century had dawned that missionaries and voyagers, doubling the Cape for the first time, and visiting the tropics and southern seas, brought back the news of "a wonderful cross more glorious than all the constellations of the heavens."

It is a small asterism, containing only about five stars, viz., one of the 1st magnitude, two of the 2nd, one of the 3rd, and one of the 4th. Four of these are in the form of a cross.

Long before the Christian Era this sign of the Cross had lost its true meaning, and had been perverted in Babylon and Egypt as it has since been desecrated by Rome. The Persians and Egyptians worshipped it. The cakes made and eaten in honour of the Queen of Heaven were marked with it. This heathen custom Rome has adopted and adapted in her Good Friday cakes, which are thus stamped. But all are alike ignorant of what it means, viz., "IT IS FINISHED."

In Egypt, and in the earliest times, it was the sign and symbol of life. Today, Romanists use it as the symbol of death! But it means life! Natural life given up, and eternal life procured. Atonement, finished, perfect, and complete; never to be repeated, or added to. All who partake of its benefits in Christ now, in grace, by faith "ARE made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13), and of them Jesus says, "He that heareth my voice, and believeth on Him that sent me HATH everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment; but IS PASSED from death unto life" (John 5:24). So perfect and complete is the work which Jesus finished on the Cross that we cannot seek to add even our repentance, faith, tears, or prayers, without practically asserting that the work of Christ is not finished, and is not sufficient!

The Hebrew names of this constellation--Adom and Tau--rebuke our Pharisaic spirit, which is the relic and essence of all false religions, and points to the blessed fact that the Sacrifice was offered "once for all," and the atoning work of Redemption completely finished on Calvary.

"Tis finished! the Messiah dies!
Cut off for sins, but not His own;
Accomplished is the sacrifice,
The great redeeming work is done."

In the ancient Egyptian Zodiac of Denderah this first Decan of LIBRA is represented as a lion with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, as if in thirst, and a female figure holding a cup out to him. Under his fore feet is the hieroglyphic symbol of running water. What is all this but "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" brought down "into the dust of death," and saying "I am poured out like water...my strength is dried up" (Psa 22:13-18) "I thirst" (John 19:28) "and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Psa 69:21)?

The Egyptian name of this Lion, however, points to his ultimate triumph, for it is called Sera, that is, victory!

This brings us to--

2. LUPUS or VICTIMA (The Victim)
The victim slain

7. Lupus (Victima the Victim Slain)

Its modern name is Lupus (a wolf), because it looks like one. It may be any animal. The great point of this ancient constellation is that the animal has been slain, and is in the act of falling down dead.

Its Greek name is Thera, a beast, and Lycos, a wolf. Its Latin name is Victima, or Bestia (Vulg. Gen 8:17), which sufficiently indicates the great lesson. This is confirmed by its ancient Hebrew name, Asedah, and Arabic Asedaton, which both mean to be slain.

More than 22 of its stars have been catalogued. None of them are higher than the 4th magnitude; most of them are of the 5th or 6th.

True, He was "by wicked hands crucified and slain," but He is slain here by the Centaur, i.e. by Himself! To make it perfectly clear that it was His own act (without which His death would lose all merit), He uttered those solemn words "I lay down my life for the sheep...No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John 10:15-18). He "offered Himself without spot to God." "He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb 9:11,26).

In the ancient Zodiac of Denderah He is pictured as a little child with its finger on its lips, and He is called Sura, a lamb! In other pictures He has, besides, the horn of a goat on one side of His head. All this pointed to one and the same great fact, viz., the development and explanation of what was meant by the bruising of His heel! It meant that this Promised Seed of the woman should come as a child, that He should suffer, and die upon the Cross, for

"He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter;
And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb;
SO HE opened not his mouth."
Isaiah 53:7

Hence, the constellation prefigures a silent, willing sacrifice--Christ Jesus, who, "being found in fashion as a man, humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross" (Phil 2:5-8).

3. CORONA (The Crown)
The crown bestowed

8. Corona (the Crown)

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow."

This is what is foreshown by this concluding section of the second chapter. Each chapter ends with glory. As in the written Word of God, we frequently have the glory of the Second Coming mentioned without any allusions to the sufferings of the First Coming, but we never have the First Coming in humiliaton mentioned without an immediate reference to the glory of the Second Coming.

So here, the CROSS is closely followed by the
CROWN!
True, "we see not yet all things put under Him, but we see Jesus...for the suffering of death
crowned with glory and honour"
(Heb 2:9).

Yes, "the crowning day is coming," and all heaven shall soon resound with the triumphant song, "Thou art worthy...for Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood" (Rev 5:9).

The shameful Cross will be followed by a
glorious crown,
 and "every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

"Mighty Victor, reign for ever,
Wear the crown so dearly won;
Never shall Thy people, never
Cease to sing what Thou hast done.
Thou hast fought Thy people's foes;
Thou wilt heal Thy people's woes!"

The

Hebrew name
 for the constellation
Libra
is
Atarah,
a
Royal crown,
 and its stars are known today in the East by the plural,
Ataroth!

Its Arabic name is
Al Iclil,
an
Ornament, or jewel.

It has 21 stars:
One
of the
2nd magnitude
 and
Six
 of the
4th. 

http://philologos.org/__eb-tws/chap12.htm#corona

It is easily known by the stars
J, b, a, g, d and e
 which
form a crescent.

Its brightest star,
 a, has the Arabic name of
 Al Phecca, the shining.

Thus ends this solemn chapter of LIBRA, which describes the great work of Redemption, beginning with the Cross and ending with the
Crown.
 The Redeemer's work of Atonement is most blessedly set forth, and He alone is seen as the substitute for lost sinners.

"What wondrous love, what mysteries
In this appointment shine!
My breaches of the law are His,
And His obedience mine."

Chapter 1 | Table of Contents | Chapter 3

research-bpr@philologos.org

http://philologos.org/__eb-tws/chap12.htm#corona



Appendix
______________

[show] Part of a series on Tibetan Buddhism

Tara
(Sanskrit: तारा, tārā)
or
Ārya Tārā,
also known as Jetsun Dolma (Tibetan language:rje btsun sgrol ma) in Tibetan Buddhism, is a
 female
Bodhisattva
in
 Mahayana Buddhism
 who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements. In Japan she is known as Tarani Bosatsu, and little-known as Tuoluo in Chinese Buddhism.^[2]

Tara is a tantric meditation deity whose practice is used by practitioners of the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism to develop certain inner qualities and understand outer, inner and secret teachings about compassion and emptiness. Tara is actually the generic name for a set of Buddhas or bodhisattvas of similar aspect. These may more properly be understood as different aspects of the same quality, as bodhisattvas are often considered metaphoric for Buddhist virtues.

The most widely known forms of Tārā are:

• Green Tārā, known as the Buddha of enlightened activity
• White Tārā, also known for compassion, long life, healing and serenity; also known as The Wish-fulfilling Wheel, or Cintachakra
• Red Tārā, of fierce aspect associated with magnetizing all good things
• Black Tārā, associated with power
• Yellow Tārā, associated with wealth and prosperity
• Blue Tārā, associated with transmutation of anger
• Cittamani Tārā, a form of Tārā widely practiced at the level of Highest Yoga Tantra in the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism, portrayed as green and often conflated with Green Tārā
• Khadiravani Tārā (Tārā of the acacia forest), who appeared to Nagarjuna in the Khadiravani forest of South India and who is sometimes referred to as the "22nd Tārā."

There is also recognition in some schools of Buddhism of twenty-one Tārās. A practice text entitled "In Praise of the 21 Tārās", is recited during the morning in all four sects of Tibetan Buddhism.

The main Tārā mantra is the same for Buddhists and Hindus alike: oṃ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā. It is pronounced by Tibetans and Buddhists who follow the Tibetan traditions as oṃ tāre tu tāre ture soha.

Contents  [hide]  1 Emergence of Tārā as a Buddhist deity 2 Origin as a Buddhist bodhisattva 3 Tārā as a Saviour 4 Tārā as a Tantric deity 5 Sadhanas of Tārā 6 Terma teachings related to Tārā 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Emergence of Tārā as a Buddhist deity

Within Tibetan Buddhism Tārā is regarded as a Bodhisattva of compassion and action. She is the female aspect of Avalokitesvara (Chenrezig) and in some origin stories she comes from his tears:

Then at last Avalokiteshvara arrived at the summit of Marpori, the 'Red Hill', in Lhasa. Gazing out, he perceived that the lake on Otang, the 'Plain of Milk', resembled the Hell of Ceaseless Torment. Myriads of being were undergoing the agonies of boiling, burning, hunger, thirst, yet they never perished, but let forth hideous cries of anguish all the while. When Avalokiteshvara saw this, tears sprang to his eyes. A teardrop from his right eye fell to the plain and became the reverend Bhrikuti, who declared: 'Son of your race! As you are striving for the sake of sentient beings in the Land of Snows, intercede in their suffering, and I shall be your companion in this endeavour!' Bhrikuti was then reabsorbed into Avalokiteshvara's right eye, and was reborn in a later life as the Nepalese princess Tritsun. A teardrop from his left eye fell upon the plain and became the reverend Tara. She also declared, 'Son of your race! As you are striving for the sake of sentient beings in the Land of Snows, intercede in their suffering, and I shall be your companion in this endeavour!' Tara was also reabsorbed into Avalokiteshvara's left eye, and was reborn in a later life as the Chinese princess Kongjo (Princess Wencheng)."^[3]

Tārā is also known as a saviouress, as a heavenly deity who hears the cries of beings experiencing misery in samsara.

Whether the Tārā figure originated as a Buddhist or Hindu Goddess is unclear and remains a source of dispute among scholars. Mallar Ghosh believes her to have originated as a form of the goddess Durga in the Hindu Puranas.^[4] Today, she is worshipped both in Buddhism and in Shaktism as one of the ten Mahavidyas. It may be true that goddesses entered Buddhism from Shaktism (i.e. the worship of local or folk goddesses prior to the more institutionalized Hinduism which had developed by the early medieval period (i.e. Middle Kingdoms of India) as Buddhism was originally a religion devoid of goddesses, and in fact deities, altogether.^{[dubious – discuss]} Possibly the oldest text to mention a Buddhist goddess is the Prajnaparamita Sutra (translated into Chinese from the original Sanskrit ca. 2nd century CE), around the time that Mahayana was becoming the dominant school of thought in Indian and Chinese Buddhism.^{[dubious – discuss]} Thus, it would seem that the feminine principle makes its first appearance in Buddhism as the goddess who personified the "Perfection of Wisdom" (Prajnaparamita).^[5] Tārā came to be seen as an expression of the compassion of perfected wisdom only later, with her earliest textual reference being the Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa (ca. 5-8th centuries CE).^[6] The earliest, solidly identifiable image of Tārā is most likely that which is still found today at cave 6 within the rock-cut Buddhist monastic complex of the Ellora Caves in Maharashtra (ca. 7th century CE), with her worship being well established by the onset of the Pala Empire in Northeast India (8th c. CE).^[7]

Tārā became a very popular Vajrayana deity with the rise of Tantric Buddhism in 8th-century Pala India and, with the movement of Indian Buddhism into Tibet via Padmasambhava, the worship and practices of Tārā became incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism as well.^[5][8] She eventually came to be considered the "Mother of all Buddhas," which usually refers to the enlightened wisdom of the Buddhas, while simultaneously echoing the ancient concept of the Mother Goddess in India. Independent of whether she is classified as a deity, a Buddha, or a bodhisattva, Tārā remains very popular in Tibet (and Tibetan communities in exile in Northern India), Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, and is worshiped in a majority of Buddhist communities throughout the world (see also Guan Yin, the female aspect of Avalokitesvara in Chinese Buddhism).

Today, Green Tara and White Tara are probably the most popular representations of Tara. Green Tara/Khadiravani 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). As one of the three deities of long life, White Tara/Sarasvati is associated with longevity. White Tara counteracts illness and thereby helps to bring about a long life. She embodies the motivation that is compassion and is said to be as white and radiant as the moon.

[edit] Origin as a Buddhist bodhisattva

Tārā has many stories told which explain her origin as a bodhisattva. One in particular has a lot of resonance for women interested in Buddhism and quite likely for those delving into early 21st century feminism.

In this tale 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 Goddess Tārā in many world systems to come.

With this story in mind, it is interesting to juxtapose this with a quotation from H.H the Dalai Lama about Tārā, spoken at a conference on Compassionate Action in Newport Beach, CA in 1989:

There is a true feminist movement in Buddhism that relates to the goddess Tārā. Following her cultivation of bodhicitta, the bodhisattva's motivation, she looked upon the situation of those striving towards full awakening and she felt that there were too few people who attained Buddhahood as women. So she vowed, "I have developed bodhicitta as a woman. For all my lifetimes along the path I vow to be born as a woman, and in my final lifetime when I attain Buddhahood, then, too, I will be a woman."

Tārā, then, embodies certain ideals which make her attractive to women practitioners, and her emergence as a Bodhisattva can be seen as a part of Mahayana Buddhism's reaching out to women, and becoming more inclusive even in 6th century C.E. India.

[edit] Tārā as a Saviour

Tārā also embodies many of the qualities of feminine principle. She is known as the Mother of Mercy and Compassion. She is the source, the female aspect of the universe, which gives birth to warmth, compassion and relief from bad karma as experienced by ordinary beings in cyclic existence. She engenders, nourishes, smiles at the vitality of creation, and has sympathy for all beings as a mother does for her children. As Green Tārā she offers succor and protection from all the unfortunate circumstances one can encounter within the samsaric world. As White Tārā she expresses maternal compassion and offers healing to beings who are hurt or wounded, either physically or psychically. As Red Tārā she teaches discriminating awareness about created phenomena, and how to turn raw desire into compassion and love. As Blue Tārā (Ekajati) she becomes a protector in the Nyingma lineage, who expresses a ferocious, wrathful, female energy whose invocation destroys all Dharmic obstacles and engenders good luck and swift spiritual awakening.^[5]

Within Tibetan Buddhism, she has 21 major forms in all, each tied to a certain color and energy. And each offers some feminine attribute, of ultimate benefit to the spiritual aspirant who asks for her assistance.

Another quality of feminine principle which she shares with the dakinis is playfulness. As John Blofeld expands upon in Bodhisattva of Compassion,^[9] Tārā is frequently depicted as a young sixteen year old girlish woman. She oftens manifests in the lives of dharma practitioners when they take themselves, or spiritual path too seriously. There are Tibetan tales in which she laughs at self-righteousness, or plays pranks on those who lack reverence for the feminine. In Magic Dance: The Display of the Self-Nature of the Five Wisdom Dakinis,^[10] Thinley Norbu explores this as "Playmind". Applied to Tārā one could say that her playful mind can relieve ordinary minds which become rigidly serious or tightly gripped by dualistic distinctions. She takes delight in an open mind and a receptive heart then. For in this openness and receptivity her blessings can naturally unfold and her energies can quicken the aspirants spiritual development.

These qualities of feminine principle then, found an expression in Indian Mahayana Buddhism and the emerging Vajrayana of Tibet, as the many forms of Tārā, as dakinis, as Prajnaparamita, and as many other local and specialized feminine divinities. As the worship of Tārā developed, various prayers, chants and mantras became associated with her. These came out of a felt devotional need, and from her inspiration causing spiritual masters to compose and set down sadhanas, or tantric meditation practices. Two ways of approach to her began to emerge. In one common folk and lay practitioners would simply directly appeal to her to ease some of the travails of worldly life. In the second, she became a Tantric deity whose practice would be used by monks or tantric yogis in order to develop her qualities in themselves, ultimately leading through her to the source of her qualities, which are Enlightenment, Enlightened Compassion, and Enlightened Mind.

[edit] Tārā as a Tantric deity

Tārā as a focus for tantric deity yoga can be traced back to the time period of Padmasambhava. There is a Red Tārā practice which was given by Padmasambhava to Yeshe Tsogyal. He asked that she hide it as a treasure. It was not until the 20th century, that a great Nyingma lama, Apong Terton rediscovered it. This lama was reborn as His Holiness Sakya Trizin, present head of the Sakyapa sect. A monk who had known Apong Terton succeeded in retransmitting it to H.H. Sakya Trizin, and the same monk also gave it to Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, who released it to his western students.

Martin Willson in In Praise of Tārā traces many different lineages of Tārā Tantras, that is Tārā scriptures used as Tantric sadhanas.^[11] For example a Tārā sadhana was revealed to Tilopa, (988-1069 C.E.) the human father of the Karma Kagyu. Atisa, the great translator and founder of the Kadampa school of Tibetan Buddhism, was a devotee of Tārā. He composed a praise to her, and three Tārā Sadhanas. Martin Willson's work also contains charts which show origins of her tantras in various lineages, but suffice to say that Tārā as a tantric practice quickly spread from around the 7th century C.E. onwards, and remains an important part of Vajrayana Buddhism to this day.

The practices themselves usually present Tārā as a tutelary deity (thug dam, yidam) which the practitioners sees as being a latent aspect of one's mind, or a manifestation in a visible form of a quality stemming from Buddha Jnana. As John Blofeld puts it in The Tantric Mysticism of Tibet:

The function of the Yidam is one of the profound mysteries of the Vajrayana...Especially during the first years of practice the Yidam is of immense importance. Yidam is the Tibetan rendering of the Sanskrit word "Istadeva" — the in-dwelling deity; but, where the Hindus take the Istadeva for an actual deity who has been invited to dwell in the devotee's heart, the Yidams of Tantric Buddhism are in fact the emanations of the adepts own mind. Or are they? To some extent they seem to belong to that order of phenomena which in Jungian terms are called archetypes and are therefore the common property of the entire human race. Even among Tantric Buddhists, there may be a division of opinion as to how far the Yidams are the creations of individual minds. What is quite certain is that they are not independently existing gods and goddesses; and yet, paradoxically, there are many occasions when they must be so regarded.^[12]

[edit] Sadhanas of Tārā

Sadhanas in which Tārā is the yidam (meditational deity) can be extensive or quite brief. Most all of them include some introductory praises or homages to invoke her presence and prayers of taking refuge. Then her mantra is recited, followed by a visualization of her, perhaps more mantra, then the visualization is dissolved, followed by a dedication of the merit from doing the practice. Additionally there may be extra prayers of aspirations, and a long life prayer for the Lama who originated the practice. Many of the Tārā sadhanas are seen as beginning practices within the world of Vajrayana Buddhism, however what is taking place during the visualization of the deity actually invokes some of the most sublime teachings of all Buddhism.

In this case during the creation phase of Tārā as a yidam, she is seen as having as much reality as any other phenomena apprehended through the mind. By reciting her mantra and visualizing her form in front, or on the head of the adept, one is opening to her energies of compassion and wisdom. After a period of time the practitioner shares in some of these qualities, becomes imbued with her being and all it represents. At the same time all of this is seen as coming out of Emptiness and having a translucent quality like a rainbow. Then many times there is a visualization of oneself as Tārā. One simultaneously becomes inseparable from all her good qualities while at the same time realizing the emptiness of the visualization of oneself as the yidam and also the emptiness of one's ordinary self.

This occurs in the completion stage of the practice. One dissolves the created deity form and at the same time also realizes how much of what we call the "self" is a creation of the mind, and has no long term substantial inherent existence. This part of the practice then is preparing the practitioner to be able to confront the dissolution of one's self at death and ultimately be able to approach through various stages of meditation upon emptiness, the realization of Ultimate Truth as a vast display of Emptiness and Luminosity. At the same time the recitation of the mantra has been invoking Tārā's energy through its Sanskrit seed syllables and this purifies and activates certain psychic centers of the body (chakras). This also untangles knots of psychic energy which have hindered the practitioner from developing a Vajra body, which is necessary to be able to progress to more advanced practices and deeper stages of realization.

Therefore even in a simple Tārā sadhana a plethora of outer, inner, and secret events is taking place and there are now many works such as Deity Yoga, compiled by the present Dalai Lama,^[13] which explores all the ramifications of working with a yidam in Tantric practices.

The end results of doing such Tārā practices are many. For one thing it reduces the forces of delusion in the forms of negative karma, sickness, afflictions of kleshas, and other obstacles and obscurations.

The mantra helps generate Bodhicitta within the heart of the practitioner and purifies the psychic channels (nadis) within the body allowing a more natural expression of generosity and compassion to flow from the heart center. Through experiencing Tārā's perfected form one acknowledges one's own perfected form, that is one's intrinsic Buddha nature, which is usually covered over by obscurations and clinging to dualistic phenomena as being inherently real and permanent.

The practice then weans one away from a coarse understanding of Reality, allowing one to get in touch with inner qualities similar to those of a bodhisattva, and prepares one's inner self to embrace finer spiritual energies, which can lead to more subtle and profound realizations of the Emptiness of phenomena and self.

As Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, in his Introduction to the Red Tārā Sadhana,^[14] notes of his lineage: "Tārā is the flawless expression of the inseparability of emptiness, awareness and compassion. Just as you use a mirror to see your face, Tārā meditation is a means of seeing the true face of your mind, devoid of any trace of delusion".

[edit] Terma teachings related to Tārā

Terma teachings are 'hidden teachings' said to have been left by Padmasambhava (8th Century) and others for the benefit of future generations. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo discovered Phagme Nyingthig (Tib. spelling: 'chi med 'phags ma'i snying thig, Innermost Essence teachings of the Immortal Bodhisattva [Arya Tārā]).^[15]

Earlier in the 19th century, according to a biography,^[16] Nyala Pema Dündul received a Hidden Treasure Tārā Teaching and Nyingthig (Tib. nying thig) from his uncle Kunsang Dudjom (Tib. kun bzang bdud 'joms). It is not clear from the source whether the terma teaching and the nyingthig teachings refer to the same text or to two different texts.

[edit] See also

• Nairatmya

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tara

• Tārā: Buddhist Goddess in Green and White - from ReligionFacts.com
• Article on Tārā at Khandro.net
• About Green Tārā - The Buddha of Swift Compassion

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