Praise to Tara in Twenty One Verses explained

Praise to Tara in Twenty One Verses is a traditional prayer in Tibetan Buddhism to the female Bodhisattva Tara (Sanskrit: तारा, ; Tibetan སྒྲོལ་མ, Drolma) also known as Ārya Tārā, or Jetsun Dolma (Wylie: rje btsun sgrol ma).^[1] The text is originally a Sanskrit Indian Buddhist work, and it is the most popular prayer to Tara in Tibetan Buddhism.

The Praise appears in the Derge Kangyur as "“Offering Praise to Tara through Twenty-One [verses] of Homage” (Wylie: sgrol ma la phyag 'tshal ba nyi shu gcig gis bstod pa)." The prayer is found in all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.^{[2] [3]}

Translations

An early manuscript version, titled Twenty-One Hymns to the Rescuer Mother of Buddhas (二十一種救度佛母贊), described as an "Imperially commissioned translation of the hymn to the rescuer mother of Buddhas ... in Manchu, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Chinese scripts", was created in the late 18th century by calligrapher Yongrong 永瑢 (1744–1790). It is held by the National Library of China.^[4]

Commentaries

Modern English language commentaries include 2007 works by Palden Sherab, and by Adeu Rinpoche and Urgyen Rinpoche^{[5] [6]} a 2005 work by Thubten Chodron,^[7] a 1999 work by Bokar Rinpoche,^[8] and a 1992 work by Martin Willson.^[9]

Online commentaries include a 1997 commentary by Khempo Yurmed Tinly Rinpoche,^[10] a 2004 commentary by Palden Sherab,^[11] and a 2013 commentary by Geshe Dawö.^[12]

Extensive descriptions of traditional rituals associated with Tara, including the "Twenty-One Praises", can be found in Steven V. Beyer's 1978 book, The cult of Tārā: magic and ritual in Tibet.^[13]

In the commentarial literature, each of the verses is associated with different emanations of Tara, which have a specific mantra with which she is associated, offering protection from various types of fears, harm, and calamities.

External links

• Web site: Systems of Twenty-one Taras. Himalayan Art. 2014-06-22. (illustrated, traditional)
• Web site: The Praise to the Twenty-One Taras. Sky Dancer Press. 2014-06-22. (illustrated, modern)
• The 21 Taras Description of each of the 21 Taras on Tara Mandala, the website of Lama Tsultrim Allione’s retreat centre.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage / 84000 Reading Room . 2024-01-14 . 84000 Translating The Words of The Buddha . en.
2. Web site: Homage to Tara – 21 Praises to Tara. Tibetan Buddhism General Discussions on Red Zambala. 2014-06-22. https://archive.today/20140622024102/http://www.redzambala.com/forum/discussion/10/homage-to-tara-21-praises-to-tara/p1. 2014-06-22. dead.
3. Web site: Green Tara Puja. Sakya Kechari Institute. 2014-06-22.
4. Web site: Manuscript of a Mongolian Sūtra. World Digital Library. 2014-06-22.
5. Book: Palden Sherab . Snow Lion Publications. 9781559392877. Palden Sherab. Tara's enlightened activity: an oral commentary on the twenty-one praises to Tara. Ithaca, N.Y. 2007.
6. Book: Urgyen . Rangjung Yeshe. 9789627341611. Skillful grace: Tara practice for our times. Hong Kong. 2007.
7. Book: Thubten Chodron . Reprint. Snow Lion. 9781559393980. Thubten Chodron. How to free your mind: the practice of Tara the liberator. 2013.
8. Book: Bokar Rinpoche . ClearPoint Press. 9781930164000. Bokar Rinpoche. Tara: the divine feminine. San Francisco, Calif.. 1999.
9. Book: Willson , Martin . Wisdom Publications. 0861711092. In praise of Tārā: songs to the Saviouress: source texts from India and Tibet on Buddhism's great Goddess. Boston, Mass. 1996.
10. Web site: Khempo Yurmed Tinly Rinpoche. Translation: Green Tara Puja Commentary. Osel Dorje Nyingpo. 2014-06-22. 1997-04-04.
11. Book: Palden Sherab . Sky Dance Press. 1880975076. The smile of sun and moon: a commentary on the Praise to the Twenty-one Taras. Boca Raton, FL. 2004.
12. Web site: Commentary on the Praise to Twenty-One Taras eBook. FPMT The Foundation Store. 2014-06-22.
13. Book: Beyer , Stephan V . University of California Press. 9780520036352. The cult of Tārā: magic and ritual in Tibet. Berkeley. 1978.