According to the First Dalai Lama, White Tara is “the wisdom, compassion, and enlightened activity of all buddhas arising in the form of a beautiful goddess.” She is an important goddess in Nepal and Tibet, and worship of her dates from the 600s, when the two queens of the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo (reigned approx. 627–649) was deified and worshipped as the two forms of Tara.
White Tara’s right hand, posed in the gesture of gift-granting, indicates her gifts of spiritual attainments and Buddhahood to disciples. Her left hand, posed in the gesture of dispelling fear, shows that she protects disciples from all danger and disaster. The eyes on her palms and the soles of her feet show her mastery of the four doors of liberation through which she frees all beings from misery.
Details
- Title : The Buddhist deity White Tara
- Year : approx. 1400-1500
- Classification : Sculpture
- Dimension : H. 21 1/2 in x W. 17 in x D. 12 1/2 in, H. 54.6 cm x W. 43.2 cm x D. 31.8 cm
- Accession No : B60S22+
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Collection : Asian Art Museum
- Credit Line : The Avery Brundage Collection
- Status : Not on display
- Department : Himalayan Art
- Location : Gallery 12
- Exhibition History : "Gorgeous", Asian Art Museum, 6/20/2014-9/14/2014 "Divine Bodies", Asian Art Museum, 3/9/2018-7/29/2018
- Expanded Label : The body of White Tara, shining with superbly executed gilding, presents a radiant image of sacred compassion. Her flawless facial features, voluptuous body, and sensuous ornaments make the perfection of the divine visible. In addition to this bodily magnificence, a number of explicitly symbolic marks (lakshana) reveal her sacred qualities. Her right hand, posed in the gift-giving gesture, bestows blessings. Her left hand displays the fear-dispelling gesture, showing that she protects from any danger. The eyes on her palms and on the soles of her feet symbolize her ability to see and guard against peril. White Tara is closely related to the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara; she sprang from one of his tears as he witnessed the infinite sufferings of human beings. In Himalayan Buddhism, she is thought to encompass in the form of a beautiful goddess the wisdom, compassion, and enlightened activity of all the Buddhas. (Label from exhibition Divine Bodies)