Niangben China, b. 1971
Green Tara (Tangka in Colors)
Pure gold, mineral pigments, cotton
42 x 59 in
The Green Tara is the embodiment of Guanyin Bodhisattva and is the master of the eleven Taras. Reciting the Yidam mantra, she owns all the merits of the twenty-one Tara...
The Green Tara is the embodiment of Guanyin Bodhisattva and is the master of the eleven Taras. Reciting the Yidam mantra, she owns all the merits of the twenty-one Tara and is capable of saving people from eight kinds of sufferings and disasters, namely, the sufferings of meeting lion, elephant, snake, the hardships of being trapped in prison，the misfortunes of being robbed and the tortures from non-human beings. Therefore, she is also called “Tara of Saving Eight difficulties”. Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty was the incarnation of the Green Tara. The Green Tara has the face of a 16-year-old girl with a green body. She wears a flower vine crown and a high bun. Her upper body is bare, and her shoulders are covered with armpits, and her body is covered with jewels and silk ribbons. Her left hand is making the seal of “three treasures” right in front of her chest, her right hand is naturally hanging down in the seal of “fulfilling wishes”. Each hand holds the stem of the lotus, symbolizing all blessings to all living creatures with joy and happiness, sitting comfortably on the lotus blossom.
