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Green Tara

The Buddha of Active Compassion

Green Tara is the most famous female Buddha in the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon. She is also known as ‘Mother of all Buddhas’ and is regarded the female manifestation of active compassion.
Green Tara stretches out her right foot and is therefore ready to step down and help all who call out for her or recite her mantra. She reaches out to grant all wishes and there are many stories of people that were saved from difficulties or fears when calling her name.

Being one of the most revered deities of Tibetan Buddhism, Tara is often seen as one of the first emancipated women.
The story goes she was a very devoted girl who used to pray for hours and making extensive offerings to the Buddhas. But when other, male, practitioners noticed her capacity they told her this was all useless unless she would pray for a next incarnation in a male body, as this would be the only way to reach enlightenment.

But Green Tara had the deep insight that ‘female’ or ‘male’ are just labels we put on things and therefore she made the following adamantine vow:
‘Until Samsara is empty, I shall work for the benefit of all sentient beings in a woman’s body.’
Thus she did, she became one of the first enlightened women.

Green Tara Thangka by Carmen Mensink
Painting on traditionally prepared canvas
Copyright: © Carmen Mensink 2003
Status: Not for sale (but can be painted on commission)

Carmen Mensink’s drawing of Green Tara, the half-finished thangka that she made of it, and the finished painting on an altar with tulips at her home in Amsterdam 🌷

Learn how to draw or paint your own Green Tara

Check out all upcoming thangka art courses (online and onsite), or book a private thangka drawing or painting retreat with Carmen Mensink in Amsterdam. No Green Tara courses scheduled? Sign up for the Newsletter to stay posted on all future courses.

Note that before learning to draw/paint complete Buddhas, one always starts their thangka journey with the basis and learn to draw the Face of the Buddha, that you can do at Carmen’s online School for Tibetan Buddhist Art.