Orange in colour with one face and two hands, the right hand is in the mudra (gesture) of supreme generosity holding an orange vase extended across the knee. The left hand is held to the heart with the thumb and forefinger holding the stem of a red and blue utpala flower blossoming at the left ear. Peaceful, smiling and youthful she is adorned with flowing silks red, green and blue in colour, adorned with gold and jewel ornaments, gold tiara and the like; seated with the right leg slightly extended in a relaxed manner and the left drawn up. On a moon disc and multi-coloured lotus seat encircled by a blue-red nimbus and an orange areola she sits surrounded by a lush green landscape. On a pink lotus in front a small red goddess offers a white torma (stylized food) on a gold plate. To the front right a small dark man with the hands shackled moves towards Tara.

At the top left is the primordial buddha Vajradhara, dark blue, with one face and two hands holding a vajra and bell embracing the consort. At the right is the Indian pandit, Lord Atisha (982-1054), performing the Dharma Teaching mudra and wearing a red hat and monastic robes.

At the bottom right is Secret Yama Dharmaraja, red, with a buffalo head and holding a jewel in the right hand and a skullcup in the left; riding a red buffalo. At the left is a wrathful red deity holding a curved knife in the right hand and a skullcup in the left; accompanied by two attendants, red and blue, both with animal faces.

Tara is a completely enlightened buddha who in a previous life promised to appear, after enlightenment, in the form of a female bodhisattva and goddess for the benefit of all beings. Her primary activity is to protect from the eight fears. Practiced in all Schools of Tibetan Buddhism her various forms are found in all classes of tantra - Nyingma and Sarma.

From the tantra known as the ‘Twenty-One Praises of Tara’ spoken by the buddha Samantabhadra arises a system of practice with 21 emanations of Tara - 1 for each verse of the praise. Each form of Tara has a specific colour and accomplishes a specific activity. Based on that, there are 3 well known and distinct lineages; Pandita Suryagupta, Lord Atisha and the lineage from the Nyingma Lama - Longchenpa. The 3 lineages do not share the same iconographic forms. In the Atisha system all the Taras appear in the same basic posture and only differ with the colour of the body. Aside from these 3 there are other less well known sets of 21 Taras.

This painting belongs to a set of 21 depicting all the forms of Tara according to the Atisha Lineage. A short inscription is written in the areola above Tara’s head: ‘left nine.’ See others from the same set 294, 336, 337, 339, 340, 450, 451, 331.

Jeff Watt 9-98

Reverse of Painting

Special Features: includes "Om Ah Hum" inscription