The Golden Rosary of Tara

7/30/2019 The Golden Rosary of Tara

1/21

THE GOLDEN ROSARY OF TARA

by Lama Taranatha

The History which illuminates the origin of the Tantras of Tara and the subsequent developmentof Her cult in India as told by Lama Taranatha.

Translated by Vajranatha

INTRODUCTION

According to Buddhist teachings, a Bodhisattva is one who is on his way to realizing thecompletely perfect enlightenment of a Buddha. A Bodhisattva is so called because he hasawakened the bodhicitta or thought (citta) of enlightenment (bodhi) -- that is to say, he hasdeveloped the resolute intention to attain buddhahood, not for his own sake alone, but for thesake of benefiting and guiding to spiritual maturity all other living beings, ultimately liberating themfrom the sorrows of samsara, the beginningless cycle of death and rebirth. This intention isembodied in the great vow (mahapranidhana) made by every Bodhisattva at the beginning of hiscareer.

According to the Prajnaparamita Sutra, "Desirous of the welfare of the world with its devas, menand asuras, desirous to benefit it, to make it happy, to make it secure, the bodhisattva, when hehas seen those ills which afflict beings on the plane of samsara, produces an attitude of mindwherein he reflects: Having crossed over (tirna), we shall help across (tarayema) those beingswho have not yet crossed! Freed, we shall free those beings who are not yet free! Comforted,we shall comfort those beings who are as yet without comfort! Gone to nirvana, we shall lead tonirvana those beings who have not yet gone there!" And again, "We shall become a shelter forthe world, a refuge, the place of rest, the final resort, islands, lights, and leaders of the world."

Ages ago, in another world system long before our present solar system evolved, there appeareda buddha named Turya, and there came into His august presence, a young princess namedJnanachandra who possessed supreme devotion to the dharma. The monks surrounding theBuddha admonished her, saying, "Due to your wholesome roots of meritorious karma, you cannow be reborn in the body of a man and thus go on to attain enlightenment," but the royalprincess replied, "In this proposal there is no wisdom. In reality there is no rebirth and nopermanent self. These appellations "male" and "female" are hollow. Only fools are deluded bythem. As for those who strive to attain enlightenment while relying upon rebirth as a man, thereare many. Therefore, until samsara itself is exhausted, I shall work ceaselessly for the benefit ofbeings in the form of a woman." The Buddha Turya then delivered a prophecy that in a future agethis princess would herself become a supremely enlightened buddha in female form known by thename of Tara, "she who saves."

This was the great vow of the Bodhisattva Tara and since that distant time she has strivencontinuously to rescue and liberate all beings. Salvation is a process of crossing over the oceanof samsara to safe refuge on the further shore. Tara is she who ferries (tarayati) and she is thus

the savioress par excellance of all beings in the three worlds. As she herself said, "It is for theprotection of the world that I have been called forth by the jinas. In places of terror which bristlewith swords and where dangers abound, when only my name is recalled, I will invariably come toprotect beings. I will ferry them across (tarayisyami) the great turbulent flood of manifold terrors.Therefore, the great seers sing of me in this world under my name of Tara."

Although her manifestations in the world are myriad, the Great Goddess most commonly appearsin her green form; the color green signifying that she is the embodiment in female form of thecompassionate activity of all the Buddhas of the three times and the ten directions of space. In


2/21

the hymns of praise to Tara, she is called the savioress, the swift one who with infinite couragebanishes all fear, defeats the boldest among the demons, and bestows whatever may berequired. She removes poisons and contagious diseases. In particular, she protects humanityfrom the eight and sixteen great terrors, such as war, famine, plague and so on. One need onlyrecall her holy name and she will come without fail.

According to the Sadhanamala, "Whoever meditates upon our Blessed Lady in a lonely mountaincave, he will behold her face to face with his own eyes. And the Blessed Lady herself will bestowupon him her inspiration and all else he would require. Indeed, she puts buddhahood itself, sohard to win, in the palm of his hand." And according to the Sragdhara-stotram of Sarvajnamitra,"She alone by herself effectively removes all evil by the mere event of her name being heard orrecollected -- for her compassion flows out to all beings without partiality."

Even more, Tara is the preeminent manifestation in our universe of the female side ofbuddhahood. In her ultimate nature, she is identical with the Prajnaparamita, the Holy Perfectionof Wisdom, who is the Mother of all the Buddhas of the three times. This is so because it iswisdom (prajna, sophia) which gives birth to the enlightened awareness of a Buddha by strippingaway the veils of delusion which obscure reality. This primordial wisdom (adiprajna) is co-eternalwith the adibuddha in the center of the mandala of the dharmakaya, which is primordially pure

and outside the temporal process which is samsara. As sambhogakaya, Tara is the consummatefeminine expression of buddhahood.

There are a number of tantras preserved in the Kangyur or Tibetan canon of Buddhist scriptureswhich deal with the cult of Tara. Chief among them is the Tarevisvakarmabhava Tantra,translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan in the late 12th century by Dharmasrimitra and ChokyiZangpo. This tantra is a vast compendium of materials for the sadhana of Tara and contains thefamous Hymn of Praise to the Twenty-One Taras. It is reckoned as the most important tantra ofthe mother in the Padma classification of kriya tantra.

The translation of The Golden Rosary of Tara which follows is that of a text written by theillustrioius Lama Taranatha (b. 1575 ce). He was a close disciple of the Indian Buddhist yoginBuddhagupta who had not only wandered throughout India, but also traveled to Zanzibar,

Madagascar, and Indonesia. During his five-year residence in Tibet, he supplied Taranatha with awealth of material concerning the later history of Buddhism in India, in particular, the careers ofthose mahasiddhas who were devoted to the cult and sadhana of our Lady Tara.

Inspired with the blessings of Battaraka Arya Tara, it is the hope and prayer of the translator thatthis history by Taranatha will awaken within all its readers a greater awareness of the femininedimension of buddhahood.

Vajranatha

New York, 1980

Here is contained "The Golden Rosary," a history which illuminates the origin of the Tantras of

Tara.[1]

OM SVASTI

NAMO GURAVE

Homage to the guru. Homage to the dharma which from the very beginning is devoid of allmultifariousness. Homage to the all-pervading great compassion. Homage to the ultimatesalvation of all beings. Homage to you, O Tara, who are the mother of all the jinas.[2]


3/21

Here I shall relate to the origin of the Tantras of Tara.[3]

THE ORIGIN OF TARA

Ages ago, in a world system called Visvaprabha[4], there appeared a Buddha who was known as

the Bhagavan Tathagata Turya.[5] At that time also there lived a daughter of the king, a princessnamed Jnanachandra,[6] who possessed supreme devotion to the doctrine of the Buddha. Forhundreds of thousands of myriads of years, she performed puja for the Buddha and his retinue,which consisted of an immeasurable sangha of sravakas and bodhisattvas.[7] Accordingly, eachand every day she prepared materials for offering, equal in measure of value to filling entirely withprecious gems a space extending for two yojanas everywhere in the ten directions.[8] When shehad finished this, she first produced the thought of enlightenment.[9]

At that time, the bhikshus addressed her: "Due to your wholesome roots of merit,[10] you shouldbe reborn in the body of a man. According to our teaching, if you make an earnestcommitment[11] to accomplish such wholesome deeds, this will surely be the result." It is saidthat they spoke to her many times in this fashion.

Finally, the royal princess replied, "In this proposal there is no wisdom. In reality there is norebirth, there is no self, there is no person. These appellations 'male' and 'female' are hollow.Worldly fools become deluded by them." Having said this, she then made the following vow: "Asfor those who desire enlightenment while relying upon rebirth as a man, they are many. Butthose who work for the benefit of beings in the body of a woman are very few. Therefore, untilsamsara itself has become empty, I shall work for the benefit of beings in the form of awoman."[12]

Then, for hundreds of thousands of myriads of years, she remained in the palace of the king andconducted herself with skillful means in respect to the five sensual pleasures,[15] (avoidingentanglements with them). Since she meditated while in samadhi, she attained that patiencewherein dharmas no longer arise,[14] and she came to realize the samadhi known as "saving allbeings."[15] Due to the power of having realized that samadhi, every morning she delivered from

worldly thoughts hundreds of thousands of myriads of sentient beings. Until they themselveswere established in this patience, she did not take any food for herself. Every evening sheestablished therein the same number of beings. Thus she became known as Tara, "she whosaves."[16]

Then, the Tathagata Turya made a prophecy: "At the time when she attains manifestunsurpassed enlightenment, she will become known by the single name Tara Devi."

Subsequently, in the kalpa known as Vibuddha-vistara,[17] in the presence of the TathagataAmoghasiddi,[18] she vowed to preserve and protect from harm all those sentient beings whoinhabit infinite numbers of worlds in the ten directions. Since she settled even-mindedly into thesamadhi which completely vanquishes all the maras,[19] each day for ninety-five kalpas sheestablished in meditation[20] hundreds of thousands of myriads of leaders among beings. And

similarly, each evening she converted hundreds of thousands of myriads of leaders among theparanirmitavasavarti devas, as well as among the maras themselves.[22] Thus, she came to becalled Tara, Yamuna, and Pravira.

Then, in the kalpa known as Asanga,[23] there lived a bhikshu named Vimalaprabhasa.[24] Dueto his being initiated with light rays of great compassion issuing from all the Tathagatas of the tendirections, he became Arya Avalokitesvara. Subsequently, the initiation of the great light whoseessence is the gnosis of omniscience[25] was conferred upon him by all the Buddhas andBodhisattvas, such as the Tathagatas of the five hierarchies.[26] From the co-mingling of these


4/21

two lights, the earlier and the later (that is to say, compassion and wisdom), in the manner of afather and a mother, Tara Devi was born. Having come forth from the heart of Avalokitesvara,[27]she fulfilled the intention of all the Buddhas and, moreover, she protected sentient beings fromthe eight great terrors and the sixteen lesser terrors.[28]

Thereafter, in the kalpa known as Mahabhadra,[29] she taught the dharma with unceasing

discourses. Next, in the kalpa known as Asanka, since she had received the empoweringinitiation from all the Tathagatas of the ten directions, she became the mother who gives birth toall the Buddhas. These Buddhas have filled the past since time without beginning.[30]

THE REVELATION OF THE TANTRAS OF TARA

Then, in this present kalpa, on the Potala mountain[32] in the midst of innumerable bodhisattvas,devas, nagas, yakshas, and so on, Arya Avalokitesvara himself expounded hundreds ofthousands of mantras and tantras pertaining to Tara. In the age of perfection, the Krita Yuga, heaccomplished the benefit of sentient beings of the six classes in this way.[32]

In the second age, the Treta Yuga, there having been a decline in the dharma, he revealed onlysome six hundred thousand such teachings. In the third age, the Dvapara Yuga, there having

been a further decline, he revealed only twelve thousand teachings. Finally, in the age of strife,the Kali Yuga, there have appeared only the one thousand verses which embody Tara.

Here, from the very mouth of my guru, it is said: "As for the volumes of the tantras, thosebelonging to the Krita Yuga are no longer extant. But since they are carefully guarded in therealms of the devas and the vidyadharas, it is the intention that they shall become of great benefitto fortunate beings."

This statement does not contradict their having been revealed in the time of the disciples of themantras, and it is proper to say that the volumes in question appeared then. On the other hand, itseems that one must not be too certain of this. Nevertheless, these tantras in particular weresubsequently cited and taught by our own teachers.[33]

According to the explanatory tantra for these texts, known as the Dakini Guhyatilaka:[34] "On thesummit of the Potala mountain, the tantras were taught by Sakyasimha."

This story appears in the above tantra. Moreover, the teacher here is the Buddha himself.Having desired to teach sentient beings, he entered into the essence of enlightenment. Hesucceeded in penetrating all the abodes of Mara with rays of light which ripened beings even atthe limits of the world. At that time, the armies of Mara assembled in opposition. But Taralaughed eight times and, due to this, all the demonic hosts fell to the ground and werevanquished. Thereupon, the teacher himself became the Krodharaja Achala.[35] With thesamadhi which causes the crushing of all the maras, he overthrew Mara himself. Afterwards,having realized the essence of enlightenment, he became a manifest perfect Buddha, beingidentical with the Tathagata Aksobhya. Tara performed puja for him, and discoursed extensivelyregarding her mantra and tantra.

Moreover, having revealed the mandala of the jinas of the six hierarchies, in order to prevent theeclipse of these explanatory tantras, he decided to teach them to sentient beings in the six kindsof destiny. Therefore, the Buddha, together with hosts of bodhisattvas, repaired to the Potalamountain. Here, he conferred initiation upon innumerable beings, such as devas, nagas,yakshas, gandharvas, and so on. Having elucidated for them the mantrayana, he brought themto the attainment of siddhi.[36]

Finally, he delivered the tantras into the care of Vajrapani who retired with them to the realms of


5/21

the vidyadharas, chief among them being Alakavati.[37] In order to prevent the loss of thesetantras to the human world, Vajrapani himself appeared as King Indrabhuti.[38] Having writtendown all these tantras in several volumes, he concealed this dharmakosa, or treasury ofteachings, in the land of Uddhyana. Nevertheless, it is said that the tantras continued to bepracticed by the viras and yoginis.[39]

In respect to the revelation of the six expositions of the mantrayana, at the present time these arechiefly represented by the revelation of the heruka. The arrangement of the six expositions ismade clear in the tantra itself.[40]

In particular, I shall speak here of the revelation of the tantra of Tara in Jambudvipa.[41] In thethree hundred years following the nirvana of the jina, the sravakas convened three councils atdifferent times.[42] Mroeover, the Vaipulya sutras of the mahayana, which has been preserved inthe abodes of the devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, and rakshasas, appeared one after theother in different regions of India. When such self-originated volumes appeared, they at oncebecame widely propagated. Those who revealed these teachings were certain ascetics whospoke of the dharma[43] and they realized patience due to this dharma which was unproduced.Some five hundred acharyas who practiced yoga received visions of the faces of Manjushri,

Avalokitesvara, Maitreya, and so on. There also appeared eight mahatmas including Asvabhava.

[44] The three lower tantras of kriya, carya and yoga, as well as the various upaya tantras andprajna tantras of the anuttarayana,[45] appeared at the same time and were propagated. Sincethese were taught to fortunate individuals in visions by Vajrasattva and Guhyapati,[44] it is saidthat at this time there was not one who failed to realize wisdom siddhi.

In Bhangala in the east, the king Harichandra, together with his retinue of one thousand, realizedthe Yuganaddhakaya. In Odivisa, the king Majna, together with his retinue of one thousand,realized the stage of Vidyadhara. In the west, at Malava, the king Bhojadeva, together with hisretinue of one thousand, became invisible. In the south, in Konkana, the king Haribhadra,together with an innumerable retinue, also became invisible. For one or two hundred years, therewere more than one hundred thousand persons who attained siddhis, such as the siddhi of pills,and so on.[47]

Nevertheless, in order to guard the secret, it is said that the practice of Mantracarya was notmade known to those others who had not realized siddhi. In those times, however, BhatcarakaArya Tara, due to her compassion, revealed her face even to those who did not practice hersadhana.[48]

PROTECTION FROM VARIOUS TERRORS

Here I shall relate in brief the histories of those who have followed her.

1. Protection From the Fear of Enemies:

In Odivisa there was once a kshattriya who fell asleep in a park and, when he awoke, foundhimself surrounded by some one thousand enemy soldiers bearing weapons. He was without

any refuge whatsoever. Nevertheless, he had heard that there was a source of refuge from allthe sixteen terrors who was called Tara. Having thought to go to refuge in her, he cried out aloudthe name, "Tara!" Instantly, with the uttering of this name, our Lady herself appeared in the skybefore him. With the fierce wind that arose from under her foot, she drove the soldiers off into theten directions, and it is said that they returned to their own country.

2. Protection From the Fear of Lions:

Once there was a wood-cutter who went into the forest, where he encountered a hungry lioness


6/21

who desired to eat him. Seizing him in her jaws, the lioness returned with him to the vicinity ofher den. Because of his fright and terror, he prayed fervently to Tara. Immediately, thereappeared in front of him a woman wearing a skirt of leaves.[49 She pulled him out of the mouthof the lioness and set him down safely in the marketplace of the town.

3. Protection From the Fear of Elephants:

There was once a twelve-year-old country girl who went into the dense forest in order to gatherflowers. She met an enraged elephant who was called Khuni. He seized her with his trunk andbegan to crush her against his tusks. When she recalled the holy name of Tara, she prayed fromthe bottom of her heart to our Lady. Thus the elephant came under her power and set her downharmlessly on a high ledge of rock. He saluted her with his trunk, and, moreover, having set herupon his back, he took her into the marketplace of the town. Then he did the same at themeeting hall, at the temple, and at the gate of the king's palace. The king thought to himself,"This maiden possesses a great deal of merit," and he decided to make her his queen.

4. Protection From the Fear of Fire:

There was once a householder who was the object of a grudge. One night, his enemy brought a

fire to his house. When the latter ran away, the householder found himself trapped by the flames.He called out pleadingly, "Tara! Alas, oh Tara!" Immediately, above his house, a beautiful darkcloud appeared and, due to the rain which fell upon his house, as much as a fathom in depth, thefire went out completely.

5. Protection From the Fear of Poisonous Snakes:

Once there was a prostitute living in the city, to whom a wealthy merchant gave a necklace of fivehundred pearls. At midnight, desiring to go to the house of the merchant, she left her ownapartments. Walking along the road, she happened to seize the branch of an acacia tree. Butsince there was a poisonous snake coiled about the tree when she did this, the snake caught herand wrapped itself about her body. Yet by merely recalling the name of our Lady Tara, thispoisonous snake was transformed into a garland of flowers. For seven days this remained

draped about her body and thereafter, the snake, having become white and poisonless, left herand plunged into the river.

6. Protection Fro the Fear of Bandits:

In the country of Gujiratha[50] at a place called Bharukaccha, there once lived a merchant whowas very rich. Having loaded many heavy bundles of merchandise on some one thousandcamels and some five hundred bullocks, he set out for the country of Maru. But along the road hecame to a solitary place in the wilderness where nearly one thousand bandits resided. Bothsides of the road were covered with the flesh, blood, and bones of all the merchants who hadcome there previously and had been murdered. Hundreds of thousands of merchants had beenimpaled on stakes. These bandits were like rakshasas who eat human flesh. The merchant wasvery much afraid and since he was without any refuge or protector, he prayed loudly to Tara. At

that instant, there miraculously appeared innumerable troops of soldiers in close ranks, who werein fact emanations of Tara. Even though they pursued the bandits over long distances, there wasneither killing nor dying. All traces of these bandits disappeared from that region. The merchantwent along his way happily, and afterwards he returned home safely to Barukaccha.

7. Protection From the Fear of Captivity:

There was once a thief who went through a small hole into the treasury of the king. Discovering afull vessel of wine, he drank it and becoming drunk, he fell asleep. The attendants of the king


7/21

found him there and seized him. He was thrown into a dungeon, bound with ropes, andsubjected to various torments. He was indeed without any refuge or protector whatsoever. Butsince he prayed fervently to Tara, a bird with plumage of five different colors descended out of thesky and liberated him from his bonds. Moreover, the door of the dungeon opened of itself.Happily finding himself liberated, he returned to his own country.

Then in a dream, a woman adorned in every kind of ornament appeared. "If you recall thiskindness I have shown, you as well as your companions should abandon your deeds of thievery."Since she spoke to him in this manner, this thief, together with his gang of some five hundred,renounced their deeds of thievery and sought to practice wholesome deeds instead.

8. Protection From the Fear of Ocean Waves:

There were once some five hundred merchants who set out upon the road to the south. Theyengaged three large ships, and having entered these ships, they set sail for an island of preciousgems. They filled the first ship with these gems and then went their way elsewhere. Comingupon an island of sandalwood trees, they filled the second ship with this sandalwood. Thereafter,they wanted to return to their own country. But the wealth-lords[52] of the ocean became angry,and since they sent a great wind, the ships were carried a long distance off course. The color of

the ocean was not one but many. Finally, turbulent waves descended upon them.

Even though these merchants prayed daily to Brahma, Vishnu, Isvara, Chandra, Surya, Kubera,and the rest, no relief came. The ropes binding the sails were severed, and the two ships withcargos of precious gems and sandalwood were lost. Even the largest ship began to sink into thesea. But since there was one Buddhist upasika on board, he recalled Tara, and with a loud voicehe recited the mantra of ten letters.[52] Immediately the sea became tranquil. The ship, havingrisen again in the water, returned to Jambudvipa after a journey of a single night. Moreover, theships with cargos of precious gems and sandalwood were driven thither by winds, andrendezvoused there at the same time.

9. Protection From the Fear of Cannibals:

Once there were some sravaka mendicants[53] who lived in a temple in the eastern direction. Atnight any bhikshu who went for a walk on the grounds outside the temple was likely to be killed.Thus the assembly in the temple gradually diminished. Then, one night a sramanera went for awalk on the grounds. An ugly cannibal,[54] black in color and with his fangs bared, appeared andseized him by the head. Those in the mahayana cried out: "May she who is called Tara protectus from the eight terrors!" Having desperately thought to go to refuge in her, the sramanera criedout loudly the name "Tara!" Thereupon, a black goddess holding a sword appeared.[55] Whenshe threatened the cannibal, the fiend begged forgiveness from the sramanera. From below theground he extracted an iron vessel filled with pearls and presented it to the latter. Due to this, theinjury which had come to the temple was alleviated.

10. Protection From the Fear of the Disease of Leprosy:

There was once an acharya among the brahmans in the country of Kumarakshetra, who, due tohis karma, became afflicted with the disease of leprosy. Since he had gone here and there, fromone person to another, some five hundred brahmans were seized by this terrible disease. Eventheir own kinsmen and the local physicians had forsaken them. Transgressing the custom ofritual purity in vogue among the brahmans, they lived upon leftover food, and went about beggingfor alms. Then, by the roadside they saw a stone image of our Lady Arya Tara and developedfaith in her. Since these five hundred brahmans began to pray to her, a stream of medicine cameforth from the hand of the Tara image, and due to its cleansing their bodies, they were cured oftheir leprosy. Moreover, it is said that their bodies became exceedingly beautiful like those of the


8/21

devas.

11. Protection From the Fear of Harm Inflicted by the Messengers of Indra:

As for the god Indra, he is the guardian of the directions for the eastern quarter, and those whoserve as his messengers, the gandharvas, cause much trouble due to their influences.[56] They

create many obstacles for the dharma by reviling it and by causing madness. Here is a story ofgaining protection from them.

There were once five hundred sravaka bhikshus who were meditators in a forest in the country ofMathura. In consequence of this, they persevered in wholesome conduct. Nevertheless, at onetime, a messenger of Indra appeared among them. To some he appeared in the form of abrahman, to some others as a woman, to yet others as a bhikshu. At times he seemed topossess many different faces, such as the appearance of a yakhsa, or a fierce lion, or anelephant, or a sarabha,[57] which brought terror to everyone. He attempted to confuse them bythreatening them at one time and at other times by praising them. Some bhikshus could notremember anything, while some others went completely insane. Moreover, some became ofanother mind and spent their time singing and dancing.

However, among them there was one bhikshu who recognized the mischief which may be causeddue to psosession by bhutas,[58] and cried out aloud: "O Tara, protect us from all terrors!" Hewas certain that relief would come from this. Having written, "This forest belongs to Tara Devi,"he posted the sign in the field. With this the terror subsided of its own accord, and all of them,with devotion for Tara Devi, entered into the mahayana.

12. Protection From the Fear of Poverty:

There was once a very poor brahman. On a narrow lane he found a stone image of Tara, andrelated to her the story of how his misfortune occurred. Since he asked her what he should do,she indicated to him the ground near a stupa. "It is your destiny that you will find a treasure," shesaid. "Moreover, since this is your destiny, you will obtain many golden vessels filled with pearlsand many silver vessels filled with precious gems. These will remove the sorry of poverty for

seven generations."

This poor man, who had become a farmer, prayed fervently and repeated the name of our LadyTara. A woman dressed in leaves[59] appeared to him and delivered the prophecy: "Go to theeast." Thus he went to the east, and after he lay down on top of the sand, he was awakenedfrom sleep by the sound of tinkling bells. He saw a green horse ornamented with little bells, whowas digging in the sand with his hoof. Thereupon the horse quickly departed elsewhere. Hefollowed the tracks left behind by the hooves of the horse and discovered first a gate of silver andthen successively gates made of seven different precious substances, such as gold, crystal,vaidurya, and so on. All of these opened for him. Thereafter, in one of the lands belonging toPatala,[60] he became a prince among the many asuras and nagas who resided there andexperienced countless delights among the sensual pleasures. Finally, through a tunnel in theearth, he returned to his own country. It is said that the three generations which came after him

were kings.

13. Protection From the Fear of Separation From Friends:

There was once a brahman who possessed great wealth and many friends. Then one night afever appeared and all of his kin died, including his wife and son and all of his in-laws. His mindbecame afflicted with sorrrow and so he went on pilgrimage to Varanasi. Since the upasikasamong the buddhists had also come to that place in order to hold a great festival in honor of Tara,he heard of the greatness of Tara. He prayed to her and scattered handfuls of flowers. Due to


9/21

this, when he emerged from the festival, it came about that he obtained as a bride the daughter ofKing Jayachandra and in consequence he became the lord of that country. He erected onehundred and eight temples to Tara, and in all of them, he inaugurated a great festival of thebuddhists.

14. Protection From the Fear of Punishment by the King:

In the country known as Ayodhya, there was once a householder who possessed great wealthand power. Then, at one time, due to certain circumstances, the king of the country becameunhappy with this householder. When he sought an audience with the king and entered the hall,the minions of the king deceived him and led him away. Thus he fled to Tirahuti.

At another time, when he was traveling in the district of Campurna, the king of Ayodhya sent fourmen who were champions after him. They bound the poor householder and led him back to

Ayodhya. However, because he recalled our Lady Tara and prayed fervently to her, as aconsequence of her blessing, when the householder set his foot on the doorsill of the prison, itwas transformed into gold. When he was thrown into a dungeon cell, there came a rainfall ofpearl necklaces. Finally, when they prepared to mount him on the impaling stake, this stake wastransformed into the trunk of a mango tree which was adorned with fruits and flowers. Everyone,

including the king, was filled with wonder. "If he is one of such great merit and we punish him,what will come of this?" they asked. Thus, he was released and appointed to the status of aminister of the king.

15. Protection From the Fear of Meteorite Showers:

There was once an upasika in the country of Bhangala, who went one day to look over theboundaries of his fields. At the roadside there was an image of yaksha, and having stepped overit, he went on his way. But the yaksha became exceedingly angry at him for this. At night, whenthe upasika was staying inside his house, twenty-one flaming meteorites fell from the sky.However, due to his recollecting Arya Tara, these flaming tongues of meteoric iron weretransformed into flowers. The upasika himself, as well as his wife, his son, and his property, werein no way harmed, and the meteorites returned to their own place. It is said that because he had

previously given generously to some five hundred holders of the vidyamantras,[62] the substanceof realization appeared exceedingly quickly.

16. Protection From the Fear of Misfortune:

There was once a householder who, carrying his goods, went to another country. He desired toacquire some land there from the king. Thus he entrusted his own property to a friend and thenentered into a great ship on the sea. For many years he traveled among the islands in the sea,but he did not realize any special prosperity. At one time, the ship was driven by the force of windand he came to an island called Malakha. On that island there were sandalwood trees which onecould take as he liked. Having taken many of them, he filled the ship with this cargo and sailedaway. On his way somewhere else, a great makra of the fish clan[62] named Macchi pierced thehull of the ship with his iron snout. Leaping on to a plank in the water for safety, the householder

was then driven by the waves and after a long time finally returned to Jambudvipa.

Subsequently, his friend tried to eliminate him. However, while on the road the former was eatenby a tiger and was known to have died. Nevertheless, since the householder did not realizesuccess anywhere, he suffered greatly from weariness. At one such time when he was greatlydepressed of mind, another friend advised him that he should develop faith in Tara and pray toher.

Then in a dream, he was told, "You should go to the shores of the river Sindhu.[63] There you will


10/21

realize the success you desire." He did so accordingly and beside the river Sindhu he found allthe wealth in sandalwood which had been inside his ship and had previously sunk into the ocean.Thereafter, having come to the site of the former friend's death, he commanded, "Deliver up thewealth I had formerly entrusted to another!" and he received this back again. Finally, coming tohis own country, he offered to the king a small portion of his sandalwood, and as a result the kingpresented him in return with five principal towns.

EPIPHANIES OF TARA AT BODHGAYA

Elsewhere also, it is told that at a later time, Tara admonished the Siddha Nagarjuna and that sheprotected Chandragomin two times from the fear of water.[64] She protected many learnedscholars from the fear of fire and many revered kalyanamitras from fear of snakes. There existinnumerable legends regarding the miracles she had wrought, such as those found in the oralteachings revealed to the acharya Lodo Tanpa.[65]

Moreover, there was once a sravaka mendicant who resided at Vajrasana.[66] In the summerseason, due to his conjuring up a magical illusion during the course of his arguing with themahayanists, the Niranjana river, better known in common speech as the Palgu, appeared toflood anew. Since they found themselves being swept away in the flood waters, even though this

did not do them very much harm, the mahayanists thought, "Tara will protect us from the terror ofthis flood." They burst out with cries of "Tara! Tara!"

At this time there was a wooden image of Tara in the outer courtyard of Vajrasana. The goddessactually appeared there and addressed them. "You did not remember me before, but now youcall upon me. Is that proper?" However, at this the flood began to subside of its own accord.Subsequently, that image became known as "the river-flood Tara."[67]

Also, at another time, there was an old woman at Vajrasana who erected a shrine to Tara whereour Lady had showed her face in a vision. When the construction was completed, the old womanperceived that its back was toward the Mahabodhi temple. Thinking that this was not good, theold woman felt regret. At this, the image itself spoke to her saying, "If you are not happy, youshould look at Mahabodhi." Having spoken thus, both the image and the door of the shrine

became visible from Mahabodhi.[68] Subsequently, this image became famous as "the Tara whochanged her face."

Again, in the time of King Dharmapala, there was a stone image of Tara located in front of aspring to the northeast of Vajrasana, where the bhikshus used to fetch water. On one occasion,the sravaka mendicants from Singhala burnt in the fire many tantras belonging to themantrayana.[69] Moreover, they destroyed a large image of Heruka made of silver in order toobtain money. According to the doctrinal cycle of acharya Buddhasrijnana, since these sravakasfrom Singhladvipa caused great damage, they were threatened with punishment by the king.However, one of these mendicant bhikshus came before the image of Tara, praying "Pleaseprotect me from the fear of punishment from the king."

Since he had prayed in this manner, the image spoke to him saying, "You did not remember me

when you had the leisure. So why do you remember me now?" Again the image spoke: "Go andhide in the river!" But since the quantity of water in the river at that time was very small, it couldnot completely conceal his body. Therefore, when the men of the king thought to look for him,they fetched him out of the water.

Nevertheless, at night he was able to run away and went some distance to the east. However, atthe time of the next festival, the door on the side of the room above Vajrasana temple would notopen. Afterwards, when this bhikshu from Singhala was summoned there, the door opened ofitself. Because of this, the king was delighted and secured various sorts of provisions for the


11/21

bhikshu.

In regard to all this, before the time of the acharya Nagarjuna, there had appeared some fivethousand individuals who had attained siddhi by relying upon the vidyamantras of Tara.Moreover, it is said that in the time of Nagarjuna himself there also appeared some five thousandsuch individuals.

HISTORY OF THE LINEAGE OF THE TARA TANTRA

As for the history in detail pertaining to this tantra: In Bhangala in the eastern direction, there wasonce an individual known as Hayapala who was a pravrajaka-bhikshu and a tripitaka master.From the first he propagated the mahayana and was very devoted. Having listened attentively tothe acharyas, it is well known that he became very learned.

Then there came one called Guhyasila,[70] a brahman who had a vision of the face of Vajrapani.From the latter he received the initiation for the Tara tantra and also obtained all the instructionsand additional instructions. During that time, even though he taught some small sections of thistantra in a place of the vidyamantradharas,[71] the verses in the tantra were not yet complete andhe did not set them down in writing.

Thereafter this acharya, since he had meditated with one-pointed concentration, obtained certainsiddhis.[72] Having gone to the vajrapitha of Uddiyana,[73] he extracted from the possession ofthe dakinis the root and explanatory tantras entitled the Tarevisvakarmabhava Tantra, theVajrapani Paramaguhya Tantra, and the Herukotpatti Tantra. In the country of Tripura, he built atemple in a dense forest and remained there. To ordinary beings he taught the abridged form ofthe Prajnaparamita. Having relied upon the vidyamantra of Tara, he gathered under his powerthe five kings of the eastern quarter. All of them developed faith in the Three Jewels. Moreover,he gathered under his power deities such as Uma Devi and Devaraja Praharsa. All of thempresented him with offerings. Having relied upon the vidyamantra of Achala, he realized siddhis,and he conjured up in a circle measuring twelve great leagues apparitions of jewel trees, walls,palaces, devas, devis, and so forth. Having relied upon the vidyamantra of Vajrapani, heannihilated some five hundred individuals who hated the doctrine of the Buddha. For many years

he taught the doctrines of the paramita dharma.[74] Then, due to the power of the vidyamantra ofHeruka, he went secretly into the sky, and with his physical body he departed for Alakavati.[75]

As for the disciples to whom he taught the secret mantras, there was only the acharyaHayaghosha. Indeed, his deeds were similar to the above precious acharya. Having practicedthe sadhana of the Krodharaja Hayagriva, he departed for the world of the rakshasas withoutabandoning his physical body. These two acharyas were contemporary with the brahmanSaraha.

In regard to the acharya Saraha, Arya Nagarjuna requested the four tantras from him. Theacharya Nagarjuna practiced all the vidyamantras, and expounded them to Aryadeva. He in turninstructed the younger Rahulabhadra. This acharya, who belonged to the sudra caste, tookpravajya ordination. He mastered the five sciences and became learned in all the pitakas of the

hinayana and mahayana. Having rolled up the texts of Arya Nagarjuna into a single bundle forthe purpose of traveling on the road, it is said that he himself composed certain texts which hetaught to one called Asmagarbha. During the course of debate, he refuted a tirthika namedChandravarma and established the latter in the doctrine of hte Buddha. Since he debated withmany sravakas, he brought about their defeat and settled them into the mahayana. Moreover, herelied upon the vidyamantra of Tara. Having practiced the sadhana of the yakshinis, he extractedtreasures from under the ground. Furthermore, it is said that he was able to secure the livelihoodof some one thousand bhikshus in the forest. Finally, in the country of Dhinkota, he passedbeyond the body.


12/21

Again, according to the Drelpa Tsik-sal,[77] "In the presence of Nagarjuna and Rahulabhadra,Aryadeva gave instruction." The Rahulabhadra spoken of here is none other than him. Toidentify him with the great brahmana Saraha would be a mistake. Moreover, the volumesbelonging to the above lineage have remained complete, and our lineage has not been dividedinto two.

He instructed the acharya Jvalaseshpa[78] who in turn instructed Dharmabhadrapala of Kashmir.The latter instructed Nagamitra. However, their histories are nowhere told. The above instructedSuryagupta, and so on.

As for this Suryagupta, he was born in the country of Kashmir and during the seven periods of hislife[79] he was a sadhaka of Tara. As a person he was of keen intelligence and became learnedin all the sciences. He went to Madhyadesa, and after having received pravrajya ordination, herelied upon the system of Nagarjuna and became learned in all the sutras of the mahayana.From the acharya Nagamitra he requested initiation into the practice of Tara. Generally, he isknown to have become learned in all the one hundred and eight Tantras of Tara. This acharyapracticed the sadhana which is based on the Tar Evisvakarmabhava Tantra, and it is said that hecomposed some thirty texts, such as a mandalavidhi,[80] and so on. This acharya was a

contemporary of Chandragomin. Nowadays, there is extant a hymn of praise which protects oneagainst the eight terrors,[81] but the author is another Suryagupta. It should be recognized thatthere was nothing else composed by this acharya. The chief among his disciples all becamelearned scholars.

Elsewhere also, there appeared innumerable acharyas who realized the vidyamantra of Tara. Allof these learned scholars gave instruction to Dhanamitra. He in turn instructed Tathagatamitra,who instructed Jnanamitra of Singala-dvipa. The latter instructed Silaraksita who was acontemporary of Lalitavajra. Thus, during this later period, it is said that due to these generationsof past acharyas, the lineage remained unbroken.THE HISTORY OF THE EIGHT ACHARYAS

As for protecting the eight acharyas from the eight terrors: In the south of India there once lived

an ascetic named Digvarma who was a great pitakadhara.[82] He realized the vidyamantraswhich were contained in the tantras of Yamantaka and Tara. In the country of Vidarbha which isin the south, he debated with a brahman, an acharya among the tirthikas, who was namedGapurila. Because he defeated the tirthikas, the Buddhists accepted all of them into their sphereof activity. However, at the time when the acharya was teaching the dharma to the bhikshus inthe vihara, the tirthikas came and set fire to this place. But since the acharya prayed fervently toBhattaraka,[83] our Lady herself appeared in the sky, and from the heavens descended a streamof water which put out the fire.

Also, there was an acharya named Yamarasimha. He was a secretary of the king and tookordination. Moreover, he was an abhidharmavadin[84] of both the hinayana and the mahayana.Relying upon the Tara Tantra he took Tara as his personal meditation deity. Having establishedhis homestead in Malava, which is in the western direction, he remained here. He taught the

abhidharma to some five hundred students of abhidarma science. It is said that he remainedliving there for twenty-four years. During that time he was surrounded by a retinue of some onehundred individuals of purified intellect, whom he instructed in the abhidharma.

At this time there was a nagaraja named Lalita who belonged to the black side.[85] Impulsivelyhe sent an irresistable and terrible downpour of rain. Due to the excess of rain water, the riverYamuna began to flood. The homestead of the acharya, as well as many towns, were threatenedwith being swept away. But since the acharya prayed fervently to Battaraka Tara, the floodwaters were diverted to the right, missing his homestead altogether, as well as the town of


13/21

Utajayana. Finally, when this great flood had moved elsewhere, the waters were carried to thedwelling place of the naga himself and also to the city of the Turks.

Again, with respect to this acharya, Tara commanded, saying, "Destroy them with treatises whichclearly elucidate the meaning."[86] Thus, he composed the Amarakosa.[87] Moreover, until thepresent time, these treatises, both inner and outer, were propagated very widely. The king to

whom he was secretary was known as Vikramaditya.

Also, there was once an acharya named Devasimha, who lived in the fashion on an upasika. Hebecame very learned in the sutras of the hinayana and the mahayana, as well as in theabhidharma. Moreover, he became the guru of a king of the country of Kashmir, who was knownas Sriharsadeva. Being a dharmavadin, or ipreacher of the dharma, in Kashmir, Lahor, and Maru,he caused fath to develop in various kings, householders, and brahmans and he erected somefive hundred Buddhist temples. He taught many doctrines to multitudes of people in Gajani,[88]which is a country near Kashmir, and brought about the eclipse of certain popular customs amongthe Persians and Turks. Therefore, one Persian king had him seized.

"You should go to refuge in the Three Jewels. These customs of the Mlecchas are not good. Ifyou do not choose to do this, then you may kill me," the acharya admonished the king.

"Moreover, in the current of life, there is no other source of refuge other than the Three Jewels."

Since he had spoken in this manner, he was bound with iron shackles and immediately throwninto a dungeon. But since the acharya prayed to Tara Devi who was his own personal meditationdeity, the iron shackles were transformed into fetters of flowers. The devis caused a great rainfallof flowers and sandalwood dust in the dungeon. Since loud sounds of music resounded in thedungeon, the Turkish king himself came to see what was happening. He saw that the acharyahad been freed of his iron shackles. Even though the guards again put iron shackles on theacharya, they became a garland of flowers. Similarly, seven times these iron shackles weretransformed into garlands of flowers. Having beheld these miracles for himself, the kingappointed the acharya as his pujar.[89] Nevertheless, since he was unable to spread the holydharma there, he conceived the notion of returning to Kashmir.

Also, there was once a great acharya among the vaibhasikas who was called Sanghamitra.During a dream, he saw a blue goddess in the presence of the Mahamuni and his retinue.[90]She said, "You would do well to study thoroughly the mahayana."

Thereupon, he went to Kashmir and listened to many doctrinal systems of the sutras and mantrasbelonging to the mahayana. However, even though he had accepted Bhattaraka Tara as hismeditation deity, he did not realize the object of listening to the Prajnaparamita. Nevertheless, hehad heard that in Madhyadesa there was an acharya named Tarasana who could explain thePrajnaparamita to him. On the road, after he had set out for Madhyadesa, he was captured bybandits. Since warm blood was required in order to make puja to the goddess Durga, they said"Let us take him!" They led him to the habitation of the goddess Durga which was much like acremation ground. But since he prayed fervently to Bhattaraka Tara, the image of the goddessDurga split by itself into many small pieces. Becoming afraid, the bandits ran away and so the

acharya was freed.

Again, there was once an acharya named Subhakirti who was a great vinayadhara.[91] Togetherwith that, he relied upon the Tara Tantra and accepted her as his personal meditation deity.[92] Atone time he went from Madhyadesa into the western direction, and f inally, on a mountain there heerected a vihara. Through teaching the dharma he nurtured innumerable groups of bhikshus.

However, since there were many wandering bands of Garlok[93] about, the ochre-robed shaven-headed ones said, "Those who would do harm to us should be destroyed!" When the former


14/21

came with an army including some three hundred elephants, the bhikshus prayed to Tara. TheGoddess instructed them, "You should scatter water in the direction whence the army will come."Because they did this, all of those huge elephants were filled with terror and dread, so that theycould no longer be controlled. In this way, it came to pass that they returned to their own place.

Again, there was once an acharya named Buddhadasa who had been appointed the upadhyaya

of Dhanapuri.[94] Due to some sorcery, in an empty village nearby there were the dens of manytigers. Of the other smaller creatures, what can we say?"

Great compassion arose in the acharya and he went along the road to the village. The tigersapproached him, but since he prayed to Tara and scattered water while repeating Her mantra, allof these raging tigers were pacified. Their hearts became tranquil and thereafter they caused nofurther harm to living creatures. Since they passed away without killing any creatures for food, agreat rainfall of flowers occurred, this being a sign of their rebirth among the devas.

Furthermore, there was once an acharya named Triratnadasa, who became a disciple of theacharya Dignaga. He taught the dharma in the country of Divisa[95] in the eastern direction andremained there for some time. On one occasion, a great poisonous serpent came forth from theocean and ate many elephants and people. When it appeared near the city of Utkala, the

acharya saw that it would cause harm to countless numbers of people. Thus, he prayed ferventlyto Tara and scattered white mustard seed while he repeated the mantra of Tara. "This earth ofours, O Ananta, is intended for the benefit of everyone. Therefore, you should depart and returnto your delightful netherworld." When the acharya spoke to him in this fashion, the serpentreversed his course, and traveling down the river Ganga, he disappeared into the ocean.

Moreover, there was once an acharya named Jnanadeva who was a disciple of Santideva. Helived for a long time in the country of Trimala[96] in South India where he was engaged in bothstudying and teaching. Finally, he was told, "Now you should go to practice meditation in thesnow himalayas." Having gone to the north, he realized various benefits for beings in the countryof Tirahuti.

At that time, in a small village of the Tharu tribe at one end of the country, an evil spirit who was

actually a rakshasa[97] appeared. This spirit killed everyone, from the headman of the districtdown to the workers in the field. On the same day, the acharya came to this village and avengeful vetala[98] appeared before him. The acharya, while he repeated the mantra of Tara,threw his kilaya dagger.[99] It penetrated the head of the vetala who fell down helpless on itsback. The acharya entered the village, and since he prayed to Tara, a great rainfall of amritadescended from the sky, which cured the dying of their affliction. No one else died in that villagefrom the same cause.

THOSE WHO REALIZED THE EIGHT SIDDHIS

As for the legends of the siddhas who realized the eight siddhis:[100] There was once a bhikshuwho took Tara as his meditation deity. He went to collect alms in order that he might erect avihara. A brahman made him a gift of a pint[101] of anthelminthic medicine and at the temple of

Tara nearby he made this into pills. The remainder he set out in the sun, whereat a wind, bearingthe dust of such materials as gold and herbs, brought this to him. This dust also he made into apill. At the time when he was reciting the mantras, a fire began to burn in the middle of the pill.He kept this thereafter next to his body. On three occasions, when he thought of the celestial cityof the Trayatrimsa devas, he was actually transported there. For twelve years he remainedamong the devas.

Also, there was once a farmer who took Tara as his meditation deity. When he dug in the earthand cried "Phu! Phu!" the gate of Patala itself opened. Entering the place of the nagas, he drank


15/21

the amrita he found there. Thus, he became like a rainbow body.

At another time, a yogini living in a cremation ground, on the dusk of the twenty-ninth day, burnedmany human corpses. When she repeated the mantra of Tara, a light emanated from the middleof the fire and sooty smoke. When she applied an ointment to her body (made from the ashes),in the midst of her friends she became invisible.

Moreover, there was once an upasika who took Tara as his meditation deity. Together with hisfriends, he went to the cremation ground. A vetala, who lived there, attempted to frighten him bycausing a burning flame to come forth from his mouth. The man's friends were terrified and ranaway. But the kalyanamitra[101] remembered Tara and climbed upon the neck of a nearby tree.The tree was then transformed into a creature with three legs, three arms, and three heads. Withone arm and leg it spanned the ocean, with another it reached into the midst of the earth andmountains, and with the third pair it displayed the feat of reaching into the midst of the sky. Eachof its three faces asked him, "O great Vira, what am I to do for you?"

"By the road of the sky, go to the place of the devas, by the road of Patala, go to the place of theasuras, and by the road of the ocean, go to the place of the nagas," he said. "When I say I wantsomething from these places, it should be done immediately. The sadhaka of dull intellect would

not ask for this. Bring me a gift, a treasure of precious gems."

"Well then, I shall go to the blue mountains and ask for this," it replied. Instantly, it went there andreturned with a treasure of precious gems to be displayed before him. It is said that thiskalyanamitra experienced greater enjoyment than a powerful king for as long as he lived.

Again, there was once a sadhaka[103] who practiced the sadhana of Tara. He sat beside theroots of a bimba tree and repeated mantras. On one occasion, in the early morning, he saw anarrow lane in front of him which had not been there previously. He entered this and followedalong the way. By nightfall, he found himself in the midst of a delightful forest and here he saw agolden house. When he entered it, he encountered the Yakshini Kali, who was the servant of theYaksha Natakubera. She was adorned with every kind of ornament and her body was of anindefinite color. She addressed him, "O sadhaka, since you have come here, you must eat of the

elixir," and she placed in his hands a vessel filled with nectar. He remained for one month,drinking the elixir, and thereafter his body became free of death and rebirth.

Again, there was once a devoted upasika who took Tara as his meditation deity. While he wastraveling along the road, he found a sword of magnetic iron. When he continued along his way,he repeated hte mantra of Tara, and as a result, smoke arose from the sword. Again, herepeated the mantra and it ceased to burn. Thereafter, he was able to travel to whatever placeshis heart desired. Accordingly, each day he journeyed to the different realms of the devas, nagas,and amanushyas.[104] In each of these places, he obtained various kinds of special foods whichhe presented to the sangha. After many years he retired to the place of the vidyadharas.[105]

Again, there was once a bhikshu who, for three years, made circumambulations of a temple ofTara. Due to his supreme generosity toward the sangha, an elixir[106] fell from the sky like a

stream of milk. Once he drank of this, his body became free of old age. He lived for some threehundred years, and it is said that during this entire period he appeared to remain at the age ofsixty.

Again, there was once an upasika who lived in a temple of Tara where he prayed continually toher. On one occasion, when he made prostrations to the feet of Tara's image, a stone vesselsuddenly appeared beneath her feet. From inside this vase he extracted an inexhaustibleamount of food, of whatever kind he desired. For thirty years he sustained in this manner thelivelihood of some five hundred bhikshus.


16/21

HISTORY OF THE MAHASIDDHAS

From the time when Arya Nagarjuna left his body until the time when King Dharmapala appeared,there were some five hundred individuals who obtained siddhi by relying upon Tara. Indeed, all ofthem relied upon the Tarevisvakarmabhava Tantra, and it was said that there were many such

siddhas. They were responsible for the propagating of the Tantras of Tara. It was said that duringthe time of the successors of King Dharmapala, there was a slight decline (in the popularity ofthese tantras) and that this was due to the exhortations of certain bhikshu pitakadharas.[107] It isalso said that they lived in the palace of the king. It is clear that this was after Buddhajnana hadleft his body.

Furthermore, in the kingdom of Aparantaka,[108] the volumes of the secret mantras appearedwherever there was teaching and study. These were examined with great precision and theindividual instructions pertaining to the tantras were studied thoroughly. As previously, the secretmantras were kept secret and their practice was not evident in public. However, the tantras ofmahayoga, including their study, explanation, and meditation, spread very widely in the world.When collected together, they were sealed with vajra words: "These should be extensivelyexplained. However, where there are contradictory words whose meanings are very secret, these

should not be explained thereafter." And so it was proclaimed.

Some portions of the Sri Heruka Tantra, as well as some sections of the great tantras such asMahakala, Tarevisvakarmabhava, Canda Krodha, Caturpitha, Karmamala, and so on, werediscovered by the siddhas. It is said this also included some five hundred fragments of tantras,although elsewhere it is said it was some one thousand such fragments. These texts, of whichthere were very many, were collected together and placed into eight great golden caskets. Theyin turn were placed inside vessels made of seven different kinds of precious substances, such asa vessel of silver and so on. These were then concealed at the great cremation ground ofSitavana.[109] It is said that at this time the study and explication[110] of each one of thesetantras was interrupted.

As for the manner of their subsequent propagation: At a time when the acharya Tilopa[111] in a

former manifestation had not yet obtained realization, he resided at a vihara in the east. While hewas living there, from underneath the throne of the image of Munindra, a light came forth againand again. At such times he also heard the sound of music. When he dug in the earth at thatspot, he brought forth the tantra of Tara. But at that time he did not obtain the object which hesought.

Afterwards, when he went to the country of Uddiyana[112] which is in the western direction, hemet a pale green woman who possessed all the signs of a dakini. She displayed certainsymbols[113] which were explained in the tantra, and the acharya replied with mystic signs. Dueto his praying to her, she transformed herself into Tara Devi. She blessed his mind and conferredinitiation upon him.

Tilopa explained the tantra of Tara to the acharya Naropa. He, in turn, explained it to Dombhipa,

Kanakasri, Kandhapa, and Thakki-nagnapa. The younger Kusala requested it from Dombhipa.Asitaghana requested it from him and Jnanamitra listened to it from the latter. The mahasiddhaSantigupta also listened to him. Our own three gurus received it from Santigupta.

Furthermore, Lilavajra requested the tantra from Tilopa. Rahulagupta received it from the formeran din turn gave it to Dipankara Srijnana who requested it from him. Madhyamasiddha requestedit from the latter and Harasrimitra received it from him. Then in sequence the explanation wastransmitted to Sanghasri, Ratnadhvaja, Nayakasri, Dharmasri, Sakyarakshita, Sujata,Buddhasribhadra, Jnanaratna, Ratigupta, and finally to the mahacharya Santigupta. In addition,


17/21

he received the explanation of the tantra through Kandhapa, Prikapa, Dhupiraja, Haribhanjapa,and Asitaghana. It is said that he also received the tantra through Kanakasri, Lokapradha,Dharmodayasanti, and so on. Thakki-nagnapa explained it to Mandirapala. In the meantime,many different lineages were propagated in a similar fashion. Subsequently, these were collectedtogether by the mahasiddha Santigupta and these have spread widely until the present time.

Among these lineages there are some individuals who have slightly different histories and thisshould be known. Without dwelling on these here, I shall explain a little regarding them.

As for Kanakasri, he was born in Magadha and took pravrajya ordination from a follower ofKurukulla. At Vikramasila he became very learned in all the sutras, mantras, and sciences. InBhangala he obtained initiation into the Guhyasamaja from a pandita named Dharmamitra. Forseven years he practiced meditation and mantra recitation, but no auspicious signs appeared.Having interrupted his meditation practice, he resided wherever he liked. One evening in adream, a woman made a prophecy: "Go into the presence of Sri Naropa!"

Thus he requested from Naropa initiation into Cakrasamvara and as a result an excellentsamadhi arose of itself. Since he meditated continuously for six months, he had a vision of theface of Chakrasamvara. Thereafter, he relied upon the great Naropa as his guru for seven years

and listened to innumerable tantras. In particular, he became exceedingly learned in such tantrasas Cakrasamvara, Caturpitha, and Tarevisvakarmabhava.

In Magadha, during the reign of King Neyapala, he contended in a magical contest with anindividual named Khasamadeva who was a follower of Isvara. This tirthika conjured up amandala in the sky, one full fathom in extent, and set a vessel in it. By scattering white mustardthe acharya was able to destroy the mandala and the vessel fell to the ground. Then the acharyaset an image of Tara in the sky, at the height of one palm tree. Without the consent of theacharya, the tirthika was unable to bring down the image by such means as fire arrows and themantras of the tirthikas.

Subsequently, the king invited this acharya, who was known to be a tantradhara, to Vikramasila.There he had a vision of the face of Tara. Relying upon the vidyamantra of Tara, he performed a

karmayoga[114] ritual in order to gather everyone near and far under his power. It is said that ateight different times he resolved great quarrels.

As for Kandhapa: There was once a Buddhist yogin who appeared to be of very dull intelligence.From the Lord Naropa he requested the initiation and blessing of the TarevisvakarmabhavaTantra. He meditated on the Heruka and the nine deities which come from this tantra. Since hepracticed sadhana for twelve years, he had visions of both the faces of Heruka and Tara andconsequently he attained siddhi. He could traverse instantly a road of one hundred yojanas.

At that time there was a Turkish king[115] in the city of Delhi, who had built himself a grand newpalace. The acharya came there, and spreading out his old robe, he sat down nearby. When thepalace was completed, the acharya tore and shredded his old robe into many little pieces. Thepalace crumbled as a result. Three times this occurred in the same fashion. The king, having

listened to this story, invited the acharya and prostrated to his feet. The acharya compelled theking to make four promsies: (1) not to cause any harm to the temples of the Buddhists, (2) thosewho lived within the palace would abandon the taking of life, (3) to make puja offerings to thepravrajakas,[116] and (4) each day to prostrate while reciting the name of the Buddha.

Since the word for an old worn-out robe is "kandhari," the acharya subsequently became knownas the Siddha Kandhapa. For a long time he accomplished the benefit of beings, and finally withthis very body he went to traverse the sky.


18/21

Furthermore, as for Thakki-nagnapa: The significance of the word "thakki" is one who realizes alivelihood by means of various different deceitful deeds. It is said that he belonged to a lowerclass family from a border region. As for "nagna," the meaning is "great name" or "greatstrength." Among the tribe of Thakki, he was an individual possessing an extremely strong bodyand so he was named accordingly. Moreover, he lived as a yogin.

Having requested the teaching for Hevajra from a disciple of Naramunichandra,[117] he practicedmeditation one-pointedly for fifteen years on a mountain called Nila in the south. However, nosigns of realization appeared, and he made a vow to realize siddhi in another life. Thereupon, he

jumped off a great precipice. But his body was in no way injured. A voice came forth from thesky, admonishing him, "You should follow after Naropa."

Thereafter, he remained at the feet of Naropa. Since he prayed for initiation into Hevajra, thelatter replied, "You will not attain realization of Hevajra. Rather, it is necessary for you to meditateon Chakrasamvara, and thus you must take the initiation for Samvara."

Replying to the Lord Naropa, he said, "As for requesting Chakrasamvara, this is very difficult.One needs eight times as much material than is required for any other mandala. At this time, I donot possess such materials. Since I am of dull intelligence, I am unable to listen anew to an

extensive tantra."

Because he spoke in this fashion, Naropa initiated him into the practice of Tara and he was giventhis tantra. Nevertheless, he was also given in complete form all the instructions for samvara-mathuna[118] by mistake, and since he meditated one-pointedly on these, he attained supremesiddhi. Thereupon, he went to pay homage to Naropa, who at that time was sitting at the head ofa row of officients at an extensive Ganachakrapuja. Thakki-nagnapa displayed suchphenomena[119] as a fire blazing about his body and the earth quaking. Subsequently, hebecame invisible. Since at that time he did not accomplish the benefit of beings, he is notnumbered among the four principal disciples of Naropa.

At a later time, there was an excellent yogin named Mandirapala, who was a disciple ofAbhayakaragupta. For more than a month, he remained in the presence of the latter. Thus, it

happened that the initiation for Tara was conferred upon him, and in addition he was given theoral instructions for the explanatory Tantra. Since he meditated diligently, in six months heattained siddhi, and it is said that finally he departed for the realm of the nagas. He had somefour disciples and from him derived two or three lineages for the study and explication of thistantra. But I have not heard this history in any detail.

As for Lilavajra, he belonged to the Kshattriya caste. While traveling to Magadha, along the roadhe saw a yogin sitting near a tree and developed supreme faith in him. He prostrated at thelatter's feet. Afterwards, when he returned to his own country, his mind was devastated due to hiswife having an affair with another man. Thus, he returned to Magadha in order to study thedharma. There he met the same siddha under the tree. That siddha was none other than theelder Tilopa. Tilopa blessed his afflicted mind, and having conferred initiation upon him, taughthim the secret oral instructions. Thus he attained realization without any long delay. Thereafter,

he played tunes on a reed flute and by means of his crazy actions[120] he accomplished thebenefit of beings. But his history is nowhere told in detail.

As for the history of Dipankara Srijnana, better known as Atisa, this is very well known and neednot be repeated here.

As for Madhyamasiddhi, he was a disciple of the Lord Atisa. He was very learned in grammar,logic, and the sutra system generally. Even though he did not know the other secret mantras, hewas thoroughly knowledgeable in the tantra of Tara and from this obtained many powers. For


19/21

example, having traveled along the river Ganga in the east of India, he went without hindranceinto a vast open plain where he was able to command the tigers and poisonous snakes.

As for Tarasri, he was a bull among those who engaged in debate. While debating with thetirthikas in Magadha, he was victorious three times. In the countries of the south, he reversed thesravakas in debate, while it is said that in the country of Kashmir, he vanquished all the panditas,

both Buddhist and non-Buddhist, in debate. He even became the guru of the king of Kashmir. Bymeans of the vidyamantra of Tara, he brought the king of the country of Gajani[122] under hispower and enrolled him among the Buddhists.

From Sanghasri until Dharmasri the history is not told.

As for Sakyarakshita, he was born in the country of Singala. At first he was a sravaka mendicant,but then he became very learned in our own system (the mahayana). While residing at thegolden town of Haripunca, which is included within the district of Rakhan, he listened to manymantra doctrines, as well as the Prajnaparamita, from the acharya Dharmasri. In particular, hebecame profoundly learned in the Hevajra Tantra, the Cakrasamvara Tantra, theTarevisvakarmabhava Tantra, and the Mahakala Tantra. He had a vision of the face of Heruka,and having relied upon the vidyamantra of Tara, he gathered all the mahakalas under his power.

It was said that he could summon from even beyond one hundred yojanas those materials whichhe desired by means of an apparition of a black upasika who served him. When a king namedChagalaraja prepared to lead an army in order to conquer the towns and temples of Haripanja,the acharya threw a trisula, the symbol of mahakala. The trisula flew for more than a monthbefore it landed on the roof of the palace of this king and destroyed it completely. In this manner,Sakyarakshita became widely known as one possessing magical powers.[122]

As for Sujata, he was the upadhyaya of Dandapuri, a vihara in the country of Kamboja. Hebelonged to the Kshattriya caste and took pravrajya ordination. Moreover, it is said thatBuddhasribhadra and Jnanaratha appeared in that same country.

As for Jnanasyana, he also was born in that country. He took pravrajya ordination from theupadhyaya Jnanaratha. He became learned in many tantras of the secret mantras, both inner

and outer. In particular, he was knowledgeable in the tantra of Tara and so came to obtainmagical powers. During the later part of his life he lived in the country of Nepal where hepracticed the conduct of a yogin. Taking a padmini or lotus woman as his mudra, he came toattain siddhi. He displayed many marvelous signs, such as setting out an extensiveGanachakrapuja with full measure of rice and vessels of wine for more than two thousandbhikshus and tantrikas.

The acharya Ratigupta went to the country of Nepal in order to seek initiation into certain portionsof the tantras of the secret mantras, such as the tantra of Tara, the Mahakala Tantra, theSamvarodaya Tantra, and the Kurukullavabodhi Tantra. He listened to many tantras fromJnanasyana, Jivasyana, Sritanupala, and Gittipala. The tantra of Tara he heard fromJnanasyana.

As for the siddha Prikapa, he received all the initiations and secret instructions from the SiddhaKandhapa. Thereafter, for a long time he practiced sadhana. Finally, in a grove of scentedflowers, he erected a mandala and since he practiced sadhana there, for twelve months not asingle flower wilted. One evening toward the end of that period, a fire blazed up among theflowers. By adorning himself with these flowers, he obtained the ordinary siddhis. Finally, hetraveled without hindrance to Patala.

As for Dhupiraja, it was said that he was a siddha who belonged to the caste of washerman.[123]The history of Haribhanjapa is nowhere told.


20/21

As for Lokapradhapa, he was a pandita from the Kshattriya caste. He took Kanakasri as his rootguru. Among the doctrines pertaining to the secret mantras, he studied well only the doctrinalcycle of the Tarevisvakarmabhava Tantra. Taking up residence in an empty park in the country ofGujiratha,[124] he practiced there for six years, having taken a Mandhara[125] as his partner insadhana. He meditated only on the utpattikrama and sampannakrama[126] of Tara and so

obtained a prophecy from the dakinis. Having relied upon the vidyas and practicingvidyavrata[127] for six months, he obtained all the siddhis he desired. He remained thereafter atthat place.

At one time, when the Turkish[128] king of that country came to inspect this district, he saw thatthe place where the acharya resided was delightful, and inquired, "Who lives here?" Theattendants of the king replied, "There is only one Buddhist householder."

When the king sought to deprive the acharya of his place of residence, instantly everythingoutside and inside began to burn in a fire. The king and his retinue were burned and thus theywere stopped in their tracks. This acharya was known to have obtained siddhi and because heprayed the fire was extinguished.

Then the acharya admonished the king, "O King, it would be well if you make a puja for theBuddhists. If you do not do this, you will be destroyed now!"

Thereupon, the king and his entire family took an oath to offer puja for the Buddhists. Eventhough, from that time until the present, the kings of this country belong to the clan of the GarlokTurks, they have performed pujas for the chief figures among the Buddhists. Although previouslythere had been no more than a few Buddhists in that country, this same king erected some eightviharas. The acharya began in earnest his task of conversion and gradually, from then until thepresent, the doctrine of the Buddha spread.

At the time when this king developed faith in the Buddha, the Kazis, who were the teachersamong the Mlecchas,[129] came and set fire to the residence of the acharya. When the acharyacast his glance upon them, all of them became rigid and completely devoid of awareness. For

three days they could not eat. Finally, the acharya restored them again by praying and by thesound of a ringing bell. Since the Kazis feared the punishment of the king due to their activities,they fled to their own country a long distance away in the western direction. By scattering whitemustard the acharya overcame all the Masitas[130] in the residences of teh Mlecchas. At thoseplaces which were thus vacated, he erected stupas for the Buddha. In addition, he erected someone hundred temples of Tara.

The acharya initiated the king into the mandala of Padmanartesvara[131] and erected a templefor the practice of the secret mantras. Previously, there were many brahmanas and tirthikasunder the rule of that king. But due to the hostile activities of the Turkish Kazis[132], there weremore than one thousand who adhered to the Mleccha-siddhanta or Muslim system of philosophy.Nonetheless, during the lifetime of this acharya, more than twenty individuals took the pravrajyaordination of the Buddhists, while the Mlecchas declined in numbers. It is said that, due to many

Buddhist acharyas being invited there by the king, our own bhikshus increased to more than twothousand in number.

At another time, a great famine afflicted that country. From beneath the ground the acharyaextracted a great treasure of rice and thus distributed hundreds upon hundreds of loads of rice toall the people of the country. Taking pearl necklaces from the nagas and yakshas, he distributedthese among all the poor people. Each day he gave away valuable food freely and continued todo this for three years.


21/21

Thereafter, in a small district of Dravida,[133] there was a small child who possessed all thebodily marks of death. The acharya achieved the transference of his consciousness into thischild and thus resurrected him.[134] His old body, due to his blessing sat inside the door of astupa without giving any signs of decay. In the meantime, in Dravida he appeared as a yoginengaged in conduct involving multifarious activities[135] with eight women whose bodies alsoshowed no signs of aging or death. These women performed puja for his previous body. Aftersome sixty years, he re-entered his original body. Thereupon, for more than ten years heaccomplished the benefit of certain fortunate sentient beings. Afterwards, having projected hisconsciousness out of his body[136] more than six times in the course of three years in order towander hither and thither, his two bodies, together with the hosts of his retinue of vidyas, becameinvisible.

Both Tarasri and Dharmodayasanti listened to the tantra of Tara from him. As forDharmodayasanti, it was said that he was the most learned of any individual in the kaliyuga andmoreover that he was taught by Suryasri. However, his history is nowhere told. Also, Sanghasrirequested teachings from Lokapradha, but enough has been said of this. The siddhacharyaLokapradha composed a sadhana, a tantra-pindartha, a sampannakrama, an abhisekavidhi, anda homa. The commentary of Narasurya follows him.

Subsequently, the study and explication of the Tantra of Tara became rare. However, themahasiddha Santipada caused the tantra to be spread anew. Moreover, I myself received theoral teachings of my own guru (Buddhagupta) from the upadesa of Santipada in an undistortedand complete fashion. Since I have studied thoroughly the two commentaries, together with theeight smaller texts, here on this side of the himalayas, and since I have fortunately obtained meritfrom my previous lives, I finally came to realize the profound vision of the jina of the MotherTantras.[137] Thus, I have set down here, in accordance with the teachings of my own guru, theorigin of the Tarevisvakarmabhava Tantra.

This treatise was composed by Taranatha. It was written at Choda Serdogchan[138] in my ownthirtieth year.

May well being and good fortune increase!

COLOPHON:

This Golden Rosary which illuminates the origin of the Tantras of Tara and the subsequent historyof her cult, which was composed by Jonang Taranatha, was, with devotion and fervent prayers toour Lady, translated into the English language by Vajranatha. Done at Amherst in the year of thefire snake (July-August, 1977). May this luminous history be of benefit to all beings. By the graceof our Lady may all beings swiftly realize liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.

SARVA MANGALAM

The Golden Rosary of Tara

Documents

Transcript of The Golden Rosary of Tara