Tara is mother of all Buddhas. She is the perfect wisdom that gives birth to enlightenment.
She is the essence of dharmakaya, beyond measure, time and concept.
Her compassion for living beings and her desire to save them from suffering is said to be stronger than a mother's love for her children.
She is called One Who Liberates, Exalted Mother,Venerable Lady.
The peaceful, compassionate White Tara's nature is to offer peace, prosperity, long life, health, and good fortune. She is believed to protect beings while they are crossing the ocean of existence.
She appears to emanate great affection and love. Her face bears the expression of great peace that is not impassive – expression of utter tranquillity that is also very kind.
She is very beautiful and completely feminine. She is not only perfect in form but also graceful in expression and engaging in appearance.
White Tara’s body is the colour of white crystal. It is cool, stainless, clear and free from flaws. It glows and radiates lights of the five colours, which represents the five wisdoms.
She has seven eyes - the two usual eyes, plus an eye in the centre of her forehead and eyes in each of her hands and soles of the feet. With everyone of her eyes she gazes compassionately on all realms of existence.
Three eyes on her face represent the inseparability of the three kayas, which are primordially pure and not subject to defilement.
The four eyes on her alms and the soles symbolize the four immeasurables – immeasurable loving kindness, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy and immeasurable impartiality.
Tara Mantra:
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
Her right hand is in the gesture of generosity, which symbolizes supreme giving. She gives whatever beings need and do not have. It represents the gift of skilful means, the gift of inspiration, the gift of the qualities of realization, and the gift of the various noble activities, which are the expressions of completely awakened mind.
No matter which form she manifests, however, she is never susceptible to the defilements of samsara. This freedom is symbolized by the white utpala flower forever blossoming at her left ear.
Long Life Tara Mantra: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE MAMA AYU PUNYE JNANA PUKTRIM KURU SOHA
The moon behind her back represents the quality of her actions for the benefit of all seintient beings – peacefulness, coolness and gentleness.
The legend surrounding the birth of the White Tara and Green Tara says that one day Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisatva of Compassion, looking down on the suffering of humanity, began to cry. Two tears dropped to the earth and formed two lakes from which two lotuses, a white one and a green one, began to grow. Out of the white one emerged White Tara and out of the green one came Green Tara.