Tara's Enlightened Activity: An Oral Commentary On The Twenty-One Praises To Tara

246 Pages·2007·10.87 MB·English

by  Khenchen Palden Sherab

Tara's Enlightened Activity

Tara's Enlightened Activity
An Oral Commentary on
The Twenty--one Praises to Tara
by
Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche
and
Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
Snow Lion Publications
Ithaca, New York
Boulder, Colorado
SNOW LION PuBLICATIONS
P. 0. Box 6483
Ithaca, NY 14851 USA
[phone].
www.snowlionpub.com
Copyright© 2007 Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang
Dongyal Rinpoche
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without prior
written permission from the publisher.
Printed in Canada on acid-free recycled paper.
ISBN-10: 1-55939-287-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-55939-287-7
Tara line drawings by Anna Zhuranskaya, first published in The Smile of Sun
and Moon by Khenchen Palden Sherab, translated by Anna Orlova. Boca
Raton, FL: Sky Dancer Press, 2004.
Libra:ry of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Palden Sherab, Khenchen, 1941-
Tara's enlightened activity: an oral commentary on the twenty-one
praises to Tara/ by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo
Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55939-287-7 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-55939-287-8 (alk. paper)
1. Tara (Goddess)--Prayers and devotions--History and criticism. I. Tsewang
Dongyal, Khenpo, 1950-II. Title.
BQ4710.T33P34 2007
294.3'42114--dc22
2007020381
CONTENTS
Editor's Note 9
PART ONE: NOBLE LADY TARA INTIBETAN BUDDHIST LIFE
History
The Early History of Tara Practice 13
The Revival ofTara Practice in the Niheteenth Century 14
The Lineage of the Present Teachings on
The Twenty~one Praises to Tara 15
Understanding Tara at the Relative Level
How Tara Became a Buddha 17
Tara's Enlightened Activities 18
Understanding Tara at the Ultimate Level
Tara as the Ultimate Mother 21
The Mother's Infinite Emanations 22
Tara and the Wisdom Dakini 25
Deepening Our Understanding of Emptiness 28
PART Two: AN APPROACH TO THE TANTRIC PRACTICE OF TARA
A Brief Description ofTantra
Tantra's Three Aspects of Ground, Path, and Fruit 33
The Six Limits and the Four Systems 35
The Five Perfections of the Teaching 39
How to Practice Tara
How to Set up a Shrine to Tara 41
Special Times and Places to Practice 43
Mantra Recitation 43
A Sound Framework for a Complete Practice 45
Working with the Four Levels of Practice 46
6 Contents
PART THREE: DETAILED COMMENTARY ON
THE TWENTY·ONE PRAISES TO TARA
Introductory Homage to Tara 53
1. Noble Lady Tara Nyurma Pamo 57
2. Noble Lady Tara Later Yangchenma 65
3. Noble Lady Tara Si:inam Tobche 73
4. Noble Lady Tara Tsugtor Namgyalma 79
5. Noble Lady Tara Wangdi.i Rigje Lhamo 85
6. Noble Lady Tara Ji gje Chenmo 91
7. Noble Lady Tara Zhengyi Mithubma 95
8. Noble Lady Tara Zhengyi Migyalma 101
9. Noble Lady Tara: Sengdeng Nagchi 107
10. Noble Lady Tara J igten Sumle Gyalma 113
11. Noble Lady Phagma Norter Drolma 117
12. Noble Lady Tara Tashi Di:inje 123
13. Noble Lady Tara Yi.ille Gyalma 129
14. Noble Lady Tara Thronyer Chen 135
15. Noble Lady Tara Rabzhima 139
16. Noble Lady Tara Rigngag Tobjom 145
17. Noble Lady Tara Pagme Nonma 151
18. Noble Lady Tara Maja Chenmo 157
19. Noble Lady Tara Dugkarmo 163
20. Noble Lady Tara Rito Lama Jonma 167
21. Noble Lady Tara Lhamo Ozer Chenma 171
Contents 7
PART FOUR: VERSES ON THE BENEFITS
-CONCISE SUMMARY 179
THE TWENTY,ONE PRAISES TO TARA 195
Appendix: Names and Attributes 224
References
Tibetan Sources and Sadhanas 227
Western Teachings, Sources, and Translations 228
Endnotes 229
Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
with the Tara statue in the Gonpa at Padma Samye Ung