Buddhism Pantheon: Green Tara

Green Tara (Śyāmatārā in Sanskrit; Drolma in Tibetan, meaning “She Who Liberates”) is one of the most beloved figures in Vajrayāna Buddhism. She is not a creator goddess in the theistic sense, nor a ruler of worlds, but an enlightened being. This bodhisattva embodies active compassion, immediate aid, and fearless response to suffering.

Where other figures teach enlightenment through contemplation, Green Tara moves. She listens, rises, and acts.

She is the moment that compassion meets action.

The Origin of Tara – Compassion Given Form

According to Buddhist tradition, Tara was born from the tears of Avalokiteśvara (Chenrezig), the bodhisattva of infinite compassion. As he looked upon the suffering of the world, tears fell from his eyes and pooled into a lake. From those tears arose a lotus, and from that lotus emerged Tara.

This origin is deeply theological rather than poetic. It teaches that compassion itself generates liberating power. Tara is not separate from compassion — she is compassion responding to suffering.

In some traditions, Tara vows never to be reborn as a man, declaring that enlightenment is not bound to masculine form. This vow makes her especially important as a female expression of awakening, challenging cultural assumptions about gender and spiritual authority.

There is another origin story in which she is Wisdom Moon, a princess who had great faith and respect for the Buddha. In The Explanation of Tara by Taranatha Kunga Nyingpo, monks told her that she would have to be reborn as a male in her next life so she could protect dharma, as this was a time before women were given equal rights, and Wisdom Moon replied,

“Here, there is no man nor woman—no self, no person, no consciousness. The labels’ male’ and ‘female’ have no essence; the foolish worldly ones are thoroughly mistaken.”

She went on to prove them wrong by discovering how to free people from samsara through meditation. She would go without food until she had achieved this in the mornings, earning the name Drölma, or The Liberator. Wisdom Moon made an oath before Buddha Amoghasiddhi to protect beings from harmful obstacles, and is highly celebrated and praised for her ability to be called upon and act swiftly.

Green Tara’s Promise – Speed and Presence

Green Tara is known as the Swift Liberator. Unlike more contemplative forms of Tara, she responds immediately. Her posture in traditional iconography reveals this theology clearly: one leg folded in meditation, the other extended outward, foot touching the world.

Green Tara is already rising. She is ready to step into the world at the moment she is invoked. Her compassion does not wait for suffering to become bearable or deserving.

She acts now.

The Twenty-One Taras – One Compassion, Many Expressions

In Tibetan Buddhism, Green Tara is central to the Twenty-One Taras, a cycle of manifestations that represent compassion meeting different forms of fear, danger, and delusion.

These fears are traditionally described as:

• Physical dangers

• Emotional suffering

• Spiritual confusion

• Internal poisons of the mind

But the deeper teaching is this: every fear has a compassionate response.

Green Tara stands at the center of these manifestations as the most accessible, approachable, and universally invoked form. She is the Tara who answers everyday prayers — fear during travel, illness, anxiety, grief, sudden danger, and emotional overwhelm.

Liberation Without Judgment

One of Green Tara’s most important theological roles is her lack of judgment. Unlike deities who enforce moral law or karmic consequence, Tara does not weigh worthiness. She responds to suffering because suffering exists.

This reflects a key Buddhist principle: compassion is not conditional.

Green Tara does not erase karma — but she helps beings move through its consequences with clarity, courage, and support. She is invoked not to escape life, but to navigate it without being consumed by fear.

Green Tara and Fearlessness

Green Tara is closely associated with fearlessness, not as bravado, but as the calm courage that arises when one is no longer alone.

Her right hand is often depicted in the gesture of generosity, palm open, offering refuge. Her left hand holds a blue lotus (utpala), which blooms at night — symbolizing wisdom that arises in darkness.

Even in the most frightening moments, awakening is possible.

Mantra as Theology – “Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha”

Green Tara’s mantra is not simply a chant; it is a compressed teaching.

• Om invokes the universal truth

• Tare calls upon Tara as liberator

• Tuttare frees from outer fears

• Ture frees from inner delusion

• Svaha seals the intention

Chanting this mantra is considered an act of alignment — placing oneself within the current of compassionate action.

In this way, Green Tara is not only invoked externally; she is activated internally.

Symbolism and Iconography as Teaching

Every element of Green Tara’s imagery is instructional:

• Her green color represents vitality, movement, and active compassion

• Her youthful appearance reflects timeless presence rather than age

• Her ornaments symbolize the perfection of enlightened qualities

• Her open posture communicates availability and readiness

She is neither distant nor severe. She is radiant, warm, and alert.

Crystals and Modern Devotional Correspondence

While crystals are not part of traditional Buddhist practice, modern metaphysical devotees often align Green Tara with stones that reflect her qualities of healing, movement, compassion, and emotional balance.

These associations arise naturally from her symbolism:

• Green Aventurine – gentle courage and emotional healing

• Jade – protection, longevity, and compassionate balance

• Emerald – heart-centered wisdom and renewal

• Malachite – transformation and fearless change

• Prehnite – unconditional compassion and trust

• Clear Quartz – amplification of mantra and intention

When used, these stones are treated not as power sources but as reminders of Tara’s qualities, supporting meditation and devotional focus.

Green Tara in Contemporary Practice

Today, Green Tara is beloved by:

• Travelers

• Caregivers

• Healers

• Those experiencing anxiety or fear

• People in transition between states of being

• Anyone seeking courage rooted in compassion

She is especially invoked in moments that feel sudden, overwhelming, or destabilizing — when action is required but fear clouds clarity.

Green Tara does not promise a life without suffering.
She promises presence within it.

The Living Teaching of Green Tara

Green Tara teaches that enlightenment is not a passive state. It is not withdrawal from the world. It is responsive compassion — wisdom that does not ignore suffering where it stands in the physical world.

She whispers a truth central to Buddhism itself:

You are not abandoned.
Compassion is already moving toward you.
Take the next step — I am with you.