The Cult of Tara

WORSHIP
Among all the tales recounted in the religious commentaries on
the monastic Law, the most important nowadays are those about
royal gatherings and masters who save from danger, as a sample
of which we offer you this portion, the Biography of Nangsa obum,
as a means to awaken avaricious people to a disgust at wordly life
and to turn their minds toward the Law. Now there are many different
biographies of people named Nangsa, such as Nangsa the Lady
of the Land of the Gods, Nangsa with the Body of a Deer, and so
on; but today we offer you a recitation, in accord with the Law,
of the ancient story of how the holy ascetic, the beautiful dakini
Nangsa obum took birth in a human body, and hence I pray you
all listen with your undivided attention.
Now here in Tibet the parts of the country are divided among
the three districts of Ngari in upper Tibet, the six districts of Amdo
and K'am in lower Tibet, and the four banners of 0 and Tsang in
central Tibet; and it was in this country called Nyangto jetse, in
Yaje of Tsang, the right hand banner, that there dwelt an ordinary
Buddhist household called Jangp'ek'ur. Therein were both
a man, named Kiinzang dech'en, and his wife, named Nyangts'a
sedron; and both man and wife sang the praises of Tara of the
Khadira Forest continually, all day and all night, with no greed
for any gain from it.
One evening, after they had recited Tara's mantra 100,000
times, the wife, by the strength thereof, had some exceedingly
wondrous dreams, and in the following words she asked her husband
about them.
[Nyangts'a Sedron:]
Devotion and homage to Tara of the Khadira Forest,
the active power of all the Conquerors,
the goddess who lets herself be seen 1
My husband for life, ever since our destinies were ordained,
my lord Kiinzang dech'en: listen to me.
When I was asleep last night,
I had the most wondrous dreams:
in the Holy Realm of Turquoise Leaves,
from above a jeweled throne of blazing conch-white leaves,
from the syllable TAM in the heart of Tara
(mother of the Conquerors,
mother of the Buddhas of the three times,
protector from all terrors)
light radiated forth. It entered through the top of my head,
it traveled down the central channel, I dreamed
that it dissolved in the center of my heart.
Jn my body a lotus flower grew,
I dreamed that dakinis made offerings to its stem.
rom all directions there gathered a host of bees;
dreamed they were satiated with its nectar.
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