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Tara Temple 3D Mandalas, Bodh Gaya

The fundamental practice of Buddhist Tantra is "deity yoga" (devatayoga), meditation on a chosen deity or "cherished divinity" (Skt. Ista-devata, Tib. yidam), which involves the recitation of mantras, prayers and visualization of the deity, the associated mandala of the deity's Buddha field, along with consorts and attendant Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Representations of the deity, such as statues (murti), paintings (thangka), or mandala, are often employed as an aid to visualization, in deity yoga. The use of visual aids, particularly microcosmic/macrocosmic diagrams, known as mandalas, is another unique feature of Buddhist Tantra. Mandalas are symbolic depictions of the sacred space of the awakened Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as well as of the inner workings of the human person. The macrocosmic symbolism of the mandala then, also represents the forces of the human body. The explanatory tantra of the Guhyasamaja tantra, the Vajramala, states: "The body becomes a palace, the hallowed basis of all the Buddhas."

Mandalas are also sacred enclosures, sacred architecture that house and contain the uncontainable essence of a central deity or yidam and their retinue. In the book The World of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama describes mandalas thus: "This is the celestial mansion, the pure residence of the deity." The Five Tathagatas or 'Five Buddhas', along with the figure of the Adi-Buddha, are central to many Vajrayana mandalas as they represent the "five wisdoms", which are the five primary aspects of primordial wisdom or Buddha-nature.

Participating in the evening ceremonies.

Accessing the upper floors.
To access the upper floors of Tara Temple we have to enter through a side door that gives access to the stairs.


Twenty-One Taras.
Around Tara Temple are twenty-one statues of Tara.

  • 'Praises to the Twenty-One Taras' is a traditional prayer in Tibetan Buddhism to the female Bodhisattva Tara (Sanskrit: Tara; Tibetan: Drolma) also known as Arya Tara, or Jetsun Dolma.
  • It appears in the Derge Kangyur as 'Offering Praise to Tara through Twenty-One [verses] of Homage.
  • The prayer is found in all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
  • Each of the twenty-one emanations of Tara has her own name, and a specific mantra with which she is associated, offering protection from various types of fears, harm, and calamities.
  • See more at Praises to the Twenty-One Taras - Wikipedia.

Tara Mandala on the first floor.
This Tara Mandala is surrounded by animal headed dakinis.

  • The dakinis are female, wrathful, animal-headed deities of meditation and the bardo intermediate state after death.
  • They are part of the mandala of the Hundred Wrathful and Peaceful Deities, an archetypical schematic of the human psyche assigning 42 peaceful deities to the heart, and 58 wrathful deities to the mind.
  • Zhitro practices involve a mandala of 100 peaceful (zhi) and wrathful (khro) tantric deities and associated teachings and tantric practices which focus on those deities which represent the purified elements of the body and mind. These hundred peaceful and wrathful deities are believed to manifest to a deceased person following the dissolution of the body and consciousness whilst they are in the intermediate state, or bardo, between death and rebirth.
  • See more at Dakini - Wikipedia and Zhitro - Wikipedia.

Tara Mandala on the second floor.
This Tara Mandala is surrounded by nagas.

  • The Buddhist naga generally has sometimes been portrayed as a human being with a snake or dragon extending over his head.
  • In the Vajrayana and Mahasiddha traditions, nagas in their half-human form are depicted holding a nagas-jewel, kumbhas of amrita, or a terma. In Tibetan Buddhism, nagas are known as klu or klu-mo and they are associated with water and cleanliness, as they live in oceans, rivers, lakes, and springs, and do not want their environments to be disturbed or polluted.
  • They act as a guard upon Mount Sumeru, protecting the devas of Trayastrimsa from attack by the asuras.
  • From the tantra known as the 'Twenty-One Praises of Tara' spoken by the Buddha Samantabhadra arises the system of practice with Twenty-one Tara emanations - one for each verse of praise. Each form of Tara has a specific colour and accomplishes a specific activity. Based on that, there are three well known and distinct lineages for the different sets of Twenty-one Taras: Pandita Suryagupta, Lord Atisha, and from the compendium of practices called the the Sadhanasamucchaya. The three lineages do not share the same iconographic forms.
  • See more at Nāga, Buddhism - Wikipedia.

Great Tara statue on the temple terrace.

Base of the great statue.
In the core of Vajrayana Buddhism lies the principle of the Five Enlightened Buddha Families. They form the basis of the geometric mandala. They take the central point and the four cardinal directions. Each of the Five Buddhas was assigned a direction, a consort, a progeny of bodhisattvas and deities, a color, an animal throne, a specific mudra, and a symbolic emblem or attribute. The Five Buddhas are represented on different animal thrones. In different Tantric traditions, the placement of the Five Buddhas is not constant. Their respective directions and their specific animal thrones are open to some variation. The later Kalachakra Tantra (circa tenth century AD) has assigned all these various attributes to each of the Five Buddhas.

  • The elephant is a symbol of mental strenght. At the beginning of one's practice the uncontrolled mind is symbolised by a gray elephant who can run wild any moment and destroy everything on his way. After taming one's mind, the mind which is now brought under control is symbolised by a white elephant strong and powerful, who can be directed wherever one wishes and destroy all the obstacles on his way. The elephant represents the center and blue Akshobhya, Lord of the Vajra Family.
  • The horse is symbolic of energy and effort in the practice of dharma. It also symbolises the air or prana which runs through the channels of the body and is the vehicle of the mind. The horse represents the south and yellow Ratnasambhava, Lord of the Ratna (jewel) Family.
  • The peacock is said to have the ability of eating poisonous plants without being affected by them. By eating poison, the peacocks' body becomes healthy and beautiful. The peacock represents the west and red Amitabha, Lord of the Padma (lotus) Family.
  • The garuda is a very big bird and comes out of the egg fully grown. The garuda symbolises the space element and the power of the sun, which can dry up the waters. Therefore he is the natural enemy of snakes and he devours or controls them. He represents the spiritual energy of which devours the delusions of jealousy and hatred. The garuda represents the north and green Amoghasiddhi, Lord of the Karma (activity) Family.
  • The snow lion is depicted in white colour with turquoise or orange mane floating in the wind and very wrathful, with big eyes and open mouth. They roam freely in the high snow mountains without any fear, symbolising the wisdom, fearlessness and divine pride of those practitioners who are actually able to live freely in the high snow mountain of the pure mind, without being contaminated by delusions. The lion or dragon represents the east and white Vairochana, Lord of the Tathagata (Buddha) Family.
  • See more at Kalachakra - Wikipedia.

Temple courtyard seen from the terrace.

After the evening ceremonies we are served a meal.

See also

Sources

Location

Location: Bodh Gaya, Bihar 824231, India