21 Praises to Tara...

I stumbled upon a book in Colorado Springs last month and I'm slowly making my way through it... but see if you can see why it peaked my interest...

Homage to Tara

Om!

To Great, Noble Tara, I bow down.

I praise the Fearless, the Swift One, Protector, whose glance is like lightning.

On the face of Chenrezi, she is born from a tear as a bud from a lotus.

She of the face like the full moons of autumn

that blazes the light of the stars in their thousands.

I praise the Body, all turquoise and golden;

Whose hand is adorned with the lotus, most perfect,

Whose realm is most generous, diligent, simple.

Peaceful and patient, she sits in meditation.

Seated above the heads of all Buddhas,

resplendent in joyous and infinite triumph,

Deeply honoured by all Bodhisattvas,

She is perfect in all of the virtues transcendent.

With ‘Tutare’ and ‘Hung!’ she imbues this world,

all ten directions and infinite space.

And trampling seven worlds under her feet,

she is able to summon them all to her place.

I praise the One to whom great gods

make toasts.

She is honored by spirits, and

demons, and ghosts.

I hail the One, who by ‘Treh’ and by ‘Peh!’

undoes all the plots of conspiring foes;

Who wrapped in the fire that rages around her,

with right leg retracted and left one extended,

Tramples the evil ones under her toes.

I praise the Swift, the One who is Fearsome

who with terrible aspect defeats boldest demons.

Her lotus face angrily frowns down upon them

so all foes are vanquished, not a single remains.

I sing the praises of Her whose hand forms

the Triple Gem mudra right at her heart.

In her grasp the Dharma Wheel spins out its light

in all the directions and to every part.

On her brow she wears radiant joy like a tiara

charming demons and gods

with her laugh of Tutara.

She can summon the guards of this world of desire.

With wrathful expression,

when Hung! does she utter,

she liberates everyone, no more to suffer.

She wears the crescent moon as a diadem;

and shining atop her hair clustered in curls

Rests the Buddha Amida, the ornament on them.

She is the Focus of the flaming garland

as the darkening kalpa draws to its close.

With right leg extended and left one drawn in,

for those who rejoice in the Dharma Wheel’s turning,

She is the one who defeats all their foes.

Full force to her palm, she strikes the universe’ base.

Crying Hung! with a frown as she stamps it down,

She subdues all the denizens of seven levels of that nether place.

I salute Lady Peace, Dame Perfection and Bliss;

her realm is Nirvana.

Between Om! and Swaha! all blemishes vanish

by means of her mantra.*

*Om,Tare Tutare Ture Soha.

All hail the conquering opponent of those

who rejoice as the Wheel of the Dharma goes round.

She liberates by means of the radiant light

From the Hung! in the ring of the ten-syllable sound.

I praise The Swift-footed. Hung! is her seed.

Shaker of Meru, Mandara, Kailash,

Stamping and trampling three worlds with her feet.

She bears the hare-marked moon, lake of the devas.

And by twice saying ‘Tara’

And then saying, ‘P'hey’,

She removes all contaminants, poisons or kleshas.

She whom gods, titans and spirits attend,

Can dispel any terrors that come in dark hours,

A proof against Chaos, her beauty has powers.

Shining, her eyes like the sun and full moon,

By twice saying ‘Hara’ and then, ‘Tutarahyi’,

She can put paid the deadly, the wide-raging plague.

Praise be to The Peacemaker.

By her triple mantra*

All demons succumb.

All hail the Swift-one, in her great mandala.

*Om Ah Hung!

This great dharani ~ this is Her song:

The Praises to Tara, all twenty-one!