TIBETANS who trekked to the caves and forests of India to absorb
Buddhist teachings a thousand years ago discovered female tantric
masters, called yogini, practicing esoteric disciplines with bands of
female followers. Fierce, independent and strict, yogini conveyed
their secrets to men longing to be initiated, propelling the
development of tantric Buddhism. Then these extraordinary women
dropped out of sight.
But not out of mind. Their beatified counterparts dance in the heart
of mandalas throughout the Tibetan pantheon. "Female energy is as
capable as male energy in the spiritual field," said Kyabje Gehlek
Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama and Buddhist teacher ("rinpoche" means
"precious one") sent to the West by the Dalai Lama's tutors. Gehlek
Rinpoche, known in spiritual circles for his closeness to the poet
Allen Ginsberg (and for ministering to Ginsberg as he died), is the
founder of Tibetan Buddhist centers in Ann Arbor, Mich., and in SoHo.
On a recent morning, he was sitting before the deity Tara, envisioned
in an 18th-century thangka (at right), on display in "Female Buddhas:
Women of Enlightenment in Tibetan Mystical Art," at the Rubin Museum
of Art in Chelsea. "The need of this time is for a female presence,"
he said.
Tara made a vow to manifest in the world as a female, Gehlek Rinpoche
(pronounced Rin-po-shay) explained. "The bodhisattvas all said, 'Tara,
you could be anybody you want; you could be male.' Tara replied,
'Thank you, but no thank you.' " She chose a female body to illuminate
the way for all beings. "Her image helps us envision the buddha within
ourselves," he said. "It helps remind us we are not just physical beings."
In practicing tantric secret teachings, women are thought to have an
advantage, according to the current Dalai Lama, whereas men get higher
marks in the public forms of Tibetan Buddhism. The first Dalai Lama
(1391-1475) composed a mystical song of 21 praises to Tara, who is
said to have sprung from the ocean of tears flowing from Tibet's chief
deity, Avalokitesvara, bodhisattva of compassion.
Tara, whose name means "star" - as in the North Star, the guiding
light of those who are lost - is enlightenment energy personified. She
is passionate mother, wrathful protector, swift and fearless subduer.
Eyes flashing like lightning, she stamps her feet and sends tremors
through gods and demons alike, correcting great wrongs and fulfilling
her promise to bring divine female energies into the world.
Her exalted sisterhood is anything but meek or submissive, as is
strikingly evident in the Rubin's show and a related exhibition of the
same name at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Conn. Tara and her cohort
drink the blood of enemies of the dharma, prance naked on the bodies
of those they have defeated, and join with male consorts in passionate
sexual union. They are transcendent liberators, defenders of
enlightened mind, the birthright of each of us, when we turn to the
wisdom within.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/arts/design/07lars.html?
there's a popup of Tara explaining the symbolism of colors, poses,
clothing, etc etc.
Buddhist teachings a thousand years ago discovered female tantric
masters, called yogini, practicing esoteric disciplines with bands of
female followers. Fierce, independent and strict, yogini conveyed
their secrets to men longing to be initiated, propelling the
development of tantric Buddhism. Then these extraordinary women
dropped out of sight.
But not out of mind. Their beatified counterparts dance in the heart
of mandalas throughout the Tibetan pantheon. "Female energy is as
capable as male energy in the spiritual field," said Kyabje Gehlek
Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama and Buddhist teacher ("rinpoche" means
"precious one") sent to the West by the Dalai Lama's tutors. Gehlek
Rinpoche, known in spiritual circles for his closeness to the poet
Allen Ginsberg (and for ministering to Ginsberg as he died), is the
founder of Tibetan Buddhist centers in Ann Arbor, Mich., and in SoHo.
On a recent morning, he was sitting before the deity Tara, envisioned
in an 18th-century thangka (at right), on display in "Female Buddhas:
Women of Enlightenment in Tibetan Mystical Art," at the Rubin Museum
of Art in Chelsea. "The need of this time is for a female presence,"
he said.
Tara made a vow to manifest in the world as a female, Gehlek Rinpoche
(pronounced Rin-po-shay) explained. "The bodhisattvas all said, 'Tara,
you could be anybody you want; you could be male.' Tara replied,
'Thank you, but no thank you.' " She chose a female body to illuminate
the way for all beings. "Her image helps us envision the buddha within
ourselves," he said. "It helps remind us we are not just physical beings."
In practicing tantric secret teachings, women are thought to have an
advantage, according to the current Dalai Lama, whereas men get higher
marks in the public forms of Tibetan Buddhism. The first Dalai Lama
(1391-1475) composed a mystical song of 21 praises to Tara, who is
said to have sprung from the ocean of tears flowing from Tibet's chief
deity, Avalokitesvara, bodhisattva of compassion.
Tara, whose name means "star" - as in the North Star, the guiding
light of those who are lost - is enlightenment energy personified. She
is passionate mother, wrathful protector, swift and fearless subduer.
Eyes flashing like lightning, she stamps her feet and sends tremors
through gods and demons alike, correcting great wrongs and fulfilling
her promise to bring divine female energies into the world.
Her exalted sisterhood is anything but meek or submissive, as is
strikingly evident in the Rubin's show and a related exhibition of the
same name at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Conn. Tara and her cohort
drink the blood of enemies of the dharma, prance naked on the bodies
of those they have defeated, and join with male consorts in passionate
sexual union. They are transcendent liberators, defenders of
enlightened mind, the birthright of each of us, when we turn to the
wisdom within.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/arts/design/07lars.html?
there's a popup of Tara explaining the symbolism of colors, poses,
clothing, etc etc.
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