Wisdom and Compassion

This is Lama Lekshe at Dekeling and this is a teaching on the practice of Jetsun Drolma Ritö Loma Gyönma, which translates as ‘The Noble Lady Tara of Mountain Retreat, Clothed in Leaves,’ also known by her activity as the Tara who Dispels Epidemics.

This is a yidam practice. The yidam Tara has 21 manifestations, so that she can manifest in every circumstance that calls for compassion. Each of the 21 Taras are an expression of a slightly different aspect of the compassionate quality awakened mind.

As is the case in any yidam practice, when we do this practice, we are not worshiping any outside entity—we are re-awakening or perhaps re-discovering our own innate capacity for compassion. It’s always been there, but through countless lifetimes, and for various reasons, we’ve lost our experience of it.

The function of this particular form of Tara is to dispel pandemics and their causes and to bring healing and well-being.

THE PRACTICE

Begin the practice by settling for a moment. As a support for this, we strike the bell three times.

On the first strike, let go of thoughts of the past.

On the second strike, let go of thoughts of the future.

On the third strike, let go of thoughts of the present, and come into relationship with your own direct experience in this very moment.

REFUGE & BODHICITTA
Then, proceed to refuge, reciting the refuge prayer 3 times. When we take refuge in the buddha, we are taking refuge in the radiant awareness of buddha nature. Refuge in the dharma is placing confidence in the truth of direct experience. Refuge in the sangha is refuge in the community of those who have accomplished the way. The final line of this prayer is an expression of bodhicitta, our wish to awaken for the sake of all beings.

Recite the Refuge and Bodhicitta Prayer and generate the visualization.

Until enlightenment I take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Through the accumulation of merit and wisdom,
May I awaken for the benefit of all beings.

(Repeat the refuge prayer three times.)

VISUALIZATION
Having completed the preliminaries of Refuge and Bodhicitta, now gaze into the open space in front of you. In that space a fully blossomed lotus appears. It is made of light, has no substance whatsoever.

On top of the lotus, a moon disc appears. And then, seated on the moon disc, Jetsun Drolma Ritö Loma Gyönma, appears. Her body is made of light, translucent. Her color is a reddish yellow, the color of saffron.

She is seated. Her left leg is bent at the knee, drawn in close to her body, her right leg is slightly extended, signifying that she is ready to spring up and offer assistance when you call to her.

Her right hand is on her right knee, palm up, fingers extended slightly downward, in the mudra of generosity. Her left is raised and holds the stem of a lotus between her ring finger and thumb at the level of her heart. The lotus blooms near her left ear, and atop this lotus sits a zamatog, a round vessel filled with medicinal herbs.

Tara is youthful. Her hair is black. Some of it is tied in a top knot and the rest falls freely down her back. She has two eyes, which look on beings with compassion.

She is dressed in the upper and lower garments of a peaceful deity, including many-colored silks. She wears all the usual jewels: a crown, 3 necklaces—long, medium, and short—earrings, and various bracelets and anklets and so on.

Visualize this in three dimensions. She is translucent, made of light and yet alive.

When you have established this visualization, now imagine that light emanates in all directions from her heart center, touching you, all beings, and everything in the environment, purifying all of it. This light continues as an offering to all awakened beings.

Now, you invoke the quality of awakened mind and compassion that dispels pandemic and its causes.

At this point, Taras like the one in front, but of varying sizes rain down and melt into the Tara in front. She radiates more and more brilliantly to all beings. As you visualize this, have no worries about the clarity of your visualization—no judgement, no commentary. Have confidence that Tara is there. Look into her eyes directly and imagine that she also looks deeply into your eyes with the gaze of compassion and care. Allow yourself some time to experience this.

HOMAGE
Now recite the homage.

Homage to Her whose two eyes shine
With the luminosity of the sun and moon.
Who dispels virulent epidemics
With two Hara, and with Tuttara.
Image now within her body the mantra begins to sound and along with the resonant vibrations,
light continues to radiate in all directions.

From Tara’s right eye, the brilliant light of the sun radiates forth and destroys the pandemic and its causes.

From her left eye, the luminous light of the moon appears as nectar, and this luminous nectar flows from her left eye to all beings including you and brings healing and a sense of well-being and ease.

This nectar enters the crown of your head and descends through the central channel and fills your body, and the bodies of all beings as you recite the mantra. Imagine that this healing energy reaches you, all beings, anyone who needs healing, someone you know with Covid, for example.

RECITATION OF THE MANTRA
Recite the mantra.
As you recite Tara’s mantra, imagine that the sound of your voice mixes with hers.

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Nama Tare Mano Hara Hung Hara Svaha

(Recite this mantra 7, 21, 108 times, or more.)

When you finish the recitation, pause, and feel the impact of the practice. Take your time. Give rise to confidence that the light has healed, dispelled, and destroyed the effects of the pandemic and its causes, and that the nectar from the left eye has brought healing and well-being.

DISSOLUTION
Now, Tara dissolves into a tiny drop of light, saffron in color and brilliant. That light moves to the crown of your head and enters the central channel and travels to your heart center. Feel the light radiating and filling your body. Have confidence that all beings have received this blessing. Rest, body and mind inseparable from the awakened body, speech and mind of noble Tara.

DEDICATION
Now dedicate the merit to all beings.

Through this goodness may awakening spontaneously arise in our streams of being.
May all obscurations and distortions fall away.
May all beings be liberated from suffering—
the stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.