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Iconography of Green Tara
Heroldová, Helena ; Berounský, Daniel (advisor) ; Vokurková, Zuzana (referee)
Goddess Tārā (Sgrol ma in Tibetan) belongs among the most popular protective deities of Tibetan Buddhism. She appeared in India in about the 8th century, and later her worship spread to Tibet and Mongolia, and eventually to China and Japan. At present, she becomes a well-known deity even in modern Western Buddhism. This work summarizes the basic information concerning the development of the iconography of the goddess Tārā. The first part provides an overview of primary sources, in particular texts written by Tibetan authors from the 12th to the 17th centuries. This part also includes an annotated translation of one of the fundamental texts of Tārā worship, The Praise of Twenty-one Tārās. The second part is devoted to the goddess Tārā in traditional religious painting. Especially, the iconographical rules for Tārā paintings are described. This part contains the Catalogue of thirty paintings of Tārā dated to the 20th century from the area of modern-day Mongolia that are kept in the collection of the National Museum-Náprstek Museum in Prague. The paintings show the transformation of the traditional iconography. A Conclusion reflects on the role of the goddess Tārā in modern Western Buddhism, as well as development and changes in her iconography.
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