14 Invincible Black Tara: Mantra Destroys 9 Types of Evil and 8 Types of Harm-Doers
The Fourteenth Tara is also called “Black Tara Who is Frowning Wrathfully” With her great pestle and mortar, she destroys, crushes, and transforms all harm-doers: any evil Maras, Yamas, Mamos, Rakshasa, Yakshas Kinnaras, Bimipatis, and Tsan. She also protects us from all of the 9 evils (see lists below). Any negative or black magic is destroyed. Harm-doers are transformed and purified into helpful beings.
The 14th Tara mantra in Lord Atisha’s lineage is:
om tare tuttare ture vajra maha pada bhasmim kuru svaha
Video:
NOTE: THERE ARE TWO BLACK TARAS in ATISHA LINEAGE (7 and 14.) Tara 7 is especially for repelling evil intentions and black magic and evil obstacles. Tara 14 is specifically the most wrathful, who crushes the 9 types of evil, including all classes of harm-doers and demons.
In Lord Atisha lineage 21 Taras, there are two Black Taras, number 7 and 14, both wrathful aspects to signify and symbolize their power to cut obstacles, destroy evil, and transform the poisons. The 14th Tara is ultimate, invnicible power and protection to remove or transform the 9 types of evil, and the 8 types of Spirit Harmers (from deities to ghosts and spirits). The 7th Tara is equally powerful,k but focuses on obstacles, negative intentions and black magic, and protection from enemies.
This is still Mother Tara, who would do anything to protect her child, but “hulked up with transformed fury” necessary to accomplish the savior mission. In other words, she is invincible, and nothing can stand against her mission of Enlightened Activity for the benefit of all sentient beings.
The 7th Tara we have in our popular music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcXvmaL5IIQ&t
This is an invincible, mighty Tara, as signified by “maha” in the mantra, meaning “great”. She also has “vajra” in her mantra meaning “lightning bolt” and symbolizing wrathful power, although her main symbol in the Nyingma lineage system is a pestle, used to “crush” the enemies such as demons, spirit-harmers, and the five types of evil.
In her praise, she is also praised as “She who strikes the earth with her palm and foot and beats it” which is reflected in her mantra with “pada” meaning foot. She uses the great pestle (the crushing end of the mortor and pestle) and her crushing foot to disintegrate or bhasmim. “Kuru Svaha” as taught by Longchenpa indicates, in the black context” wrathful supplication.
She crushes the harm doers and evils as easily as we would crush herbs in a mortor and pestle. This symbolizes here invincible power over the 9 Types of Evil and 9 Types of Harm Doers.
9 Types of Evil
The nine types of evil are the three evils of the body, the three evils of tongue, and the three evils of mind. These include harm caused to you from the body, tongue and mind of others, such as:
Body Evils:
1. Killing: includes war, murder, violence
2. Theft: others stealing from you, or even theft of ideas or reputation
3. Adultery
Tongue Evils:
4. Lying and Gossip
5. Slander
6. Abuse
Mind Evils:
7. Covetousness and Jealousy
8. Hatred
9. Ignorance and Error
Eight Types of Spirit Harm-Doers
Note: in Sanskrit and Tibetan (from Yamantaka Tantra):
- Yamas (gshin rje) : death-bringing demons (Yama is also Lord of death)
- Tsan (btsan): War-like evil spirits (tsen) and war-like non-human spirits (tsan), also disease-causing demons and powerful ghosts. Can also be demons of mountains, rivers, hunting demons, etc.
- Mara (bdud): It is Mara (and the Mara daughters, and any an army of Maras, etc) who attacked and tempted Gautama Buddha beneath the Buddha Tree, threatening with weapons and trying to seduce him. Maras are worldly deities who are not evil of intent, but who cause harm through their addictions and sedutions.
- Mamo (mamo): wrathful female deities: natural spirits but with a tendency to be destructive (stormy spirits) — for example, if you pollute nature, a mamo may be vengeful
- Rakshasa (sprin po): supernatural mostly malevolent beings, can be cannibals. Rakshashi are female.
- Yaksha (gnod sbyin): usually benovolent but sometimes mischievous or capricious, (rarely evil but they can be harm-doers) connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness
- Kinnara (mi-am ci): usually look like part human and part bird and associated with music, but they can, like any being with power, be harm-doers, although usually they are benevolent.
- Bumipati (sa dbag): these are deities often associated with fire, normally good and wise, but like any non-enlightened being can be a harm-doer (i.e. fire can also harm)
#blacktaramantra
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Lee Kane
Author | Buddha Weekly
Lee Kane is the editor of Buddha Weekly, since 2007. His main focuses as a writer are mindfulness techniques, meditation, Dharma and Sutra commentaries, Buddhist practices, international perspectives and traditions, Vajrayana, Mahayana, Zen. He also covers various events.
Lee also contributes as a writer to various other online magazines and blogs.