Another aspect of the Green Tara practice is making offerings in particular to Green Tara and the twenty-one Taras. Here, again, we're doing a similar thing of making these types of offerings, but this time limited to just them. So here, again, we go through the process of building up the visualization then invoking the presence of Green Tara and the twenty-one Taras, and then making offerings to them.
Then again we make the seven bowl offerings — the water, flowers, food, and so forth — to them. Following that we offer the Mandala to Green Tara and the other Taras, and here it's a different type of Mandala offering. At this point, having offered the Mandala to the twenty-one Taras, we make the praise of the twenty-one Taras. In this we are focusing individually on each of the twenty-one Taras, making the praises to each one according to Her particular attributes. This praise to each of the Twenty-one Taras is repeated, so we do it twice. After that, after we make the praise to each of the twenty-one two times, again we make the offering to all of them, and after that we again make the Mandala offering.
As we engage in, now, a three-fold repetition of the praise to the twenty-one Taras, we visualize in our heart, upon a lotus cushion, the syllable TAM — the syllable TAM
and, as this process is taking place, light goes out in all directions from that syllable and from the letters of that Mantra. The light goes out in all directions and takes the form of sublime offerings to all of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and enlightened beings in all directions, and then comes back to us and goes out again. This time it clears away all of the defilements and obstacles from all living beings throughout the universe. Then it comes back.
Then we visualize that, following the Mudra of Green Tara, her right hand bestowing boons, bestowing whatever is necessary to living beings; the left hand granting protection, we visualize that all living beings have attained refuge from obstacles, from all of their fears, from all of the things which threaten them. They have attained a state of refuge or protection from all negativities. And then, according to the gifts bestowed by Green Tara with her right hand in the gesture of generosity, we visualize that all living beings have attained satisfaction — their desires, whatever they are, have been fulfilled, and they are now in a state of happiness and fulfillment.
Then, in recognition of, or gratitude for, this; for this great work of the Enlightened Being having been accomplished in this way, we make the seven types of offerings and offer the Great Mandala, which includes everything throughout the great universe.
Next, we visualize that Green Tara, after we make the offerings and present the Mandala to her, comes forth and resides above us on the crown of our head.
If you look at the picture, the lowest part of Her body is the big toe of the right foot, and that is what is contacting the top of our head. All of her blessings, Her enlightened blessings, then come down to us through that, through Her toe into the top of our head. We visualize it as a white fluid filling our body from the very top all of the way down. You can think of it as if your body is a crystal vase being filled with white nectar or milk. What is happening then is that all of our defilements and obscurations are being cleansed, and in their place is this pure nectar of enlightenment.
As we visualize this flow of the blessings, the nectar of enlightenment, the blessings of Green Tara, enters into the top of our head. At this point is a different aspect of the visualization. We visualize that our body is filled with all of it's defilements and obscurations, and this includes physical problems that we have, illness or disease, or some sort of impediment, or anything like that, these also are visualized as being in this container of our body and being dark in color.
All of these things are being pushed down from above. The top of our bodies are being filled with the white, radiant nectar. The darkness of all of these impediments, diseases, and so forth are being pushed down and are leaving or evacuating our body from the lower openings in our body. They're being flushed out from above, and our bodies are being purified from all of that.
The darkness being flushed out is mixed with this nectar of enlightenment, leaves our body, and goes down below into the earth. As it goes down, it enters into the mouth of Yama, the Lord of Death. Entering into His mouth, (this includes all of the gross physical aspects of our body, the bones, the blood, and so forth) enters him through his mouth, freeing us from all of these things. Through his mouth, it then goes into the lower worlds of the animals, the hell beings, and the pretas or hungry ghosts. All of these beings in the lower worlds we have a connection with us from former lifetimes; one way or another our former lives touch theirs, and we owe them in various ways -- some kind of karmic debt that we owe them, some sort of way in which we have yet to repay them for their kindness or whatever way we owe them.
The nectar then, mixed with all of these aspects from our gross physical body, goes down and takes the form of whatever they need to relieve them of their miseries. Through the enlightened nectar, then, not only are their miseries relieved, but they are transformed and freed from their miserable states of existence. Now, freed from these problems, they arise and enter into the turquoise colored pure land of Green Tara, there to attain bliss and ultimate enlightenment.
We recite the praise to the twenty-one Taras seven times as we visualize this.
Through this, we enter into the prayer, we supplicate the twenty-one Taras, that peace will come to the earth, that peace and happiness will come to the earth, and that the Dharma will spread and prosper in all directions.
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