Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha

by Rachael Wooten

A practical guide for invoking the power and blessings of Tara, the beloved female buddha of Tibet

Known as "the female Buddha" in Tibet and India, Tara connects us to the archetypal Divine Feminine―an energetic force that exists within us and all around us, and has been available to all humans since our earliest origin.

While there are many books on Tara, this practical guide shows us how those of any tradition can directly access her, through clear instruction and authentic Tibetan Buddhist teachings.

Jungian analyst, scholar, and spiritual practitioner Dr. Rachael Wooten combines the ancient Tara tradition with depth psychology to help us connect with each of Tara's manifestations and access her blessings within ourselves and in the external world.

In her myriad forms, Tara has the power to protect us from inner and outer negativity, illuminate our self-sabotaging habits, cleanse mental and physical poisons, address emotional trauma, open us to abundance, give us strength and peace, help us fulfill our life purposes, and more.

Here, you will explore all 22 manifestations of Tara. Each chapter begins with an epigraph that captures the spiritual and psychological essence of the emanation, explains her purpose, and teaches you specific visualizations, praises, mantra chants, and other ways of invoking her presence in yourself and the world.

"If ever the voice of wisdom and compassion was needed in the form of an awakened female figure such as Tara," writes Dr. Wooten, "that time is now." This book illuminates the way to her healing, blessings, and aid.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion, Self Help, Meditation

328 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2020

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[C.J. Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and useful resource/guide, especially for those unfamiliar with Tara and/or Buddhism in general. My only "issue" with this book is with the mantras. I have yet to find any other references online or elsewhere to many of the specific mantras used here. Until I do, I will be sticking with the use of the mantras I have learned from the Gyuto Monks, as well as those sung/chanted by Ani Choying Drolma.

[Mark Bourdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in Tara and considering learning and transforming your life through Tara practices, this is a great place to start. I took my time reading 1 or 2 of 22 manifestations of Tara each night in order to process and contemplate the teachings and meditations. Practical and insightful. Dr Wooten uses stories for each manifestation to help bring the teachings to every day life. 🙏🏻

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of what is useful here is traditional material available elsewhere. The remainder is mostly short anecdotes and musings associated with each emanation of Tara which, in my opinion, are problematic in various ways:

Wooten's social class and ideology mark her authorial choices with supercilious and predictable clichés and narrow reductive interpretations whose relations to the tradition often seem arbitrary or idiosyncratic.

She calls herself a Jungian but I found dozens of instances where I could recall specific material from Jung that would have been extremely illuminating (although it would often have contradicted or attenuated her feminist therapeutic-materialist posture) but is glaringly omitted. She seems completely allergic to the kind of esoteric analysis that fills every volume of Jung and instead resorts to platitudes at every turn. Maybe she sees the Jungian school more as social club or professional society than genuine intellectual tradition worthy of exposition. Or else she is condescending to the reader.

And not to put too fine a point on it, but although Wooten claims her clients are "women and men," every single patient in every clinical anecdote is a woman, and all men mentioned are either troublesome annoyances, oppressors, or passive transmitters. If she had hit the feminist talking points a little less squarely on the nose, this omission might have seemed less freighted. Considering that the misogynist cultures she critiques still managed to create, preserve, and venerate the very heroic female figures she spends the whole book praising, the painstaking exclusion of men from her own book feels blinkered and pandering rather than fearless and inclusive. Like it or not: Tara, the Madonna, and countless other depictions of the divine feminine were conceived and venerated by men in male dominated institutions. From a Jungian perspective they took forms that serve compensatory psychological functions for male ego. Willfully ignoring this context, treating Tara as a feminist totem ripe for repatriation, and playing up the reductive girl power angle seems intellectually dishonest given the author's credentials. (Of course she also chose to compare an "epidemic" of low female self-esteem to AIDS.) It also leaves on the table more interesting and less self indulgent ideas which you aren't going to find in this kind of pop-psy bourgeois Buddhism.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. I enjoyed reading about the different epithets of Tara and how the devotional structures are set up for her. The author's background in psychoanalysis and her emphasis on different Tara devotions and how they are supportive during a variety of types of life events was very interesting and unique, especially as the information online that I looked up while reading didn't get as much into that. Coming at reading this from a Western polytheist perspective and not from a Buddhist one, this book is a good example of how devotion to a deity can be supportive and all-encompassing for a person and how that connection can be a source of immense inner strength as we deal with life's challenges. I recommend it to anyone who is curious about what a grounded and healthy practice like that is like.

[Gabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this book is for those seeking spiritual empowerment, insights into the Divine Feminine, and practical methods to invoke strength, healing, and guidance in their personal journeys through the teachings of Tara. I came across this book at a local metaphysics shop near my home. I had been eyeballing it for some time, mainly because of the beautiful cover. It’s a fascinating read, which I took my time with. This book presents a comprehensive guide to the female Buddha, Tara, and explores her significance within Tibetan Buddhism and the broader context of the Divine Feminine. It aims to help readers connect with Tara’s various manifestations, providing practical tools for invoking her blessings and guidance in life.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was news to me that there was such a thing as the female Buddha and then that there were 21 renditions of the female Buddha. The author explains how she came to study Buddhism and how she has applied it in her counseling practice over decades. She provides specific examples of the situations in which her friends, family and associates have applied the various Taras. Finally, prayers to each of the Taras are provided as well as how to conduct the ceremonial aspects of the prayers. A very interesting and positive book.

[jules Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Too few dharma books focus solely on female deities like Tara and Vajrayogini. This is a wonderful book to read if you'd like to develop a tantric Tara sadhana. It's not dense, perfect for a novice or more experienced student. You don't have to have recieved a highest yoga tantric empowerment to study Tara like some other deities. But if you connected with Tara becoming part of a buddhist sangha and participating in a Tara empowerment is such a beautiful, deeply meaningful experience.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Wooten is a learned authority on Tara and a spiritual practitioner using the transformative power of the female Buddha. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the various forms of Tara, introducing her 22 manifestations through personal storytelling and then providing a meditation. I downloaded this as an audiobook but would have much preferred it as a book in my hands so I could take notes and/or read the meditations. With that said, it will be nice to revisit the audiobook when a particular Tara quality comes to mind and I want to be reminded of a mantra chant.

[Lelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful introduction to Tara and Tara practices. I've been doing the Tara meditations in this book every morning, letting my pendulum pick which manifestation of Tara to work with. Wooten's descriptions of each manifestation are very helpful - although there are a few that seem to overlap. But I think Wooten's descriptions leave room for the reader to experience Tara for herself and to develop her own understanding of and relationship with each manifestation.

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book!

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took six months to complete this book, spending at least a week with each Tara. She is now a very close friend in my spiritual journey! I'm grateful for this offering!

[Karishma Udit Chhatrapati · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth resource on the female Buddha - Tara.

It awakens the spirit of divinity at so many levels.

[Sonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very happy to finish my 2023 reading challenge with Tara. Along any journey, we encounter resources that promise to help. And Tara is one such resource for me.

[meow_wow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was a book of meditations until I had already checked it out, I was looking for something that was more informational. Nonetheless, it was an interesting read.

[Christy]

I think the i21 aspects of Tara is awesome and interesting and I like this Buddha’s compassion. I can see why meditating on / working with those aspects could be helpful.
I love the idea of this type of practice, but I don’t really see myself actually doing it. But I really enjoyed learning and thinking about it.

[Letecia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful teaching and a good listen. I liked it so much I got a copy of the book for my library.