Item: Tara (Buddhist Deity) - White

White Tara, Wish-fulfilling Wheel (Tibetan: drol ma kar mo, yi shin kor lo. Sanskrit: Sita Tara, Chinta Chakra), the goddess of longevity.

"...above a lotus and moon [seat] is White Tara Wish-fulfilling Wheel, like an autumn moon, the gathered fruition of [all] beauty, owner of the seven eyes. With one face and two hands the right is in the [gesture] of supreme generosity and the left holds the stem of a blue utpala [flower]; adorned with various ornaments and seated in vajra posture." (Kagyu liturgical text).

At the middle right is the 13th Karmapa Dudul Dorje (1733-1797) surrounded by attendants and students. At the middle left sits a red hat lama (likely to be Situ Panchen Chokyi Jungne) surrounded by attendants and students. Above the central figure standing on ribbons of rainbow light are Vajravarahi surrounded by flames, to the left Jinasagara Avalokiteshvara, red, with four hands and on the right side a solitary Chakrasamvara, dark blue in colour.

At the top center is the primordial Buddha Vajradhara with Vajrasattva below and the Buddha Amitabha below that. Surrounding those are the lineage teachers of the Karma Kagyu (Kamtsangpa) tradition; Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa, Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa and the like, continuing down to the 12th Karmapa. At the top left is the Buddha Shakyamuni and at the right is Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava.

At the bottom center is the wisdom protector Mahakala Bernag Chen accompanied by Shri Devi (Tib.: pal den lha mo) in a two armed form at the side. At the bottom left is the mountain goddess Tseringma riding a white snow lion. At the bottom right is the worldly protector Shing Khyong, blue, riding a dark horse. The red consort rides at the side. Slightly above to the right is Damchen Garwa Nagpo, the Blacksmith, riding a brown goat.

Jeff Watt 4-2000