Tara is an object of devotional worship and meditative practice for Tibetan Buddhists everywhere. Tara clears away fears, overpowers negative emotions, and enables all beings to reach enlightenment. As she has vowed to take rebirth as a female throughout infinite lifetimes, Tara also has special resonance as a source of female spiritual wisdom. Tibetans of all schools and traditions recite the verses on which this commentary is based.

Sought-after teachers throughout the West for over twenty-five years, the authors illuminate the practice of the Praises to the Twenty-one Taras with humor and wisdom, making the material accessible not only to Buddhist practitioners, but also to a general audience and those specifically interested in female manifestations of the divine.

The first section offers a historical account of the veneration of Tara; the second provides a multilayered analysis of the twenty-one emanations of Tara and the meditation practices associated with them. The explanations cover progressively more subtle levels from basic Buddhism through the Inner Tantras and culminate with Dzogchen. Interspersed with lively stories about Tara, the authors explain the physical conditions for practice, the outer and inner meanings of the text itself, and give solutions for problems that may emerge as practice progresses. This guide brings fresh understanding to students, enriching their practice and further spreading the merit of their effort.

Tara's Enlightened Activity, Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, Snow Lion Publications, Paperback, October 2007, 242 Pages, $24.95

Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and his brother Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche are co-founders and co-directors of Padmasambhava Buddhist Center, based at Padma Samye Ling in upstate New York. PBC includes more than twenty centers in the U.S.A., Russia, Canada, and Puerto Rico, in addition to monastic institutions in India, Russia, and the U.S.A.

They have built a reputation for their vast knowledge of the Nyingma tradition and their pragmatic and lucid style of teaching.

CONTENTS: Tara's Enlightened Activity
Editor's Note		9
PART ONE: NOBLE LADY TARA IN TIBETAN BUDDHIST LIFE
History
	The Early History of Tara Practice	13
	The Revival of Tara Practice in the Nineteenth Century	14
	The Lineage of the Present Teachings on The Twenty-One Praises to Tara	15
Understanding Tara at the Relative Level
	How Tara Became a Buddha	17
	Tara's Enlightened Activities	18
Understanding Tara at the Ultimate Level
	Tara as the Ultimate Mother	21
	The Mother's Infinite Emanations	22
	Tara and the Wisdom Dakini	25
	Deepening Our Understanding of Emptiness	28
PART TWO: AN APPROACH TO THE TANTRIC PRACTICE OF TARA
A Brief Description of Tantra
	Tantra's Three Aspects of Ground, Path, and Fruit	33
	The Six Limits and the Four Systems	35
The Five Perfections of the Teaching		39
How to Practice Tara
	How to Set up a Shrine to Tara	41
	Special Times and Places to Practice	43
	Mantra Recitation	43
	A Sound Framework for a Complete Practice	45
	Working with the Four Levels of Practice	46
PART THREE: DETAILED COMMENTARY ON THE TWENTY-ONE PRAISES TO TARA
Introductory Homage to Tara		53
1.	Noble Lady Tara Nyurma Pamo	57
2.	Noble Lady Tara Loter Yangchenma	65
3.	Noble Lady Tara Sonam Tobche	73
4.	Noble Lady Tara Tsugtor Namgyalma	79
5.	Noble Lady Tara Wangdu Rigje Lhamo	85
6.	Noble Lady Tara Jigje Chenmo	91
7.	Noble Lady Tara Zhengyi Mithubma	95
8.	Noble Lady Tara Zhengyi Migyalma	101
9.	Noble Lady Tara Sengdeng Nagchi	107
10.	Noble Lady Tara Jigten Sumle Gyalma	113
11.	Noble Lady Phagma Norter Drolma	117
12.	Noble Lady Tara Tashi Donje	123
13.	Noble Lady Tara Yulle Gyalma	129
14.	Noble Lady Tara Thronyer Chen	135
15.	Noble Lady Tara Rabzhima	139
16.	Noble Lady Tara Rigngag Tobjom	145
17.	Noble Lady Tara Pagme Nonma	151
18.	Noble Lady Tara Maja Chenmo	157
19.	Noble Lady Tara Dugkarmo	163
20.	Noble Lady Tara Rito Loma Jonma	167
21.	Noble Lady Tara Lhamo Ozer Chenma	171
PART FOUR: VERSES ON THE BENEFITS--CONCISE SUMMARY		179
THE TWENTY-ONE PRAISES TO TARA		195
Appendix: Names and Attributes		224
References
	Tibetan Sources and Sadhanas	227
	Western Teachings, Sources, and Translations	228
Endnotes		229