21 Praises of Tara – Temple of Peace. 2016

Published on 11/23/2016 by Jason Schwartz

Prema Dasara and the Ladies November 2016 Temple of Peace, Jason Schwartz, Maui – 21 Praises of Tara. Airielle is one of the ladies!

Maui Neutral Zone cultural event with women in traditional attire and music performance.

Summary & timestamped transcript below…

Traditional Hawaiian dance performance at Maui Neutral Zone cultural event.

Spiritual women in traditional sarees at Maui Neutral Zone event.

The video presents a detailed narration and performance of the “21 Praises of Tara,” a deeply sacred practice within Tibetan Buddhism honoring Tara, the enlightened goddess embodying compassion, protection, and wisdom. The event begins with an invocation of refuge, where participants visualize radiant light beings surrounding them, symbolizing spiritual protection and blessing. The dancers then enter a mandala—a symbolic sacred space—through a golden spiral, each embodying one or more of Tara’s praises. Before dancing, they engage in the seven purifications (seven-line prayer), a ritual to release mental obscurations and fill themselves with radiant, enlightened qualities.

The praises themselves are ancient, believed to have originated from a cosmic expression of universal reverence when Tara attained enlightenment. Each dancer interprets a particular praise, manifesting Tara’s qualities such as wisdom, courage, bliss, and transformative power. The practice includes chanting the mantra “Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha,” which invokes Tara’s protection and blessings.

Throughout, the emphasis is on connection—between the individual and the lineage of teachers, the enlightened ones, and the community of practitioners. The narrative underscores how these praises and prayers serve not only as personal spiritual tools but also as a source of healing and compassion for all beings and the planet. The event concludes with prayers of dedication, sending blessings for peace, healing, and enlightenment to all beings everywhere, and an expression of gratitude toward the musicians and dancers who bring this sacred tradition to life.

Colorful group of people celebrating at Maui Neutral Zone event, lively atmosphere, traditional attire, vibrant environment. Overall, the video illustrates a rich, multi-dimensional spiritual practice combining meditation, ritual, dance, and mantra recitation to invoke the compassionate power of Tara, ultimately inspiring participants to awaken their own enlightened mind and extend kindness and protection to the world.

Highlights

[00:00] ? Introduction to the “21 Praises of Tara” and the mandala dance ritual.
[01:23] ?￢ﾀﾍ♀️ Seven purifications (seven-line prayer) to cleanse mental veils before dancing.
[02:18] ? The praises are ancient, originating from a cosmic celebration of Tara’s enlightenment.
[03:33] ? Group chanting of Tara’s mantra: Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha.
[10:50] ✨ Purification of arrogance, greed, anger, and embracing truth during the ritual.
[35:21] ? Blessings extended for healing the earth and all suffering beings worldwide.
[42:16] ❤️ Closing prayers invoke kindness, awakening, and universal happiness for all beings.

Key Insights

[00:28] ? Visualization as a spiritual tool:The invocation of radiant light beings enveloping participants demonstrates how visualization practices are central in Tibetan Buddhism to cultivate a sense of refuge and protection, fostering a sacred atmosphere that supports spiritual transformation. This practice helps practitioners feel supported by enlightened energies beyond themselves.
[01:23] ? Seven purifications as mental cleansing: The seven-line prayer is a foundational Tibetan Buddhist ritual that systematically purifies negative mental states such as arrogance, greed, and anger. This purification is critical before undertaking any sacred activity, reinforcing the importance of inner clarity and readiness to embody enlightened qualities.
[02:46] ?￯ﾸﾏ Ancient origins and cosmic significance: The 21 Praises are not merely devotional verses but are considered to originate from a universal outpouring of praise when Tara achieved enlightenment. This connects the practice to a cosmic event, giving it a timeless and all-encompassing spiritual authority that transcends cultural boundaries.
[03:50] ? Mantra as empowerment and protection: The mantra “Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha” encapsulates Tara’s essence as protector and bestower of blessings. Mantras in Tibetan Buddhism function as vibrational keys unlocking spiritual qualities within the practitioner and shielding them from fear and obstacles, making this chant a powerful tool for daily practice.
[10:50] ? Purification extends beyond self:The ritual’s emphasis on purifying not only personal negative emotions but also the collective arrogance, greed, and hatred of the world highlights Buddhism’s universal approach to compassion and healing. It recognizes individual transformation as inseparable from global and social well-being.
[35:21] ? Interconnection and altruism: The dedication prayers reflect a profound commitment to altruism, seeking healing for the earth, the homeless, refugees, and all countries at war. This illustrates the Mahayana Buddhist ideal of bodhicitta—wishing all beings to be free from suffering and embodying the practice’s global humanitarian vision.
[42:44] ? Integration of practice and daily life: The closing prayers emphasize kindness, sincerity, and awakening in everyday moments, suggesting that the spiritual qualities cultivated through the praises and mandala dance are meant to permeate all aspects of life, inspiring practitioners to be compassionate agents in the world continuously.

Extended Analysis

This video beautifully encapsulates the multi-layered nature of Tibetan Buddhist ritual practice, combining symbolic dance, mantra recitation, visualization, and ethical commitment in a cohesive spiritual experience. The mandala dance is not simply performance art but a living embodiment of divine qualities, wherein each dancer becomes a living representation of Tara’s attributes, fostering a transformative experience for both participants and observers.

The seven-line prayer’s central role highlights the significance of purification in Buddhist practice—not as a one-time act but as an ongoing process of releasing mental obscurations to reveal innate radiant wisdom. This purification coupled with visualization supports a psychological and spiritual shift from ordinary perception to enlightened awareness.

The communal chanting of the mantra and the collective dedication prayers underscore the importance of sangha—the community of practitioners—as a source of support and shared aspiration. This collective energy amplifies the practice’s power, extending its benefits beyond the individual to all beings.

Moreover, the invocation of Tara’s qualities such as swift action, invincible courage, and blissful joy provides a balanced spiritual ideal encompassing both active engagement with the world and profound inner peace. The video’s narration emphasizes that these qualities are not abstract ideals but accessible potentials within each practitioner, made manifest through sincere practice.

Finally, the concluding dedication prayers reveal the ultimate purpose of the practice: to awaken compassion and wisdom not only for oneself but for the benefit of all beings, reflecting the Buddhist path of universal liberation. This makes the 21 Praises of Tara a deeply moving practice that integrates devotion, ethical cultivation, and spiritual awakening in a harmonious whole.

Colorful cultural dance performance at Maui Neutral Zone event showcasing traditional attire and unity.

Transcript

00:00

So now we’re going to present the 21 praises of Tara. When the dancers form their mandala, there will be a couple of chairs available over here. And it looks like we’ve got one here as well. The dance begins with an invocation of our sources of refuge. And we imagine in the sky before us and around us

00:28

that we are surrounded by radiant light beings pouring their light and their blessing upon us. After the prayer of refuge, the dancers make a commitment to manifest the fullness of awakened mind, knowing that that is the greatest gift that they can give the world. We then move to the mandala of Tara, imagining that all of our sources of refuge

00:59

merge with this great mother. And before us, she continues to radiate her light and her love, her protection, her blessing, and her empowerment. The dancers will then walk in a golden spiral, entering a mandala. We have 12, 13 dancers, so some of them will have to dance two of Tara’s praises.

Women in traditional Hawaiian attire praying at Maui Neutral Zone cultural event. 01:23

As they enter, they engage in what we call the seven purifications, also known in Tibetan Buddhism as the seven-line prayer. This is the letting go of whatever holds us back and the filling up of whatever it is that we need in order to remain radiant like beings. At the end of the seven-line prayer then, the dancers…

01:48

affirm that they have let go of all the veils of the mind and see quite clearly that they themselves are in a body of light and that they possess all the qualities of the radiant goddess. So they dance as Tara. One by one, they’re born into the world. The mandala is a radiant rainbow womb of power. And the dancer carries the quality of whatever praise she’s representing.

02:18

The dancers are dancing the traditional praise. These praises are several thousand years old. In fact, it’s said that they originate in another world system. That when Tara attained enlightened mind, the entire universe praised her. And that’s the source of these praises. So they’re quite ancient. And according to many texts and many teachers, these praises can provide us with everything that we need.

Vibrant women in traditional Indian attire dancing at Maui Neutral Zone event in Maui, Hawaii. 02:46

So it is a great blessing that we can engage in this practice together. I know in the, I think in the Maui Dharma Center, every morning these praises are chanted. Am I correct? Yeah. So if you want to get to know a little more about it, you’re welcome to go and engage with Lama Gyatso and the group there. So once the dancers, one at a time they will be born, and they are going to