This beautiful White Tara statue was found in the Brahu Temple complex in the Trowulan sub-district of the East Java Province, Indonesia.

In 2012, a White Tara statue in Surabaya, Indonesia, was thrust into the spotlight when her eyes, sculpted closed in meditation, suddenly opened and glanced to the side. This is the story of the miraculous phenomenon.

The Discovery of the White Tara Statue

Supriyono lived in a village in Indonesia’s East Java Province. In early October 2011, he dreamt of a bluish-red dragon surrounding his village before it finally dived into an old well. Supriyono took the dream as a sign and located the old well in the Brahu Temple complex in the Trowulan sub-district of East Java Province.

On 11^th October 2011, Supriyono climbed down the well and found a beautiful White Tara statue, coins, and golden stones from the Majapahit Empire (1293-1500 CE). He contacted the collector Johan Yan through his friend to see if he was interested in any of the items found. On 26^th March 2012, Johan Yan became the owner of the White Tara statue.

According to Yan, the Indonesian government encourages antique collectors like himself to help preserve items of cultural heritage like the ones Supriyono found. An avid and seasoned collector, Yan has been helping the government in its efforts to preserve items of cultural significance through his private museum, the Museum Mahanandi in Surabaya. Such items cannot be taken out of the country.

Yan’s efforts garnered him the titles of “The Outstanding Young Person in Cultural Heritage Field” from Junior Chamber International (2012) and “Honorary Prince in Cultural Heritage” from Pakubuwono XII, the ruler of Surakarta City in Central Java Province, Indonesia.

Yan tested the authenticity of the White Tara statue with nuclear technology, which revealed that the statue is at least 800 years old. This meant that she was carved during the beginning of the Majapahit Empire. He estimated that an old and precious item like the White Tara statue could fetch up to US$2 million in an international auction house.

Yan also explained that the well where the statue was found is not an ordinary well. Its small size can only fit one person and there are tiles inside the well. The Tara statue was found with offerings of golden stones and coins, which indicates that it was not discarded. It was probably placed in the well to protect her from destruction by invaders near the end of the Majapahit era.

VIDEO: The Miraculous White Tara

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/WhiteTara001TheMiraculousWhiteTara.mp4

Miraculous Signs

The White Tara statue is 15 cm (5.9 inches) tall and is made from copper and gold. Greenish in colour and decorated with golden ornaments, the 800-year-old statue is very well-preserved. Johan Yan takes high-quality photographs of all his new acquisitions, and he photographed the White Tara statue from various angles.

To his astonishment when viewing the photos, he saw that the statue’s eyes, which were originally closed, had opened and were glancing to the side. He took this to be a miraculous phenomenon.

The eyes of the White Tara statue glancing to the front (left) and to the side (right)

The Grand Blessing

Not long after the sacred White Tara statue became part of his collection, Yan received a phone call from Redi of the Vajrayana Nusantara Foundation. Redi is a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner of the Nyingma tradition. He informed Yan that there were two Buddhist masters who were interested to view the White Tara statue.

Johan Yan (left), Lama Chokyong Yeshi Dorje (middle), and Lama Rangbar Nyimai Ozer (right) with the miraculous White Tara statue.

The two Buddhist masters were Lama Chokyong Yeshi Dorje, who is a Bhutanese oracle for the deity Tsiu Marpo (In Gelug tradition: Kache Marpo), and Lama Rangbar Nyimai Ozer, the founder and President of the Bodhivastu Foundation in the United States. Although Yan is a Catholic, he appreciates other religions, and arrangements were made to bless the White Tara statue.

A day before the blessing ceremony, on Friday, 6^th April 2012, the White Tara statue was featured in the Lampion newspaper, accompanied by close-up photos. It was apparent that the eyes of the White Tara statue are closed in one picture and open in other pictures.

The eyes of the Tara statue are alive and moving as depicted in this newspaper article. Click to enlarge.

The grand blessing took place in Vihara Sanggar Agung on 7^th April 2012. During the ceremony, a bright light appeared and Lama Rangbar Nyimai Ozer saw the eyes of the White Tara statue come alive.

After the ceremony, Lama Chokyong Yeshi Dorje suddenly prostrated to the sacred White Tara statue. He then turned the statue around to look at its back and noticed a mantra written there. Ordinary eyes could not see the mantra.

Lama Chokyong Yeshi Dorje then wrote the secret mantra on a piece of white paper. Chokyong Rinpoche suggested that the secret mantra should be kept close for two years, after which there would be an opportunity to meet a terton related with this statue and revelation. Chokyong Rinpoche also suggested that the White Tara statue should not be taken out of Indonesia and that no more pictures of the statue should be taken because she is an Indonesian terma.

Termas are hidden teachings that are to be revealed by tertons (treasure revealers) for the benefit of sentient beings when the time is right. The word terma is derived from the Tibetan language which means “the Treasured Ones”. In general, there are two types of termas:

• Earth termas: Teachings hidden in physical objects
• Mind termas: Teachings hidden in the mindstream of a terton

Source: https://jatim.antaranews.com/berita/85644/rinpoche-bhutan-amerika-berkati-rupang-tara-bodhisattva-mojopahit. Click to enlarge.

Translation

Bhutanese and American Rinpoches bless a Tara image from the Majapahit era (1293-1500)

Sunday, 8 April 2012 6:10 WIB

Surabaya – Two “Rinpoches” (Buddhist priests, Dalai Lama’s representatives), H.E. Druk Chokyong Tsimar Rinpoche from Bhutan (South Asia) and Lama Rangbar Nyimai Ozer from the United States blessed a Tara statue from the Majapahit era in Sanggar Agung Kenjeran, Surabaya, Saturday (7/4).

According to the owner of the sacred image, Johan Yan, he said during the midst of the blessing event, “Both Rinpoches came from far away just to bless the copper Tara image, an 800-year-old sacred item from Majapahit.”

He said that many miracles occurred during the blessing, “Blessed God, in the middle of the sacred blessing, I was surprised by a whisper from Lama Rangbar Nyimai Ozer who told me that he saw the eyes of the Tara image come alive.”

According to him, the miracles were a blessing for all the devotees, especially for the community of all devotees around the world. “It also shows that the Majapahit era was filled with harmony and love,” he added.

After the blessing concluded, H.E. Druk Chokyong Tsimar Rinpoche, suddenly prostrated to the image of Tara. “At the time, I suddenly felt that the sky became dark, although there were no clouds and it became very hot because the event was held between 12pm-1pm.”

At the time, H.E. Druk Chokyong Tsimar Rinpoche seemed to have seen something; he then turned the image around and looked at the back of the Tara image carefully.

After that, Lama Rangbar Nyimai Ozer gave him a piece of white paper and H.E. Druk Chokyong Tsimar Rinpoche began to write down a “secret mantra” which appeared on the back of the image and could not be seen by ordinary eyes.

In a separate place, Lama Rangbar Nyimai Ozer, after communicating with Rinpoche wrote down four words “1000 years, 1000 images, Nagarjuna, Nagas”. “Who was Nagarjuna? Nagarjuna was the person who made the Tara image and he made it from the dragon,” he said.

With regards to the secret mantra that cannot be seen by ordinary eyes on the back of the Tara image, he said the paper will be opened in Borobudur on June 2-7, by H.H. Dudjom Tenzin Yeshey Dorje (a Tibetan Dharma king of the Nyingma tradition) from Bhutan.

“He is the teacher of all Nyingmapa Tantra practitioners. Right now, H.H. Dudjom Tenzin Yeshey Dorje is the advisor to the King of Bhutan,” he said.

After the blessing, H.E. Druk Chokyong Tsimar Rinpoche forbade the Tara image to be taken out of Indonesia. He also forbade more pictures of the Tara to be taken and that no one should touch the image because she is an Indonesian Terma.

Reporter:
Editor: Slamet Hadi Purnomo
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2018

Source: https://jatim.antaranews.com/berita/85644/rinpoche-bhutan-amerika-berkati-rupang-tara-bodhisattva-mojopahit

Other Miraculous Signs

The paper containing the secret mantra before the blessing (left) and after the blessing (right)

During H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche’s visit, Yan participated in the Buddhist retreat at Borobudur Temple and brought the White Tara statue along. There, Yan witnessed other miraculous signs. When the piece of paper containing the secret mantra was about to be opened, Dudjom Rinpoche requested for everyone to clear the room except for a few close attendants.

Light emanated from the White Tara figurine

Outside, Yan saw that the sky had suddenly became cloudy. But, there was an opening in the clouds where rays of light shone down on the building. When the paper with the secret mantra was returned to Yan, he was surprised to see that the ink had vanished and that the paper itself had become a little oily.

The secret mantra has never been publicly announced. When Yan returned to his hotel room with the White Tara statue, he saw a light emanating from the figurine and quickly took a photograph of this phenomenon with his phone camera.

The sacred White Tara statue currently resides in the Mahanandi Museum. Yan hopes that the miraculous phenomena of the White Tara statue will encourage his fellow Indonesians to love and preserve items of cultural heritage.

VIDEO: White Tara Blessing by H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/WhiteTara002DudjomWhiteTara.mp4

About White Tara

Tara is one of the most renowned enlightened deities practised in all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Known for her effectiveness, she is often considered the mother of all Buddhas. Tara has 21 main forms and White Tara is just one of these forms.

Each of Tara’s forms is a complete refuge and synthesis of the Three Jewels – the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Each form also grants specific blessings and aids us on our spiritual paths. For example, Yellow Tara is known to help practitioners overcome financial difficulties and problems related to material resources, Black Tara conquers negative spirits, and Red Tara controls environmental problems. White Tara is known for helping practitioners avert life-threatening situations, granting them longevity and healing of illnesses.

The Legends of Tara

There are several well-known legends about Tara.

Legend 1: The Story of Princess Dawa

During the era of the previous Buddha many aeons ago, there was a virtuous princess by the name of Dawa (Moon). She was a devoted student and benefactor of the previous Buddha. Her father, the king, loved and trusted her. She had full access to her father’s treasury and was generous, compassionate, and spiritual. Unlike her peers, Princess Dawa was not interested in secular pleasures such as good food or fine clothes.

One day, Princess Dawa met an old monk who rejoiced in her generosity and virtue. The monk advised Princess Dawa to dedicate her virtuous deeds so that she could be reborn as a male because the female body is not pure and cannot be a vehicle to obtain Enlightenment. Princess Dawa respectfully told the monk that “the Perfect Buddha said all can obtain liberation regardless of being in male or female bodies.”

Princess Dawa then made a vow to be reborn as a female always and to achieve Enlightenment in the female form to benefit sentient beings. Princess Dawa did her practice intensely and was able to attain liberation amidst auspicious signs. Animals and a beautiful rainbow suddenly appeared, and supernatural beings such as gods, demigods, nagas, and yakshas came to pay homage to the noble lady who is now known as Tara.

Legend 2: Arising from Avalokiteshvara’s Tears

Tara is said to have been born from Avalokiteshvara’s tears of compassion. One day, Lord Avalokiteshvara was looking down at the beings of the world from his pure land and he wept to see their suffering. Two Taras arose from Avalokiteshvara’s compassionate tears. From the tears of his left eye, the peaceful White Tara manifested. From the tears of his right eye, the enchanting Green Tara arose.

Legend 3: Spreading Buddhism in Tibet

The first Dharma King of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo, had two wives. One was from Nepal and the other from China. His Nepali wife, Princess Bhrikuti, is said to have been an emanation of Green Tara while his Chinese wife, Princess Wen Cheng, is said to have been an emanation of White Tara. Both consorts played significant roles in supporting King Songtsen Gampo’s efforts in spreading Buddhism in Tibet. During his lifetime, King Songtsen Gampo built many Buddhist temples including the famed Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.

White Tara’s Iconography

As an enlightened being, White Tara’s iconography and every part of her body is a teaching for practitioners.

1. Seven eyes

White Tara has seven eyes. They are located on the soles of her feet (two eyes), on the palms of her hands (two eyes), and on her face (three eyes). Six of the eyes represent her ability to see into the six realms of samsara. The seventh eye represents her ability to see the root cause of samsara and enables her to act skilfully and effectively to help liberate sentient beings from suffering. The three eyes on her face also represent her ability to simultaneously see the past, present, and future.

2. Right hand mudra

White Tara’s right hand mudra represents her ability to bestow mundane and supra-mundane boons on those who engage in her practice.

3. Left hand holding a fully bloomed lotus

White Tara’s left hand elegantly holds a lotus stem with her thumb and ring finger. The lotus stem leads to a bud, a lotus flower in full bloom, and a fruit.

• The open bloom represents the current Buddha Shakyamuni
• The fruit represents the previous Buddha Kashyapa
• The bud represents the future Buddha Maitreya

4. Legs in full lotus position

White Tara’s legs in the full lotus position represent that she abides in full meditative concentration of emptiness, which is another sign of her Enlightenment. The full lotus position also serves as a reminder that meditation practice is essential for Enlightenment.

5. The body and the five ornaments

White Tara’s five ornaments and her body represent the Six Perfections (paramitas). Tara’s body is beautiful and is an ornament in itself because she has achieved the perfection of Buddhahood.

The Six Paramitas are:

• The perfection of giving
• The perfection of moral discipline
• The perfection of patience
• The perfection of effort
• The perfection of mental stabilisation
• The perfection of wisdom

These are necessary for our spiritual practice in the beginning, middle, and end because they are extremely effective in leading us to higher states of mind.

6. Bluish-black hair

The upper half of White Tara’s hair is tied up in three knots to represent that she has achieved the highest goal, Nirvana. The remaining half of her hair falls freely around her shoulders and down her back to symbolise that, although she has attained liberation, White Tara does not remain in Nirvana. She constantly emanates to benefit sentient beings and she abides in samsara without samsara abiding in her.

7. Youthful appearance

White Tara’s youthful appearance serves to remind us that Enlightenment is permanent and does not fade.

8. Budding breasts

White Tara’s budding breasts are filled with ambrosia. Just like a compassionate mother who sustains her child with milk, White Tara is ever ready to bestow the milk of the 84,000 Dharmas as taught by Buddha Shakyamuni on her fortunate children.

9. Sitting on a full moon

White Tara sits on a full moon representing that she operates from Emptiness.

10. Lotus

Under the full moon that White Tara is sitting on, there is a lotus seat which represents that she has attained perfect Bodhicitta or the mind of compassion.

Kyabje Zong Rinpoche explained that Tara’s image is so sacred, so holy and so full of benefit that her body, speech and mind, and anything that has to do with Tara – is so sacred, that no further blessing is necessary. Anything or any image made in the persona of Tara is automatically blessed and does not need to be consecrated. ~ H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche

A Prayer to White Tara

This short prayer can be recited once a day for someone who is sick, for someone who has passed, an animal/pet or for ourselves. Upon completing the above praise to White Tara, you can do her short mantra:

Tara’s mantra is short but extremely powerful whereby every syllable has a meaning:

• “OM” represents Tara’s enlightened body, speech, and mind.
• “TARE” means one who liberates from suffering.
• “TUTTARE” means one who liberates from the eight fears.
• “TURE” means one who liberates from ignorance with wisdom that brings the true cessation of suffering.
• “SOHA” means may the meaning of the mantra take root in my mind.

Alternatively, you can do the extended White Tara mantra:

It is excellent to recite her mantra and blow on our pets also or into a fish tank. We can even blow her mantra into bottled water and pour the water into lakes, streams, rivers and other water bodies to bless the environment. If we are moving into a new house, we can recite this prayer to bless it or even the land.

You can do this recitation every single day. You can choose either to recite the short or extended mantra. It is your choice. This practice can be done anywhere, but doing the prayer in front of her image would be excellent. Tara’s practice will help to increase our life, free us from the Eight Great Fears, and if we want particular obstacles to be removed, it is very good to do Tara’s practice. In fact, in Gaden, Sera and Drepung Monasteries, Tara prayers are recited every single day before debates. Additionally, Tara pujas are done by the whole sangha community and tormas are offered to her in a special ritual called Drolchok on a monthly basis. Therefore, Tara’s practice is very much prevalent in the monasteries because her effects are very quick, blessed and she has very special karma to benefit us.

About the Brahu Temple Complex

The remains of Brahu Temple

The Brahu Temple complex consists of the remains of a Buddhist temple in the Trowulan Archaeological Site. Trowulan was the capital of the Majapahit Empire. The name “Brahu” was derived from wanaru or warahu which is referred to in the Alasantan Inscription as a holy place.

Although some historians estimate that the Brahu Temple was built in the 15^th century, there are disagreements because the Alasantan Inscription dates back to 9^th September 939 CE, and was made based on Mpu Sindok’s instructions. Mpu Sindok ruled the Mataram Kingdom between 929 and 947 CE.

The Alasantan Inscription mentions that the Brahu Temple was the crematorium for the remains of kings after they passed away. However, until today, no one has found any trace of human ash in the temple.

A Brief History of the Majapahit Empire

Majapahit (1293 – circa 1500) was one of the most powerful empires in South East Asia. During the reign of Hayam Wuruk (r. 1350 – 1389), Majapahit reached the pinnacle of her glory. According to the historical record Nagarakretagama, a Javanese epic poem written in 1365, Majapahit had 98 tributaries and her influence extended to present-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Brunei Darusalam, the Sulu Archipelago, and East Timor.

A map of the Majapahit Empire. Click to enlarge.

The main ruins of the Majapahit Empire were found in the Trowulan area. In the 19^th century, the Lieutenant Governor of British Java, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, visited the Trowulan Archaeological Site and referred to it as “this pride of Java”, and talked about “… ruins of temples… scattered about the country for many miles.” [Source: Wikipedia] Since then, Trowulan has become the centre of research on Majapahit history.

During the Majapahit era, Trowulan was renowned for its great annual Buddhist and Hindu festivals. The citizens of the Majapahit Empire were famous for their artistic and commercial sophistication. Between 1318 and 1330, Mattiussi, an Italian Franciscan monk, visited Majapahit during the reign of Jayanegara. In his book, “Travels of Friar Odoric of Pordenone”, he mentioned that the palace of the King of Java was grand and luxurious. The palace interior was coated with gold and silver and the roofs were similarly gilded. Mattiussi also mentioned that the Mongol Khans’ attempts to attack the Javanese kingdom were all failures.

An artist’s illustration of the Trowulan archaeological site. Click to enlarge.

Toward the end of the 15^th century, Majapahit went into significant decline. By 1517, the predominantly Muslim Demak Sultanate defeated Majapahit. At the time, Raden Patah (r. 1455 – 1518) ruled the Demak Sultanate. Because he was the son of the Majapahit King Brawijaya V by his Chinese concubine, Raden Patan became the legitimate claimant to the Majapahit throne. His victory paved the way for the Demak Sultanate to become a powerful Islamic sultanate in Java.

The fall of the Majapahit Empire in the late 15^th century led to the significant decline of Buddhist practice in the region. By the late 16^th century, Islam had become the dominant religion.

VIDEO: Re-enactment of Life in Majapahit Empire

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/WhiteTara003MajapahitEmpire.mp4

Recommended Reading (Free Download)

Tara: The Feminine Divine (click to download PDF)

In Praise of Tara (click to download PDF)

The texts above were sourced from legitimate book-hosting services offering these texts for free download. They are made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes.

Sources:

• “Menengok Peninggalan Majapahit di Museum Mahanandi”, Tempo Co, 6 June 2015, [website], https://seleb.tempo.co/read/678753/menengeok-peninggalan-majapahit-di-museum-mahanandi (accessed 9 July 2018)
• Yawan, Seti, “Tara Putih Peninggalan Majaahit Dilirik”, KimHotNews, [website], http://kimhotnews.blogspot.com/2012/06/tara-putih-peninggalan-majapahit.html
  (accessed 9 July 2018).
• “Majapahit”, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 10 July 2018, [website], https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majapahit (accessed 9 July 2018).
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• Ngasiran, “Agama Buddha Runtuh pada Akhir Zaman Majapahit Akibat Penurunan Moral”, Buddhazine.com, 8 October 2016, [website], http://buddhazine.com/agama-buddha-runtuh-pada-akhir-zaman-majapahit-akibat-penurunan-moral/ (accessed 9 July 2018).
• Rinpoche, Tsem, “Homage to the Supreme Mother Tara”, Tsemrinpoche.com, 9 May 2016, [website], https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/homage-to-the-supreme-mother-tara.html (accessed 9 July 2018).
• Rinpoche, Tsem, “Tara”, Tsemrinpoche.com, 8 May 2017, [website], https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/letters-cards-gifts/kensur-rinpoches-gift.html (accessed 9 July 2018).
• “3 Alasan Trowulan Sering Disebut Mistis dan Menantang Adrenalin”, kumparan, 15 December 2017, [website], https://kumparan.com/@kumparantravel/3-alasan-trowulan-sering-disebut-mistis-dan-menantang-adrenalin (accessed 9 July 2018).
• “Trowulan”, World Monument Fund, [website], https://www.wmf.org/project/trowulan (accessed 9 July 2018).
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• “BernilaiTerma, Dua Rinpoche Larang Tara keluar Indonesia” Lampion, 9 April 2018.

For more interesting information:

• Spectacular White Tara…
• Tara
• Cittamani Tara
• Suryagupta’s 21 Taras
• Homage to the Supreme Mother Tara
• Holy Mother Tara comes to KFR!
• 15 Reasons Why Meditation Will Make You Successful
• Mantras – Holy Words of Power
• Preliminary Practice
• What is a Blessing?
• Wonderful Indonesia
• The Buddhist Kingdoms of Indonesia
• Kentrul Thubten Lamsang

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