Generating Tara
About This Resource
Details
Essential Question: Who is Tara?
This activity helps young children relate to the energetic qualities of the deities. They generate a ball of invisible energy by rubbing their hands together and imagining people they love. Then they shape that energy ball into the image of a deity. The idea is that they will realize that these deities are actually extensions of their own good energy. In general, MWE is careful about introducing gods, deities, and other unseen beings to children but the opportunity to talk about Tara, the goddess of compassion, kept arising and we wanted to find a way to talk about Tara that felt authentic and accessible. Rinpoche suggested that these deities are also energies and that Green Tara’s energy is kind and compassionate, and protective. This activity could be adapted and applied to other deities, such as orange Manjushri (wisdom energy), or White Tara (healing energy).
Image Courtesy of Emily Avery Crow
Related Resources
The Power of Love Is Always Available
About The Contributor
Noa Jones is the founder and executive director of Middle Way Education and was the founding Chair of the Middle Way School of the Hudson Valley, which she was asked to create as a laboratory to develop a new model of Buddhist education for modern learning environment. She taught at MWS for 6 years and received a masters degree from the graduate school of education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction. Previously, she worked for Khyentse Foundation for 17 years.