Tara Mantra: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha, Meaning, Practice, and Tradition
The first time most people encounter the Tara mantra, it comes as sound: a recording from a Tibetan monastery, or a voice in a meditation hall repeating the phrase Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. The syllables feel old in the mouth. They are. This mantra has been chanted by practitioners across the Himalayan plateau, in Mongolian temples, and in Tibetan exile communities for well over a thousand years. It belongs to one of the most beloved figures in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition: Green Tara, the swift protectress who acts without delay.
What follows is a plain, grounded look at the Tara mantra itself, its Sanskrit roots, its meaning, its place in daily practice, and how it fits within the broader framework of Tibetan Buddhism. Whether you are new to mantra recitation or deepening an established practice, the details here matter.
⭐ Key points
- The Tara mantra is Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha, used primarily in Tibetan and Mongolian Vajrayana Buddhism.
- Each syllable corresponds to a specific quality or aspect of Tara's liberation activity.
- Tara is regarded as a bodhisattva, a being who has attained the capacity for full awakening and remains active for the sake of others.
- The practice is traditionally introduced by a teacher; chanting does not require prior initiation, but a formal lung (oral transmission) deepens the practice.
- Traditional chanting sessions count 108 repetitions, often tracked with a mala.
Who Is Tara? The Bodhisattva Behind the Tara Mantra
Tara (Sanskrit: Tārā, Tibetan: Sgrol-ma, pronounced "Drolma") is one of the most widely venerated bodhisattvas in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. The name derives from the Sanskrit root tr, meaning "to cross over" or "to liberate." She is the one who carries beings across the ocean of cyclic existence (samsara).
In the Tibetan tradition, Tara appears in 21 distinct forms, each associated with a different color, posture, and sphere of activity. Green Tara is the primary form connected to the Tara mantra Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. She is depicted seated on a lotus, with her right leg extended, a posture that signals readiness to rise and act immediately. Her left hand holds a blue utpala lotus at the heart. Her gaze is direct, attentive.
White Tara is a closely related form, associated more specifically with longevity practices. The 21 Taras span qualities from peaceful to fierce, from red to black, each addressed in the liturgical text known as the "Praise to the Twenty-One Taras," which is recited daily in many Tibetan monasteries. But Green Tara, the swift one, is the face most practitioners know first.
💡 Did you know?
According to one widely cited Tibetan account, Tara arose from the tears of Avalokiteshvara (the bodhisattva of compassion, known in Tibet as Chenrezig) as he wept over the suffering of all beings. A lotus bloomed from each tear, and from those lotuses Tara emerged. The story is not a single canonical source but appears across several Tibetan commentarial texts and is a cornerstone of popular Tara devotional literature.
The Full Tara Mantra: Sanskrit, Tibetan Pronunciation, and Script
The mantra in standard Sanskrit romanization: Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā. In Tibetan pronunciation (the form most commonly heard in recorded chants and in Western Dharma centers): Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. The Tibetan rendering replaces the Sanskrit Svāhā with Soha, a phonological shift common to many Tibetan mantras.
In Tibetan script (Uchen): ཨོཾ་ཏཱ་རེ་ཏུཏྟཱ་རེ་ཏུ་རེ་སྭཱ་ཧཱ།. In Devanagari (Sanskrit): ॐ तारे तुत्तारे तुरे स्वाहा.
For recitation, the Tibetan form Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha is the standard used in virtually all contemporary Tibetan Buddhist communities and most Western centers following a Tibetan lineage. The Sanskrit form is used in some academic and Hindu-adjacent contexts where Tara is venerated as a goddess of the Shakta tradition, a distinct (though historically connected) religious stream.
Word-by-Word Meaning of Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha
Every syllable of the Tara mantra carries weight. Breaking the mantra down helps practitioners chant with awareness rather than mechanical repetition.
| Syllable | Root meaning | Traditional interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Om | Sacred syllable (body, speech, mind) | Invocation; aligns the practitioner's three doors with the mantra's intent |
| Tare | Vocative of Tārā, "O Tara" | Liberation from ordinary suffering; Tara in her fundamental liberating aspect |
| Tuttare | Emphatic repetition, "O, great Tara" | Liberation from the fears and obstacles that arise on the spiritual path; the eight great fears in traditional lists |
| Ture | Swift, quick, "O swift one" | Liberation from the root of all suffering: the delusions of ignorance, desire, and aversion; Tara's speed of compassionate response |
| Soha / Svāhā | Vedic offering formula, "so be it," "hail," "may it be established" | Seals the mantra; the aspiration takes root in the practitioner's mind-stream |
The threefold progression Tare, Tuttare, Ture is often explained as three levels of liberation: liberation from immediate suffering, liberation from fears on the path, and liberation from the root cause of all suffering. The scholar and translator Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, in his commentary on Tara practice, frames Ture specifically as pointing to the swiftness with which Tara grants this deepest form of relief. Wildmind Buddhist Meditation's analysis of the mantra captures this well: "OM! O Tara! I entreat you, O Tara! O swift one! Hail!"
Tara in the Buddhist Canon: Textual Sources
Tara's presence in Buddhist literature goes back to the early centuries of the Common Era. The primary canonical source for Tara practice in the Tibetan tradition is the Tantra of Tara Who Saves from the Eight Fears (Tibetan: Jigpa Gyedrel Gyi Gyud), a text preserved in the Tibetan Kangyur. The mantra appears in several sections of this tantra alongside visualization instructions and praise verses.
The "Praise to the Twenty-One Taras" (Tare Nyishu Tsawa Chikma) is a shorter liturgical text attributed in Tibetan tradition to the Indian master Suryagupta and later elaborated by Atisha (982-1054 CE), the Bengali scholar-monk who traveled to Tibet and profoundly shaped the Kadam school. This praise is still chanted every morning in most Gelug, Kagyu, and Sakya monasteries.
Tara does not feature prominently in the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, which reflects an earlier textual stratum and a different geographic spread. Her worship is concentrated in traditions with strong Vajrayana and Mahayana lineages, principally Tibetan Buddhism, Mongolian Buddhism, and certain branches of Chinese esoteric Buddhism (Tangmi). In Nepali and Newar Buddhism, Tara is venerated as a living goddess whose images are found in the syncretic temple art of the Kathmandu Valley.
How to Practice the Tara Mantra: Structure, Method, and a Beginner Routine
In Tibetan Buddhist practice, mantra recitation is typically embedded within a larger sadhana (practice text) rather than used as a standalone chant. A full Tara sadhana includes taking refuge, generating bodhicitta (the altruistic mind of awakening), visualization of Tara, mantra recitation, and a dedication of merit. That said, for practitioners who have not received formal training, chanting the mantra alone carries its own value within the Tibetan tradition, particularly when done with a sincere orientation toward the welfare of others.
The standard recitation count is 108 repetitions, a number with deep symbolic resonance in Buddhism and Hinduism. 108 beads on a standard Buddhist mala make this count straightforward to track. Some practitioners do shorter rounds of 21, one repetition per form of the 21 Taras. Extended retreat practice may involve thousands of recitations daily over weeks or months.
Posture during recitation follows the same guidelines as sitting meditation: a stable base, an upright but relaxed spine, hands resting in the lap or holding a mala. The eyes can be half-open (the Tibetan meditation default) or gently closed. Chanting aloud is common in group settings; silent mental repetition is equally valid and often recommended for personal practice when concentration is the primary aim.
For those new to Tibetan mantras, a few pronunciation notes help. The "T" sounds in Tare and Tuttare are aspirated in Sanskrit but often pronounced as plain unaspirated stops in Tibetan. The "u" in Ture is short and clean, not drawn out. The final Soha has a soft "h", not a hard exhale, but a gentle release.
🧘 Your first 10 minutes: a starter Tara mantra routine
This three-step sequence is suitable for complete beginners and requires no prior initiation or ritual knowledge.
- Settle (1-2 minutes). Sit comfortably with a straight spine. Take three slow, full breaths. Briefly call to mind that you are doing this practice for your own benefit and for the benefit of others around you. No elaborate visualization is needed at this stage; a simple, sincere intention is enough.
- Recite (7-8 minutes). Hold your mala in your right hand, beginning at the bead just after the guru bead. With each bead, recite Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha once, either aloud or silently. Let the sound fill your attention. If your mind wanders, return to the sound of the next syllable without self-criticism. One full round of 108 beads takes roughly seven to eight minutes at a relaxed pace.
- Dedicate (1 minute). At the end of the round, pause. In your own words, or simply with the intention, direct whatever positive quality arose from the session toward the welfare of all beings. This closing dedication is a standard feature of Tibetan practice and takes only a moment.
Once this ten-minute form feels natural, you can extend it by adding a second round, introducing a verse of praise from the Twenty-One Tara liturgy, or incorporating a simple visualization of Green Tara seated above and in front of you.
The Eight Fears: What Tara Protects Against
One of the oldest layers of Tara devotion centers on the "eight great fears" (ashta-bhaya in Sanskrit). These fears appear in early Tara tantras and in carved relief panels at sites like Ellora (India), where Tara is shown protecting devotees from each danger. The list varies slightly by source, but the standard Tibetan version identifies:
- Lions (representing pride)
- Elephants (representing delusion or spiritual ignorance)
- Fire (representing anger and hatred)
- Snakes (representing jealousy)
- Thieves and bandits (representing wrong views)
- Imprisonment or bondage (representing avarice and miserliness)
- Floods and drowning (representing desire and attachment)
- Demons and spirits (representing doubt)
The outer reading is literal: travelers in the Himalayan region prayed to Tara for protection against real dangers on mountain roads. The inner reading maps each fear onto a mental affliction (klesha) that obstructs the path to liberation. When practitioners recite the Tara mantra with this framework in mind, the chant becomes a method of recognizing and releasing the afflictions themselves.
"Homage to you, Tara, with TUTTARE / dispelling all fears, / who with TURE grants all benefits / to whom SOHA and OM are addressed."
From the Praise to the Twenty-One Taras, verse 21, Tibetan canonical liturgy
Green Tara and the Quality of Compassionate Speed
What distinguishes Green Tara from other bodhisattvas in the Tibetan imagination is not power alone but speed. Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, is vast and all-encompassing. Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, is precise and penetrating. Tara is rapid. She does not deliberate. The syllable Ture, "swift one", captures this quality precisely, and it is the syllable that gives the Tara mantra its particular character among Vajrayana recitation practices.
This is why Tara practice has historically been favored in situations of immediate difficulty: illness in the family, a dangerous journey, a crisis of faith. The 14th Dalai Lama has publicly recommended Tara practice on several occasions, including during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing her traditional association with swiftly alleviating suffering.
Green Tara's color carries its own symbolism. In Tibetan iconography, green corresponds to enlightened activity (karma in the tantric sense), the family of action-energy associated with Amoghasiddhi Buddha. Her posture, right leg extended and left leg folded, combines the meditative stability of the seated pose with the active readiness to step forward and help. The blue utpala lotus she holds signifies purity arising from the muddy waters of cyclic existence, a motif found throughout Buddhist art across all traditions.
Mantra Practice and the Mala: Counting 108
A mala (Sanskrit: mālā, Tibetan: trengwa) is the standard tool for counting mantra recitations. The most common mala has 108 beads plus one "guru bead" that marks the beginning and end of a round. When you reach the guru bead, you reverse direction rather than crossing it, a convention observed in most Tibetan and Hindu traditions.
For Tara practice, Tibetan teachers traditionally recommend malas made from certain materials. Bodhi seed malas and lotus seed malas are particularly associated with compassion-related practices. Crystal malas are used for peaceful practices. Wood, bone (especially yak bone), and semi-precious stone malas each carry different traditional associations, rooted in centuries of Tibetan craft and ritual lore. The material matters less in practice than the regularity and intention behind the recitation.
Mala maintenance is a small but real aspect of practice: keep your mala clean, avoid letting it touch the ground, and store it wrapped in cloth rather than loose in a bag with keys and coins. These habits reflect the respect traditionally shown toward practice objects, not a belief that the mala is magically fragile.
Tara Ritual Practice: Sadhana, Puja, and Daily Recitation
The word "ritual" in a Buddhist context translates most accurately as sadhana, a structured practice text that combines visualization, mantra, and prayer. A Tara sadhana can be as brief as two pages or as extensive as a full liturgical text chanted over an hour. The essential components are consistent across lineages:
- Refuge and bodhicitta: A brief dedication of the practice toward awakening for all beings, not only oneself.
- Visualization: Calling Tara to mind in her traditional form, green, smiling, one leg extended, holding the utpala lotus. This can be done with an image in front of you or purely in the mind's eye.
- Mantra recitation: The core of the session. 21 repetitions, 108, or multiples of 108 depending on your available time.
- Praise: Often one or more verses from the Twenty-One Tara Praise, recited after the mantra.
- Dedication of merit: A closing prayer that directs whatever positive effect arises from the practice toward the benefit of all sentient beings.
Group Tara pujas (ritual ceremonies) are common at Tibetan Buddhist centers around the world. They typically take place on specific days aligned with the Tibetan lunar calendar, particularly on the eighth day of the lunar month, which is traditionally associated with Tara. If you practice within a community, attending a group puja at least occasionally is worth the effort; the collective recitation carries a different quality than solo practice.
💡 Did you know?
In Mongolian Buddhism, Tara (known as Dara Ehe, "Mother Tara") holds a position of extraordinary importance. The first systematic translation of Tara texts into Mongolian dates to the 16th century, under the patronage of Altan Khan. Today, Mongolian Buddhist nuns often specialize in Tara liturgy, maintaining an unbroken oral recitation tradition that has survived Soviet-era suppression and continues in restored monasteries across Ulaanbaatar and the countryside.
Tara Across Buddhist Traditions: Tibetan, Nepali, and Chinese Forms
Tara's veneration is not uniform across Asia. Each tradition has adapted her image and practice to its own cultural and doctrinal needs.
In Tibetan Buddhism, Tara is primarily a Vajrayana deity approached through tantric practice. Her full sadhana requires a transmission lineage. The dominant forms are Green and White Tara.
In Newar Buddhism (the indigenous Buddhist tradition of the Kathmandu Valley), Tara is venerated as a goddess within a syncretic pantheon that blends Hinduism and Buddhism. Her images appear in the courtyard temples of Patan and Bhaktapur, often alongside Hindu deities. The mantra is used here too, but the ritual context differs considerably from the Tibetan model.
In Chinese esoteric Buddhism (Tangmi, and its Japanese cognate Mikkyō/Shingon), a form of Tara known as Duōluó Púsà (多羅菩薩) appears in certain ritual collections, but she never achieved the same centrality as in the Himalayan traditions. Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara in female form) fulfills many parallel roles in Chinese popular Buddhism.
In Hinduism, a goddess named Tara appears as one of the ten Mahavidyas (great wisdom goddesses) in the Shakta tradition, particularly in Bengali and Kashmiri lineages. This Tara is ferocious in iconography, blue-black, garlanded with skulls, and bears a family resemblance to the Buddhist Tara only at the level of shared historical roots. The mantra forms differ significantly.
Beginning the Practice: What You Actually Need
No elaborate setup is required to begin chanting the Tara mantra. A quiet room, a comfortable seat, and genuine intention are sufficient. That said, certain objects can support and deepen practice over time.
An image of Green Tara, a thangka painting, a printed card, or a small statue, gives the mind a visual anchor during recitation. Traditional Tibetan thangkas are hand-painted on cloth using mineral pigments according to strict iconometric proportions set out in classical texts. They are not decorative objects in the Western sense; they function as supports for visualization practice. When choosing a thangka or statue, look for clear iconographic accuracy: the extended right leg, the blue utpala lotus, the green body, the gesture of supreme generosity (varada mudra) made by the extended right hand.
A mala (108 beads) lets you track repetitions without counting mentally, freeing attention for the sound and meaning of the mantra itself. Bodhi seed and lotus seed malas have a long association with compassion practice in the Tibetan tradition. You can find mala beads and prayer accessories in the Meditation & Prayer collection.
If you practice early in the morning or in the evening, a dedicated light source for your practice space can help mark the transition into and out of formal practice. Many practitioners use butter lamps (traditional in Tibetan altars) or simple oil lamps. A traditional brass oil lamp carries the same function with a quiet, warm flame that has marked Buddhist altar spaces for centuries.
Common Questions About Transmission and Initiation
A question that arises frequently in Western Buddhist communities: do you need a formal initiation (wang) or oral transmission (lung) before chanting the Tara mantra?
The short answer from most Tibetan teachers is: not for general recitation. The Tara mantra is widely considered an "open" practice, available to anyone regardless of formal transmission. Lama Zopa Rinpoche and other FPMT-affiliated teachers have consistently encouraged newcomers to begin chanting without waiting for initiation. The Dalai Lama has also recommended it publicly as a broadly accessible practice.
For the full Tara sadhana involving detailed visualization and self-generation practices, a formal empowerment (wang) from a qualified teacher is the traditional requirement. This is a meaningful distinction: the mantra itself is open; the full Vajrayana sadhana is not.
If you have access to a qualified Tibetan Buddhist teacher or center, receiving a lung (reading transmission) for the mantra connects your practice to a living lineage. It is a simple ceremony, a few minutes of the teacher reciting the mantra aloud, but it creates a formal link to the tradition. Worth seeking out when the opportunity arises.
Frequently asked questions about the Tara mantra
What is the Tara mantra?+
The Tara mantra is Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha (Sanskrit: Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā). It is associated with Green Tara, a bodhisattva in the Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, particularly venerated in Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhism. Each syllable corresponds to a specific quality of Tara's liberating activity: Tare addresses liberation from suffering, Tuttare from fears on the path, Ture from the root causes of suffering, and Soha seals the dedication of the practice.
What is the meaning of the Green Tara mantra?+
A close translation would be: "OM! O Tara, I call upon you! O great Tara! O swift one! May this be so!" The word Tara comes from the Sanskrit root meaning "to cross over": Tara is the one who, according to Buddhist tradition, helps beings cross the ocean of suffering. Tuttare amplifies the invocation and, in traditional commentary, corresponds to liberation from the eight great fears (both literal dangers and their inner psychological equivalents). Ture points to Tara's speed: in the Tibetan tradition, she responds without delay.
What is the Tara ritual and how do I practice it?+
In its simplest form, a Tara practice session involves sitting quietly with a stable posture, briefly dedicating the session to the benefit of all beings, reciting the Tara mantra Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha 21 or 108 times (using a mala to count), and closing with a short dedication of merit. A more complete Tara sadhana adds visualization, verses of praise from the Twenty-One Tara Praise, and refuge prayers. Formal Tara pujas are held at many Tibetan Buddhist centers, typically on the eighth day of the Tibetan lunar month.
Do I need an initiation to chant the Tara mantra?+
For general mantra recitation, most Tibetan Buddhist teachers regard the Tara mantra as accessible without formal initiation. Receiving an oral transmission (lung) from a qualified teacher is encouraged when possible, as it connects your practice to a living lineage. The full tantric Tara sadhana with visualization and self-generation practice does traditionally require an empowerment (wang). If you are unsure, the cleanest approach is to contact a Tibetan Buddhist center near you and ask.
How does the Tara mantra differ from the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra?+
Om Mani Padme Hum is the mantra of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig), the bodhisattva of compassion. It is the most widely recited mantra in Tibetan Buddhism. Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha belongs specifically to Tara, who is often described as an emanation or daughter-figure of Avalokiteshvara. Both mantras focus on compassion and liberation, but Tara's mantra emphasizes swiftness of response and the removal of both outer obstacles and inner afflictions. Many practitioners use both, sometimes in the same session.
How long should a daily Tara mantra session be?+
There is no fixed minimum. Many practitioners begin with a single round of 108 repetitions, which takes roughly seven to ten minutes at a relaxed pace. In the Tibetan tradition, consistency matters more than session length: a short, regular session practiced daily carries more continuity than a lengthy session done once a week. For those engaged in formal retreat or accumulation practice, teachers may set a specific target total, such as 100,000 recitations of the Tara mantra, completed over months or years.
