Bodhisattva Series: Black Tara

Pain and trauma may indeed be universal to the human experience, but allowing that pain to control our lives is not. My work is about exploring the universal human potential for transcendence and evolution, our capacity to grow beyond the myriad difficulties of our lives and become our highest selves. My bodhisattva series is an attempt to translate and distill this truth from Vajrayāna Buddhism into a form more accessible to the western mind. In this practice, bodhisattvas are not gods, angels, or saints, but symbolic representations of the inner wisdom dwelling within each and every individual human being. With this goal in mind I have deliberately chosen to utilize generic three dimensional models instead of actual persons as the bodhisattvas to remind the viewer that these are not specific persons or people, but potential people – anyone and everyone. I have included mandalas created on the principles of sacred geometry to symbolize a higher truth that is inclusive rather than exclusive – a visual representation of our inherent connection to not only each other and all living things, but also to the cosmos as a whole.

Tara was such a devout student that the monks told her she should pray for reincarnation as a man so that she might achieve Nirvana. She said that enlightenment was open to all beings, and that only those of weak mind saw gender as a barrier. She also vowed to reincarnate as a woman until suffering was no more. There are many Taras, each associated with a specific thing. Black Tara is often associated with power and strength.

This series was largely inspired by the works of Alex Grey and Cameron Gray. Many thanks to both of them for their influence upon my work.
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Materials/Programs:
Photoshop, Apophysis, DAZ 3D, Canon Rebel DSLR, wacom tablet

Stock Used:
Mountains of Tibet by ~solarka-stock
textures from ~parablev and `pendlestock
fractal by ~FractalStock
pilar and jets from Hubble

All other resources were created by myself using materials listed above.

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