Good news! There is a new feature on Bodhi-Bowl.

It is called Pick a Tara. (Located in the menu)

Actually, you don’t really pick her. You draw a card and see which Tara appears.

There are 21 Taras in total, and each Tara represents a different quality or attitude that may be useful in our everyday life. Perhaps you will get Tara of Courage or Tara of Patience. Or perhaps you will get Tara of Self-Mastery on the exact day when you are about to lose your temper with someone. That could be interesting.

Why Tara?

Tara has always fascinated me.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Tara is a beloved figure associated with compassionate activity and the ability to respond to difficulties. There are many different forms of Tara, and the tradition of the Twenty-One Taras is particularly well known.

But I did not set out to reproduce the traditional Twenty-One Taras. Instead, I started thinking about something much simpler. What qualities do we actually need in our daily lives? We need courage, patience. know when to let go, when to control ourselves. We need to be kind and know when to adapt when things don’t go according to plan.

And sometimes we simply need to keep going. So I decided to create my own set of 21 Taras based on these qualities.

Is this traditional Buddhist teaching?

No. This is an important distinction.

Pick a Tara is a new Bodhi-Bowl creation.

It is inspired by Tara, Tibetan Buddhism and the general idea of oracle cards and drawing a message for guidance. But the 21 cards, their names, artwork and messages are not taken from an ancient Tibetan Buddhist text.

They are my own modern interpretation. So please don’t regard these cards as a traditional Tibetan Buddhist divination system. I would rather think of them as a little Bodhi-Bowl experiment. Something fun that makes us pause for a moment. And perhaps something that might give us a different perspective on the day ahead.

What happens when you draw a card?

It is quite simple.

Draw a card.

See which Tara appears.

Read her message.

Then think about it.

There is also a small practice associated with each Tara.

Nothing complicated.

You don’t have to sit cross-legged for an hour or enter a deep state of meditation.

It might simply be something like:

Be patient today.

Don’t let someone else’s negativity control you.

Walk away from one unnecessary argument.

Listen before giving your opinion.

Let go of something you have been holding onto.

Small things.

Because Buddhist practice, at least from my perspective, does not always have to be about grand spiritual achievements. Sometimes it is about what we do in the next five minutes.

What if the card doesn’t make sense?

That’s perfectly fine. It is a random card. No need to force a meaning onto it.

The purpose is not to predict your future.

It is simply an opportunity to pause and reflect.

A little bit of oracle, but not too much

I have always found the idea of oracle cards interesting. There is something appealing about drawing a card without knowing what is going to appear. It introduces an element of randomness (or maybe not?)

And randomness can be useful.

Why?

Because normally, when we think about a problem, we keep thinking about the same problem in the same way.

We already have an opinion and know what we want. In short, we already have our preferred answer.

A random card introduces something unexpected. It may not give us the answer. But it may give us another question.

And sometimes another question is more useful than an answer.

Buddhism doesn’t always have to be serious

This is probably the real reason I created this feature.

Bodhi-Bowl has been around for quite a few years now, and much of what I write is about Buddhist teachings, stories, meditation, suffering, impermanence, karma and the various difficult questions surrounding Buddhism.

These are serious subjects. But Buddhism doesn’t have to be serious all the time. I enjoy discovering the strange, interesting, mystical and sometimes even amusing aspects of Buddhism. I also enjoy experimenting with different ways of presenting Buddhist ideas. So why not have a little fun?

So, which Tara will you get?

There are 21 possibilities.

You won’t know which one you are going to get. That’s part of the fun.

Maybe the card will be strangely appropriate.

Maybe it will be completely irrelevant.

Maybe it will make you think.

Maybe it will make you smile.

Or maybe you will simply draw another card tomorrow.

Whatever happens, I hope you enjoy it.

Pick a Tara is not meant to replace Buddhist study, meditation or traditional teachings.

It is simply a small, playful way of bringing a little Buddhist-inspired reflection into everyday life.

So…

Who is your Tara today?

Pick a Tara for Today

Give it a try.

You might be surprised by who shows up.

May all be well and happy.