Tibetan Monk Honors Female Buddhist Deity

June 3, 2004

Source: Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/news/metro/des3_20040603.htm

On June 3, 2004 the Detroit Free Press reported on Gehlek Rimpoche, a Tibetan monk who is the founder and director of Ann Arbor's Jewel Heart, an international Buddhist center, and the creator the the Tara Box. "The Tara Box is about half the size of a Kleenex box, lavishly decorated with pictures of flowers, fruits and the mountains of India. It's a small altar with a statue of Tara, the most beloved female deity in Buddhism. 'You don't have to change who you are or what you believe to know Tara,' said Rimpoche. 'If I were of the Christian faith, I'd say she is close to the notion of Mary. She is the motherly, loving, protective aspect of our nature. Embrace this aspect, and there's no limit to how its goodness can affect you and others around you.'"