21 Tara Thangka, Bodhisattva Green Tara, High Quality Thangka Print

The number 21 has a profound meaning. At the basic level, the Buddha taught us 21 techniques with which we may work to attain enlightenment.  The basis for our enlightenment is right where we find ourselves now, with the precious endowment of our own human body and our own buddha-nature.

Vajrayana is similar to the sutra system, but with its method more specifically targeted. According to this, our human body consists of 21 knots. These are in pairs and they obstruct and block our inner channels. Through the practice of 21 Tara, we release each of these knots and obtain a specific experience of realization. From basic Buddhism all the way to Dzogchen, it is clearly mentioned that Buddhahood is an innate state within us. Our inherently awakened state is an already enlightened being, the Buddha. When we release those twenty-one knots, we attain the ultimate awakening known as the dharmakaya state.

The Dharmakaya, in turn, has 21 spontaneously inherent qualities. They transcend duality, the compounded state, permanence and impermanence, and effort or striving. Unceasingly they arise as necessary for the benefit of all sentient beings. These 21 active dharmakaya qualities appear as 21 emanations of Tara. Thus Tara combines all the active energies of the three kayas by which we release our own knots and those of other beings, the energy by which we achieve enlightenment.