Alright, this is necrothreading an old-ass thread, but I was hesitant to start a new one for something that might not be as big a deal as I think it is.
Anyway, I picked up a big coffee-table sized book from the bargain bin a couple months back full of Hindu & Buddhist iconography, artistry, and massive paintings entitled
Celestial Gallery (Romo Shrestha, text by Ian A. Baker). I was leafing through it not too long ago when a painting of the White Tama brushed my vision, and unfortunately, I neither own nor have immediate access to a scanner bed large enough for me to give you the exact painting I’m looking at right now, but I DID do a google image search and found this one that—while not the same—is suitable enough for the purposes of this post:
If I come across an image of this exact one in my book, I’ll upload itNotice: lidded eyes on soles of feet, palms of hands, and forehead. I made a connection to GNR—what with her vulvae palms and whatnot—particularly with GNR’s third eye manifesting inside a vulvae on her forehead. Granted, GNR doesn’t have eyes in her palms, and we don’t see the soles of her feet (though I’d imagine she’s got some vulvae down there as well… if she even HAD feet), but I’m not sure if that’s quite so important.
The text accompanying the picture says this:
Ian A. Baker wrote: “Upon the orb of the a moon in the center of the anthers of a softg and tender lotus, its petals full blown, the body of the goddess, sensuous, ravishing, mother of all the Conquerors: there I direct my prayers.” So wrote the Fifth Dalai Lama in praise of the goddess Tara, described in her liturgies as the “mother of all Buddhas.” Originating in Indian cults of Shakti worship, Tara was assimilated into the Tibetan tradition where, through multiple emanations, she functions as savioress and supreme protectress. In her white form, Tara confers longevity and fulfills earthly desires through the activities of of pacifying, increasing, and subjugating. In her left hand she holds a lotus, a symbol of the mind’s innate purity. Her right hand is stretched outward in a gesture of bestowing boons. On both palms, as well as on the soles of her feet, are eyes of transcendent wisdom, symbolizing that all her activities are conducted with omniscient awareness. An inverted eye on her forehead similarly indicates her enlightened vision.
[…]
Unlike goddesses associated with fertility, Tara is approached primarily as a protector and preserver of life. [...]
The qualities of White Tara are ultimately inseparable from our own. Her loving kindness reflects an innate altruism that arises spontaneously from recognizing our oneness with all creation. Awakening is not a solipsistic retreat from unwanted realities, but a reaching outward to embrace the world with infinite compassion. If we see through to Tara’s essence, she frees us from self-serving thoughts and encourages us to act selflessly, and wisely, for the benefit of all beings: the surest prescription for a long and fulfilling life.
I cut out a few bits discussing the painting itself (since the pic I posted isn’t the one the text is commenting on anyway). Though sometime I would like to find an image of the one in my book; the text goes on to make note of some rather interesting things going on in the background that could relate to aspects of EoE and NGE, but these things are unfortunately absent from this pic.Of particular note are the obvious themes of oneness vs loneness brought up in EoE and GNR’s use as the mechanism that initiates/drives/sustains Instrumentality, and how these correlate to the White Tama’s representation of ‘recognizing oneness’. Also, I found it rather interesting that GNR (or more appropriately, Instrumentality) is seen as an inevitable but ultimately ‘bad’ construct created around one mind’s solipsistic tendencies that bends & merges other minds to its will—and, perhaps not-coincidentally, one of the White Tama’s aspects is to ‘free’ individuals from things like selfishness and egocentrism that often reinforce these escapist trends. This, perhaps most importantly, is not unlike the “what is a dream” sequence near the end of EoE, wherein Rei/Lilith, Shinji, and anyone else who felt like joining in dialogued about the nature of reality, dreaming, escapism, and loneliness, with Rei/Lilith (IIRC, I’m long overdue for a rewatch) ultimately convinced and reaffirmed Shinji
out of retaining the escapist indulgences that Instrumentality offered.
I doubt this can offer any more insight on the GNR/Instrumentality event, but I did find this correlation interesting. Maybe I'm stretching things a little with the resemblances?
discuss
