Tara is the female manifestation of the Buddha’s omniscient mind and is also known as the “Mother of all Buddhas”. Reciting the twenty-one praises of Tara any time of day or night protects one from fear and danger. As Tara is swift in granting wishes of sentient beings, she is quick to respond to prayers for fulfilling one’s wishes to accumulate merit, achieve success and prosperity in business, as well as having children.
As the seven Medicine Buddhas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings and they vowed that their prayers be actualized when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline, the Buddha’s holy speech is irrevocable and they are quick at granting blessings to help sentient beings. This practice is beneficial for anyone who wishes others for recovery from illnesses. Healers and medical practitioners engaging in this practice will receive the support not only from the eight Tathagatas but from the four clairvoyant devas, who can help them with accurate diagnoses and understand the right treatment method as they are associated with the eight Tathagatas.
While all practitioners in Vajrayana Buddhism rely on instruction and support of the guru, Buddhas and Dharma protectors to pursue their spiritual path, Mahakala is the Dharma protector of the Karma Kagyu tradition and embodies the power of all Buddhas to overcome inner and outer obstacles. When engaging in Mahakala practice, one requests Mahakala to protect the Buddha Dharma from degeneration and every attribute of this practice is an elaborate method to convert their own impurities into wisdom.