From Yakṣīs to Tārā: Ecofeminist Insights into Feminine Agency of Buddhism

Suman  Singh

doi:10.65680/79301712026

Authors

Suman Singh Department of History, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6936-5122

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65680/79301712026

Keywords:

Yakṣī, Ecofeminism, Tārā, Buddhist traditions, Women, Iconography

Abstract

This study traces how Buddhist feminine imagery evolved, representing feminine agency in iconography. It explores this evolution from the early depictions of Yakṣīs in stūpa reliefs to the later iconography of the Boddhisattva Tārā. The visual remains and literary pieces of evidence show that people in the ancient past were conscious of ecology. Buddhism has vast philosophical and iconographical dimensions that unmask the underpinnings of Ecofeminism when scrutinised through an ecofeminist lens. The Yakṣī, prominently portrayed in an intimate relation with trees, uncovers the idea that trees, rivers, and mountains were considered important entities. Yakṣī and Tārā figures embody ecofeminist doctrines through their symbolic and spiritual roles.Tārā comforted Avalokiteśvara to assist in the mission of liberating beings from suffering, thus embodying the feminine aspect of compassion in action. In this narrative, liberation is represented as a collaborative spiritual undertaking, in which compassionate agency is shared rather than confined to a single, masculine figure. It gives the recognition that the work of liberation is shared, not monopolised. This paper will explore multiple dimensions of these eco-feminine threads

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