The Red Tara empowerment is rare and quite special to the Drikung Kagyu lineage. In the summer of 2005, Garchen Rinpoche gave us an empowerment from a terma text discovered by Osel Dorje, a Drikung terton. The practice text was written by Kyurawa Dudul Dorje in Dege, Tibet and has been translated by Tashi Jamyangling.
A Buddhist deity may manifest in four ways: benign, active, semi-wrathful and wrathful. That is, their activity is pacifying, enriching or expanding, magnetizing, or subduing/destroying. While Green Tara, - the root of all Taras - displays all four qualities, Red Tara is particularly associated with the third qualities. Thus, she is a magnetizing force for activities. Magnetizing activity may be thought of as that which, being based on our individual personal experience and deep-felt feelings and emotions, touches others on a personal, gut-level emotional basis. We move others by our personal experience, so that they come within our sphere of positive influence - lotus family and individualizing awareness.
Red Tara has four hands. The first right hand is holding a lotus hook raised in space. The second right hand holds a lotus at protection mudra at heart center. The second two left hands hold a bow & arrow fully drawn. The bow and arrow are made of red lotus.