The Goddess Tara in Buddhist Art Research Paper - 1

The Goddess Tara in Buddhist Art - Research Paper Example Though not explicitly mentioned anywhere, Tara’s rise did pave the way for more active involvement of women in Buddhist society. Women began to find a say in matters that up until then had primarily been the dominion of men. Goddess Tara was considered as an enlightened role model within the Buddhist tantra. According to folklore, â€Å"Tara was born out of the tears of Lord Buddha†(Santhanam, 2005) In tantric literature, she is the first female Buddha. Tara follows a tradition of strong female role models, starting in the ancient Vedic period and continuing through early Mahayana times. Some of the duties that Tara performs are similar to those of her contemporaries like Goddess Prajnaparamita. Goddess Tara is also associated with an ancient star cult that provided help to seafarers lost at sea. It is also interesting to note that ‘Tara’ means star in Sanskrit. She is also considered to protect humans from nature’s fury including ocean waves, floods , fires, epidemics, etc. With time she has also come to be regarded as a guide to achieve Moksha, which is the Sanskrit word for enlightenment. Tara emerged as Goddess during a time when Buddhist society was mainly patriarchal. Her manner of presentation was similar to those of male bodhisattvas of earlier times. Tara is unbiased in guiding all â€Å"motherly† sentient beings and helps extricate them from the ocean of suffering. She has got rid of all actions deemed morally wrong and has also gotten over her attachment towards worldly pursuits. â€Å"As a Bhagavati, Tara is a female Buddha who is spontaneously present, totally living in the moment without getting bothered by thoughts of the past or the future†. (Landesman, 2008)Tara has many dimensions to her state of being, and this is visually depicted in paintings on cloth and powdered colours on flat surfaces. She is at times a golden goddess who showers prosperity on her worshippers and also protects

The Effects of the governmental mandatory furlough policy on employees Essay

The Effects of the governmental mandatory furlough policy on employees in Michigan - Essay Example These policies additionally state that employees who are not subject to any collective bargaining contracts when being employed are also subject to abrupt dismissal from employment (Morris, 2005). However, the employees may lay claims against discrimination in their employment on civil rights grounds. Discrimination based on gender, race, age, disability or religions has been prohibited by the federal and state laws in America (Schoeni, 2010). These laws state that the employers may dismiss employees who violate the lawful discharge of their duties, refuse to violate a law in the course of their employment or as an exercise of the rights that have been conferred on them (Kingdon & Thurber, 2010). Furlough programs that are mandatory within the state of Michigan have been implemented for the purpose of addressing the budget shortfalls that have faced the city (Bureau of National Affairs, 2009). There are employers who are legible for the mandatory furlough programs from the government while others are ineligible (Morris, 2005). There are several disadvantages and advantages that the employees within the state of Michigan have encountered due to the mandatory furlough programs that the government has introduced. An employee may take any benefits that have been accorded to him without being interrupted by the days that have been set for mandatory furlough. In addition, their health and dental insurances are also unaffected by these mandatory days (Kingdon & Thurber, 2010). The employees within the state of Michigan are allowed to receive holiday pays under these mandatory programs as though they were performing their regular duties at the workplace (Bureau of National Affairs, 2009). The time that employees serve on mandatory furlough is considered as though they were on regular duty when their benefits under their life insurance schemes are being