Biography: Lama Tsultrim Allione
Lama Tsultrim Allione, M.A. was one of the first American women to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. She was ordained as a get
sulma in 1970 by the 16th Karmapa. After four years as a nun studying Tibetan, practicing Buddhism and living in the Himalayas, Lama Tsultrim returned her monastic vows, married, and raised a family of three. She earned a M.A. degree in Buddhist Studies /Women’s Studies from Antioch University. She is the author of Women of Wisdom, a groundbreaking book on the lives of great Tibetan women practitioners. Her new book a National Bestseller, Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict, (2008, Little, Brown & Co), connects the ancient principles of Buddhism with the modern psyche, based on the teachings of the eleventh century Tibetan yogini
Machig Labdrön. This book presents a practice that transforms our “demons” into allies by feeding rather than fighting them, offering a new paradigm with both personal and collective implications.
A panel of distinguished Buddhist scholars and practitioners from the Association for
the Promotion for the Status of Women in Bangkok, Thailand selected Lama Tsultrim Allione as a recipient of the 2009 Award for Outstanding Women in Buddhism .
She founded Tara Mandala in 1993, a 700-acre retreat center where a large three-story mandala temple dedicated to the female Buddha of compassion, Tara has recently been constructed. Tara Mandala offers a wide a variety of programs with a special focus on the lineage of Machig Labdrön. At Tara Mandala programs working with children and young adults bringing them into an awareness of the sacredness of the earth as well as introducing them to principles of non-violence are offered. Tara Mandala also has retreat cabins where long-term solo retreats are underway.
Lama Tsultrim’s skill at teaching arises from the blessings of her many wonderful Tibetan teachers, her forty-year dedication to the Buddhist teachings, her experience as a Western woman and a mother. She brings forth the vibrancy of the teachings in a way that makes them germane for these times.
