Tara Mandala Library
Overview
A library and translation center was part of Lama Tsultrim’s vision for the three-level Tara Temple at Tara Mandala Retreat Center. The Retreat Center opened its library in January of 2016 due to the generosity of Marco Spinner and the hard work of Jampa Dhadak, our librarian at Tara Mandala for 5 years. The Tara Mandala Library gives our community access to a wealth of literature and houses traditional Tibetan Buddhist texts. Tenzin Sangpo is our current librarian as well as Tibetan translator.
The library currently holds 798 Tibetan titles and 1712 English books. Overall we have a collection of roughly 2,510 books and texts in the collection.
The purpose of Tara Mandala’s Buddhist library is to specialize in texts and books written on the teachings of the Chöd lineage and within the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. However, the library also has separate sections on Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Western Psychology, Yoga, and other traditions for comparative studies. Currently, we are curating a new section of the library to hold books and authors to support our equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.
All barcoded books are listed online, and some books have been computerized and their content is digitally available online and can be accessed in the online library catalog.
The collection includes but is not limited to the following texts:
Tibetan Collection:
- Lhasa Kangyur (Teachings of the Buddha)
- Nyingma Tantras
- Collected works of Longchen Rabjam
- Collected works of Ju Mipham
- Collected works of Marpa Lotsawa and Milarepa
- Chöd
English Collection:
- Dzogchen
- Mind Training
- Chöd
- Collected works of H.H. the Dalai Lama
- Collected works of Lama Tsultrim Allione
- Collected works of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
- Buddhist Psychology, Yoga, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Psychology, Science, Health care, and more…
How to Become a Library Member
To become a library member you must fill a membership form. Once information is reviewed and entered into our system by library staff, you will receive a Library Membership Card in the mail with a unique barcode. Books may only be checked out while at Tara Mandala Retreat Center.
Access the Online Library Catalog
To view the full collection you can check the online catalog. Some texts in the collection are fully available in digital format. Other items can be checked out and used while at Tara Mandala Retreat Center.
