རང་སེམས་སངས་རྒྱས་མ་མཐོང་བར། །

བླ་མ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཟེར་ན་ཡང༌། །

བཅོས་མ་གཞན་གྱི་ལད་མོ་ཙམ། །

དད་པ་དེས་ཀྱང་རྐྱེན་མི་ཐུབ། །

 Without seeing one’s own mind as Buddha,

even if you say “my guru is a buddha,”

such devotion will not withstand difficulties.

It’s just a contrived imitation of others.

—Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorjé

What is devotion in a Buddhist context? Devotion is more than the first flush of inspiration. It takes time, discernment, cultivation, and a curious blend of humility and confidence. It can be directed at various objects, including a living teacher, yet ultimately transcends the need for an external reference point altogether. Importantly, it matures along the Buddhist path from inspiration to confidence, trust, and conviction in the teachings, practices, and one’s own potential to realize them. In that case, is devotion the right word to translate the multivalent Tibetan term mögü?

Dominique Townsend (Columbia University) and Holly Gayley (University of Colorado Boulder) discuss and read translations of Tibetan devotional poetry from their new anthology, Longing to Awaken: Buddhist Devotion in Tibetan Poetry and Song. The anthology features translations of Tibetan poems and songs by revered Buddhist masters from diverse traditions and time periods. It invites readers to experience a variety of poetic forms that embody a range of emotions, from grief and longing to skepticism and humor, demonstrating the ways that poetry can inspire faith as well as reflect the profundity and at times fraught nature of the teacher-student relationship. This collection gives weight to literary—not simply literal—translation as a crucial endeavor in the transmission of Buddhism today.

This is a timely topic for dharma practitioners at a time when so many are thinking critically about the promise and pitfalls of devotion in Buddhist contexts.

This talk will be offered via the Zoom platform. It will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024 from 10:00am-12:00pm MDT. This event will be recorded and all registered participants will have access to the recording for a full year.  Please use this link to see how this daily schedule translates into your timezone. 

Women of Wisdom – The Christina Monson Memorial Lecture Series

On November 19, 2023, the great yogini and Tibetan translator Christina Monson (Sangye Gyalmo) integrated her consciousness into the Dharmakaya resting in tugdam (meditation) for three days amidst rainbow displays at the time of her passing and her cremation on November 22. She spent thirty years  in the high Himalayas and Kathmandu Valley.  She dedicated her life to practicing and translating the Dharma under the guidance of her root guru Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche who entrusted her with the lineage and translation of the termas and other writings of Dekyong Wangmo Sera Khandro. 

Upon learning of her passing, Lama Tsultrim Allione reflected that so often very intelligent articulate women spend their lives in the role of translator, which is a very important role, yet in reality they are also incredibly dedicated practitioners, with their own research, experience and knowledge.  We often don’t hear them teach or express their particular interests directly

Before she passed away Lama Tsultrim spoke to Christina about creating a legacy project in her memory and she replied, ”That would mean the world to me.” 

In honor of Christina and translators like her, Lama Tsultrim decided to create a memorial lecture series for women translators in the Tibetan tradition to speak about whatever inspires and interests them the most. During 2024, the Christina Monson Memorial Lecture Series has invited:

Lama Sarah Harding (Saturday, March 30, 2024) 

Sangye Khandro (Saturday, April 27, 2024) 

Amelia Hall (Saturday, June 15, 2024) 

Miranda Shaw (Saturday, August 17, 2024)  

Vanessa Kubota (Saturday, October 26, 2024) Registration Opening Soon 

Who Should Attend? 

This program is open to everyone.

Recording Access: 

All participants will have a 1-year access period to the recording. 

What is a Tara Mandala Online Program?

Tara Mandala offers online programming via live and pre-recorded curriculum that give you the opportunity to access dharma teachings, engage in guided practice, experience personal retreat and hands-on learning, while connecting with other participants through easy-to-use online platforms and an engaged community network. When needed, the program description and schedule will inform you in advance if and when a specific online session must be attended live if a direct transmission (Tib. lung) may be given. Access to recordings of all sessions will be available for additional viewing for one year. 

Tara Mandala Pricing Guidelines

As we work to become an equitable, diverse and inclusive community, our pricing guidelines are intended to be a map, inviting each of us to take inventory of resources that contribute to our access to precious dharma teachings. While we do ask you to look inward, please know there is no right or wrong answer. We encourage you to select the range/rate appropriate to your circumstances. To learn more about Tara Mandala’s pricing guidelines for Online Programs, In-Person Retreats, and Special Promotions, please visit this page.

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