Welcome to The Heart of Buddhism: A Foundational Year of Study & Practice. Throughout 2025, we’ll explore the history, core teachings, and practices that guide Buddhist practitioners in the Tibetan tradition in waking up to their true nature of innate compassion and wisdom. The Buddhist path offers profound guidance for working with the individual and collective challenges we face — and transforming suffering into liberation. These teachings show us how we can each become a light in the darkness, embodying the luminous spaciousness that is the heart-essence of who we are.

Each five-week course builds upon the previous while also standing alone as a complete teaching, and may be taken individually. Those who complete the yearlong program will receive a Certificate of Completion. 

The Path of Liberation (January 31 – February 28, 2025) with Lama Tsultrim Allione and Amelia Hall, featuring Wendy Garling

• Learn time-tested shamatha practices for stability in uncertainty
• Discover feminine perspectives on the Buddha’s awakening
• Transform personal challenges into sources of wisdom

What the Buddha Taught (March 21 – April 18, 2025) with Lama Tsultrim Allione and Lopön Karla Jackson-Brewer

• Learn how the Four Noble Truths address contemporary suffering
• Discover practical applications of karma and interdependence
• Experience how meditation reveals innate wisdom

Path of the Awakened Heart (May 22 – June 19, 2025) with Lama Tsultrim Allione and Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton, featuring Robert A. F. Thurman

• Practice tonglen for working with collective suffering
• Study the Heart Sutra’s feminine expression of emptiness
• Engage in the rich practice of the Six Paramitas within the context of your daily life

Sacred View, Sacred World (September 5 – October 3, 2025) with Lama Tsultrim Allione and Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam

• Study the rise of the feminine in Tibetan Buddhism
• Transform daily life through sacred view
• Learn the householder approach to practice

The Great Perfection (October 24 – November 21, 2025) with Lama Tsultrim Allione and Tulku Ösel Dorje, featuring Erik Pema Kunsang

• Learn the essential practices for recognizing natural awareness
• Discover feminine perspectives in Dzogchen lineages
• Experience how recognition spontaneously benefits others

Program Schedule  

Each session meets weekly from 10am-12pm MST/MDT (Mountain Time) beginning January 31, 2025.

• Course One | Fridays: January 31 // February 7, 14, 21, 28
• See how this daily schedule translates into your timezone.

Please note that most of the USA will switch to MDT (Mountain Daylight Time) on March 9, 2025.

• Course Two | Fridays: March 21, 28 // April 4, 11, 18 
• Course Three | Thursdays: May 22, 29 // April 4, 11, 18
• Course Four | Fridays: September 5, 12, 19, 26 // October 3
• Course Five | Fridays: October 24, 31
• See how this daily schedule translates into your timezone.

Please note that most of the USA will switch to MST (Mountain Standard Time) on November 3, 2025.

• Course Five (continued) | Fridays: November 7, 14, 21
• See how this daily schedule translates into your timezone.

The Learning Experience

• Live sessions weekly at 10am-12pm MST/MDT (depending on the course)
• Session recordings available within 24 hours
• Engage with a global practice community in weekly discussion forums
• Flexible learning environment; participate live or study at your own pace

Who Is This Program For? This program is ideal for both beginners and more seasoned practitioners. It is also an excellent foundation point for those looking to formally enter the path of Vajrayana, a tantric Buddhist tradition, either with Tara Mandala or through another lineage.

Recording Access: For each of the five courses, all participants will have access to the recorded sessions for 30 days after that course closes.

Tuition: To make the dharma accessible to more people, Tara Mandala is offering this year-long program and each individual course at a subsidized rate. For the year-long program, every additional $450 above the Supported Level is a sponsorship for one person to attend. Please consider offering a sponsorship, by becoming a Benefactor or donating any amount to the scholarship fund. 

Apply for a scholarship here.

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 30 days after the course concludes. 

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. 

Offering dana to the teacher: The practice of offering dana, which means “generosity,” is the traditional offering the student makes to the teacher as a symbol of appreciation, gratitude, and reciprocity for receiving the precious teachings. To learn more about dana and suggested dana ranges, please click here. 

Click Here for Our Online Programs Cancellation and Refund Policy