Course Five of the five-course series, The Heart of Buddhism: A Year Long Buddhist Studies Program with Lama Tsultrim Allione and guest teachers.

The Buddhist Path

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.

Dzogchen (the “Great Perfection” or “Great Completion”) and Mahamudra (the “Great Seal” or “Great Symbol”) are considered the highest teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Discover how these teachings offer a direct path to realizing the mind’s innate purity and clarity, and a training ground for abiding in our essential wakefulness.

What You’ll Experience in Course Five

• Learn profound practices for awakening to the nature of mind 
• Discover feminine perspectives in Dzogchen lineages
• Experience how recognition spontaneously benefits others
• Discover pathways for further study and practice

The Learning Experience

Each session meets on five consecutive Fridays beginning October 24, 2025, from 10am-12pm MST. **Please note that most of the USA will switch to MDT on November 9, 2025.**

Please use this link to see how this daily schedule translates into your timezone for the following sessions (MST):

• October 24, 2025
• October 31, 2025

Please use this link to see how this daily schedule translates into your timezone for the following sessions (change to MDT):

• November 7, 2025
• November 14, 2025
• November 21, 2025

Recording Access: All participants will have access to the recorded sessions for 30 days after the program closes (until December 21, 2025).

• Live sessions Fridays 10am-12pm MST/MDT 
• 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.

Tuition: To make the dharma accessible to more people, Tara Mandala is offering this series of courses at a subsidized rate. Every additional $100 above the Supported Level is a sponsorship for one person to attend. Please consider offering a sponsorship, by becoming a Benefactor or donating to the scholarship fund. Apply for a scholarship here.

The Complete Journey: Five Courses of Buddhist Study 

This is the first of five courses in a comprehensive year of Buddhist study and practice, a program called 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. Each five-week course builds upon the previous while standing alone as a complete teaching, and may be taken individually:

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

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

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

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

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

Save by Enrolling in the Complete Program Experience the full journey of Buddhist study and practice. Save when you enroll in all five courses together. Complete the program and deepen your study with a global practice community. To enroll in the five-course package, click here.

Cost for the Complete Program (all 5 Courses), payment plan available:

• Supported: $896 ($762 early bird before January 20th, 2024)
• Benefactor: $1,346 ($1,144 early bird before January 20th, 2024)
• Scholarships & Sponsorships available

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