“The mandala is a template or blueprint of wholeness. It has a center and four directions. Associated with each direction is a color, an element, an obstructed pattern and a wisdom. It is a way to understand yourself and also your world.”
– Lama Tsultrim Allione
The Mandala Method courses and retreats offer an exploration into the ancient Tibetan Buddhist template of the mandala as it applies to our inner path of transformation and our outer experience in the world. In her book, Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine (Atria, 2018), Lama Tsultrim Allione offers mandala practices she has long taught in an accessible form suitable for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.
The Mandala Method program is a deeper dive into these practices, along with additional practices to empower personal and spiritual transformation.
Each level offers a contemporary application of mandala principles, transforming encumbered emotional patterns, such as ignorance, anger, and craving, into wisdom through meditation, sound, art, movement, and practice with the five elements.
The foundation for this work is the five buddha families, which represent five styles of emotional suffering that transform into five manifestations of enlightened energy. This is an experiential program exploring the divine feminine, masculine, and union of both feminine and masculine aspects of our psyche.
The core of the Mandala Method training is comprised of three levels, designed to be taken in sequence, with the first level open to anyone:
Level I: Wisdom Rising – Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine
Level II: Journey into the Mandala of the Sacred Masculine
Level III: Journey into the Union of Sacred Feminine and Masculine
For those interested in facilitating the Mandala Method practices one-on-one with clients or other individuals, we offer the Mandala Method Certification Program that builds upon Levels I-III.
Although the practices shared in these trainings are based in Tibetan Buddhism, they are accessible to people of any faith or gender identity. For those interested in mindfulness, this work offers a path to deepen and engage in embodied spiritual practice. For those long immersed in Buddhism, it provides rich new approaches and insights into familiar concepts.
The Mandala Method is also a part of the Tara Mandala long-term study pathway Magyu: The Mother Lineage. Participants do not need to participate in Magyu to pursue and benefit from Mandala Method training or certification.