Chöd is a wonderful practice for these times. It brings understand to the root of our pain and offers a way to resolve our deepest shadows and hardest addictions. Chöd reflects a unique blend of the Tibetan Shamanic traditions and the Buddhist understanding of compassion and emptiness. This centurys-old practice is sung using a traditional drum and bell, and brings about healing by cutting through fear, fixation, and self-clinging. The practice thereby awakens one’s awareness of the pure nature of emotions and the emptiness of mental obscurations.

The Chöd practice requires a chöd drum and bell, both of which are available through our bookstore.

The Chöd retreat is a prerequisite for Kapala Training Level III.

This course meets the qualifications for 20 hours of CEUs. Tara Mandala is licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as a continuing education provider (#3260). CEUs are offered for marriage, family, and child counseling (MFCC) and for social work (LCSW). Please sign up for CEUs at the time of registration; a $15 fee applies.

Fees: Sliding scale fees allow participants to pay according to individual means. Your payment above the low end directly benefits our scholarship fund.
Double: $740 - $515
Queen Double: $799 - $565
Single: $895 - $675
Camping: $450 - $325
Suggested Dana: $150 - $30

Accommodation descriptions can be found here.

Sliding scale fees allow participants to pay according to individual means. Your payment above the low end directly benefits our scholarship fund.

Sustaining Sangha discounts range from 10%-20% based on your membership level and are calculated at registration.

Detailed information about retreats at Tara Mandala
Travel Information (booking flights, shuttles, hotels)
Download registration form (PDF)
Register securely online: 100% of course cost due at registration
Financial aid available

Lama Tsultrim Allione, author and international teacher, founded Tara Mandala in 1994. Inspired by the vision of a Western retreat center while living in the Himalayas in the 1970s, Lama Tsultrim founded Tara Mandala with her husband David Petit, where she is now the spiritual director and resident teacher.

Lama Tsultrim was one of the first American women to be ordained as a Tibetan nun in 1970 by the 16th Karmapa. At the age of 26, after four years as a nun, she returned her monastic vows, married, and raised a family of three. Lama Tsultrim earned a Master’s degree in Buddhist Studies and Women’s Studies from Antioch University. She is the author of Women of Wisdom, a groundbreaking book on the lives of great female Tibetan practitioners.

Lama Tsultrim also authored the recently published Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict, which connects the knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism with the modern psyche, addressing major cultural issues and the roots of our suffering. This National Bestseller is based on Lama Tsultrim’s pioneering technique using five steps to nurture the parts of ourselves we usually fight.

Lama Tsultrim has for many years focused her teachings on the lineage of Machig Labdrön, the 11th century Tibetan yogini who founded the Chöd lineage. In 2007, while leading a pilgrimage to Tibet, she was recognized as an emanation of Machig Labdrön by the resident Lama of Zangri Khangmar (Machig’s monastery in Tibet). In 2009 she was selected by an esteemed committee of scholars and practitioners to receive the international Outstanding Woman in Buddhism Award given in Bangkok, Thailand.

Lama Tsultrim’s teachings arise from the blessings of her many wonderful Tibetan Buddhist teachers, her 40-year dedication to the Buddhist teachings, and her experience as a Western woman.