Teachers

Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton

Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton is a Buddhist teacher, devotional chant leader, author, and translator rooted in Tibetan Buddhism and Dzogchen. She studied Buddhism and Tibetan language at the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives in Dharamsala and earned her degree in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2015, during the final day of the White Dakini Drubchen, she was empowered as Dorje Lopön (Vajra Teacher) of Tara Mandala by Lama Tsultrim Allione and given the name Lopön Yeshe Dawa Zangmo by H.E. Gochen Tulku Sang‑ngag Rinpoche.

She has been blessed to study with many Tibetan and Western teachers, including H.H. the 16th Karmapa, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, Lama Tsultrim Allione, Tulku Sang‑ngag Rinpoche, Lama Chönam, B. Alan Wallace, Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, Jennifer Welwood, Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche, Drupon Lama Karma, Sogan Rinpoche, and A.dzom Paylo Rinpoche.

Her embodiment path began with Hatha Yoga in 1993, followed by extensive training with Sarah Powers and a decade of deep study with Shadow Yoga founders Shandor Remete and Emma Balnaves. She also trained in Tibetan Yoga—Trulkhor and Tummo—with Tulku Sang‑ngag Rinpoche and Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche, integrating these practices to support healing and ease.

As Dorje Lopön of Tara Mandala, she helped design the 8‑year Gateway Program and serves on the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Prajna, and Executive Councils. She teaches nationally and internationally at centers including Tara Mandala, Tibet House US, Esalen, Menla, Mount Madonna, the San Francisco Dharma Collective, and The Berkeley Alembic. 

Her book Embodying Tara: Twenty‑One Manifestations to Awaken Your Innate Wisdom (Shambhala, 2023) bridges scholarship, devotion, and feminine wisdom. In 2017, she co-founded the 21 Taras Collective (www.21tarascollective.org) with Nina Rao and Genevieve Walker to record mantra music featured in the book.

More at www.chandraeaston.com

Events with Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton

Chod of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche Self Paced Program
Open Dates

Chöd, the practice of severance, is a profound ritual for dealing with fears, illnesses, and difficult emotions. Developed in the 11th century by the great Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön, the practice of Chöd slowly transformed from an obscure practice lineage into a cornerstone of multiple schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The…

Embodying the Innate Wisdom and Compassion of the Twenty One Taras
October 11, 2025 - December 11, 2027

This program began October 11, 2025, with open enrollment until October 2026. Recordings of past sessions are available on the course content page.  Explore the symbolic meaning, power, and purpose of the 21 Taras through teachings, embodied meditation, mantra, and journeys with Tara. In this immersive and transformative program, Dorje…

The Heart of Buddhism A Year of Study and Practice
September 18, 2026 - May 23, 2027

Welcome to The Heart of Buddhism: A Year of Study and Practice. Starting in September 2026, 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…

The Awakened Heart
January 22 - February 26, 2027

Course Three of the five-course series, The Heart of Buddhism: A Year of Study and Practice. 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…