Tara Mandala offers a variety of retreats, teachings, and training in traditional Buddhist practices and modern transformational methods based on Buddhist principles. There is something for everyone, from the brand new beginner to the seasoned practitioner.
Below you will find upcoming offerings suitable to beginners. You can also read more about different options for beginners here.
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.
Course Three of “The Heart of Buddhism: A Year Long Buddhist Studies Program.” Discover Mahayana Buddhism’s revolutionary teachings on wisdom and compassion, illuminated through the feminine embodiment of Prajnaparamita, transforming personal awakening into boundless benefit for all beings.
Immerse yourself in the profound nature of mind teachings of Buddhism, with transformational practices inspired by the great 11th century Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön.
An introduction to the foundational elements of contemplative Buddhist chaplaincy. This retreat is designed for those interested in exploring spiritual care through a Buddhist lens and serves as a curriculum sampler of a three-year contemplative chaplaincy program. The retreat is also for those navigating dying, illness, caregiving in all forms, and the myriad of life transitions.
Join Tibet House US for weekend retreats, celebrating the divine feminine through Tara’s many forms. Experience mantra chanting, meditations, and teachings on empowerment and compassion. Offered online and at Tibet House NYC.
Join Lama Tsultrim Allione and the Encinitas Sangha in welcoming Khandro Dorje Phagmo, an emanation of Vajravarahi. Khandro Dorje Phagmo will offer spontaneous teaching and the Kagö Blessing for healing and protection. This event will be hosted in Solana Beach, California.
Machig Labdrön was a great Tibetan yogini from the 11th century, who is recognized as the mother of the famous Chöd practice. This lecture is an introduction to Machig’s life and her verses about the nature of the mind which point to our true, pure nature from which we are never separated.
The “Dohas” are wisdom songs or poems of enlightenment, often sung or written spontaneously by Buddhist tantric practitioners called Maha Siddhas (8th to 12th centuries). From these beautiful songs we get a glimpse into the possibility of seeing our own lives as a constant spiritual practice.
We invite you to connect with the luminous compassion of Green Tara. The retreat will include transmission and detailed instructions on the Green Tara practice, as well as time for contemplation and discussion to integrate the teachings into our lives. The traditional Green Tara Empowerment from the Luminous Treasury of Secret Vajra Luminosity Ösel Dorje Sang Dzo lineage will be offered for the first time at Tara Mandala!
Immerse yourself in the profound nature of mind teachings of Buddhism, with transformational practices inspired by the great 11th century Tibetan yogini, Machig Labdrön. Through teachings, meditation, and contemplation, you learn to cultivate radical acceptance and an awareness of your inseparability from the Great Mother.
Join DHARMA FRIENDS in our only event of the summer as we celebrate and pay tribute to The 14th Dalai Lama, who turns 90 on July 6th. In this extra special Dharma Friends, we’ll explore the Dalai Lama’s extraordinary life story, tracing his birth in Tibet to his exile to India to his role as global activist, spiritual leader, and Nobel Peace Prize Winner.
Join Tara Mandala on the land as we celebrate the return of the Family Retreat, offered for the first time since 2019.
Course Four of “The Heart of Buddhism: A Year Long Buddhist Studies Program.” Experience the transformative power of Vajrayana Buddhism, the “diamond vehicle,” in which the sacred feminine and householder tradition illuminate a revolutionary path that transforms every experience into an opportunity for awakening.
Feeding Your Demons® is a revolutionary approach fusing ancient Tibetan wisdom and modern psychology. In Feeding Your Demons Level I, you will learn this potent, life-changing method, creating meaningful transformation in a world that is ripe for profound healing. FYD Level I is offered in Buddhist (Kapala) and Secular Tracks.
Feeding Your Demons® is a revolutionary approach fusing ancient Tibetan wisdom and modern psychology. Deepen your training and knowledge of FYD in Level II. Completion of FYD Level I and related prerequisites are required. FYD Level II is offered in Buddhist (Kapala) and Secular Tracks. Secular Track starts 9/20/25.
Drawing from the profound lineage of the Treasury of Secret Vajra Luminosity (Ösel Dorje Sang Dzod), this concise Green Tara practice comes from the Dharma treasures (terma) of Adzom Drukpa, Drodul Pawo Dorje (1842–1924). This immersive retreat, which takes place in Germany, offers a direct path to connecting with Green Tara’s luminous wisdom and fearless compassion.
Buddhism sees enlightened masculinity as the ability to practice wise compassion. This module of the Mandala Method’s Journey of Transformation, the Mandala of the Five Buddhas, is for those who wish to cultivate a sacred and wise masculinity.
Buddhism views the enlightened masculine as the capacity to act skillfully and with compassion. Learn the Mandala of the Five Buddhas, a practice that aligns sound, visualization, and meditation, providing an inner map and skillful means to transform challenging emotions into liberated wisdom.
Course Five of “The Heart of Buddhism: A Year Long Buddhist Studies Program.” Dzogchen (the “Great Perfection”) and Mahamudra (the “Great Seal”) are considered the highest teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Discover how these teachings offer a direct path to realizing the mind’s innate clarity, and a training ground for abiding in wakefulness.
The Yab-Yum mandala explores a connection that transcends gender identity and allows us to experience non-duality, the divine union of the masculine and feminine that each of us carries within us. This retreat is offered as part of the Mandala Method – Journey of Transformation.