Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Program

“Mind — free of arising, ceasing, or abiding — is great emptiness. Like the center of space or the inherent lack of real existence, it is free of all limitations.”

~Machig Labdrön

Magyu: The Mother Lineage program is a Dharmic path for the modern practitioner in the lineage of Machig Labdrön and Lama Tsultrim Allione. In Magyu, Vajrayana Buddhist training comes to life in an engaged, flexible, transformative cycle of study and meditation that is imbued with the wisdom of the sacred feminine.

Learning and Study: Learn and study through in-person retreats and online programs within a flexible sequence of progressive levels of training.

Formal Meditation Practice: Develop a daily meditation practice and integrate personal retreat into daily life with ongoing mentorship and guidance.

Personal Transformation: Integrate personal transformation work into formal Dharma practice and align spiritual, psychological, and emotional development.

Connection to Community: Become a member of a vibrant community or Sangha with gatherings, mentorship, practice and support groups in the Tara Mandala Network.

MAGYU PATH OVERVIEW

The Kapala Levels are the primary stream of teachings and practices of the Magyu Path, joining formal meditation practices from Machig Labdrön’s lineage and Lama Tsultrim’s mindstream, with the powerfully transformative method of Feeding Your Demons®. “Kapala” is the Tibetan word for skullcup, which represents a cauldron of transformation in which encumbered patterns transmute into clarity, wisdom and compassion. (See Lama Tsultrim’s book, Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict)

As you move through the Kapala Levels, you will receive foundational Buddhist teachings, guidance on rituals and symbols of the Vajrayana tradition, and two Chöd practices.

The Magyu Path will also take you through the Mandala Trainings in which you receive teachings on the Five Buddha Families, representing five core encumbered patterns and their corresponding forms of wisdom. You will learn Lama Tsultrim’s three Mandala practices (Dakini, Buddha and YabYum Mandalas) and engage in personal transformation practices – using art, movement, sound and integration with the elements – that allow you to work with these patterns in your own life. (See Lama Tsultrim’s book, Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine).

Magyu includes a number of additional practices and retreats which can be taken in the order and time that best align with your path: Green Tara, Lion-Headed Dakini (Simhamukha), Zhitro, Phowa, Machig Labdrön’s Longevity Practice, and a 5-day Sahaja Retreat.

Due to the fact that this is a fresh and evolving lineage there may be some additions and variations as time goes on.

Practice Commitment: A member of Magyu: The Mother Lineage should be prepared to commit to a daily practice, with occasional solitary retreats and virtual day-long sessions, as well as all the necessary group retreats, either held virtually or in-person.

The Magyu Sangha is a vibrant community of fellow-practitioners who can connect with each other through online discussion forums (Tara Mandala Network), hosted virtual Magyu meetings, regular Magyu practice groups, and an annual Magyu gathering (held in-person and virtually, alternating). We encourage members to find a practice buddy with whom virtual or in-person meetings can take place regularly for shared practice. Kalyanamitras (spiritual mentors) serve as personal guides to support meditation practice and integration with daily life.

A Complete Path:

Magyu: The Mother Lineage program can be a complete path by itself, and it is possible to combine it with other programs such as the Ösel Nyingtig or Gateway cycles, for those students with the time, inclination, and endorsement of their Kalyanamitra and Lama Tsultrim Allione. This is a life-long path that extends far beyond merely obtaining some sort of certificate of completion. It is meant to bring you to full, complete awakening and that process can take a long time depending on one’s own unique karma, the depth of realization, and a commitment to authentically engage in these practices.

Applying to Magyu: The Mother Lineage Program:

Before applying to the Magyu: The Mother Lineage program, we ask that you attend at least one online program or in-person retreat taught by Lama Tsultrim Allione or one of Tara Mandala Teachers. This ensures that a potential applicant has a basic connection to this lineage and a meditation practice to begin their journey on this path.

After your entrance interview, acceptance and completion of the enrollment process, you will consult with your Kalyanamitra and begin to take the required courses and retreats, establish a daily practice, and accumulate the required meditation hours based on the level at which you are currently entering. You can set up a regular meeting time with your Kalyanamitra (spiritual mentor) approximately once a month. Those who have completed Kapala Levels I, II or III or other required retreats prior to entering the Magyu Program will not have to repeat them, but will need to document the practice hours required for each level.

Introduction

“The key to awakening is recognizing the appearances in the world as the radiance of the essence ground, and our true nature as the vast universe itself.”

– Lama Tsultrim Allione

Magyu: The Mother Lineage is a supported path of practice at Tara Mandala dedicated to the sacred feminine and based on the teachings of Lama Tsultrim Allione. Recognized as an emanation of the 11th century Tibetan yogini, Machig Labdrön, Lama Tsultrim has a heartfelt commitment in this lifetime to provide students with authentic teachings from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, with a special emphasis on the practice of Machig’s lineage. Magyu is a core Tara Mandala lineage program that provides an opportunity for students to engage deeply in transformative meditation practices that arise out of the experience and mindstream of Lama Tsultrim.

Machig Labdrön, whose teachings and practices of Chöd (literally “severance” or “cutting through”) have profoundly influenced all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, developed several different lineages during her lifetime, including one called Magyu, or the Mother Lineage. There are many practices in this unique lineage that came through Machig Labdrön’s meditation experiences with direct transmissions from deities. While students of all gender identifications held and propagated these profound lineages, Machig’s second son, Tönyöm Samdrub, was the main lineage holder of her Mother Lineage. At Tara Mandala, Lama Tsultrim has been inspired to follow this model by establishing the Magyu Mother Lineage program at Tara Mandala.

Magyu: The Mother Lineage program is an invaluable opportunity to enter an extremely fresh stream. This path cultivates both spiritual and emotional awakening, integrating ancient Tibetan Buddhist practices with fresh teachings appropriate for the modern practitioner. The psycho-spiritual integration work in this path inherently distinguishes it from other traditional Buddhist paths. The Magyu program works directly with each individual through helping them to identify their encumbered emotional patterns and apply relevant practices to transform those patterns.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

The Magyu program has an open structure with progressive levels of training, so that students may work their way through the suggested retreats and practice accumulations according to their own timing and inspirations. This approach allows flexibility for the householder yogin for having a baby, an illness, having a job or other commitment in the world, or some other life-changing situation. You may enter this training path at any time of year and each level includes a set of practices taught under the spiritual direction of Lama Tsultrim, Magyu Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam and other Senior Teachers. The vision for this program is to create a container, or sangha, where one is held, guided, supported, and truly witnessed in their practice to ensure that their aspirations are fully realized.

All Mother Lineage students are supported in a variety of ways, such as being assigned a personal Kalyanamitra (spiritual mentor), invitations to regular live webcasts throughout the year with Lama Tsultrim Allione, Magyu Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam, or other Tara Mandala Teachers, given access to an active private group and portal on yana, Tara Mandala Network, for connecting with other Magyu students to share experiences, regular virtual group practice sessions, and an abundance of informational resources such as teachings, meditation practice guides, practice logs, and the recordings of all Magyu webcasts.

Magyu Path of Study & Practice in Detail

The Magyu Path progresses through levels of practice and teachings, deepening the practitioner’s knowledge and realization. Each level will take about a year to complete, though you may move at your own pace.

Foundational Level

For most students, the Magyu Path begins with the Foundational Level. These courses have no prerequisites.

Heart of Buddhism, a Year Long Buddhist Study Program This five part course offers an overview of core Buddhist teachings, moving from the early teachings of the Buddha, through the development of the Mahayana and Vajrayana. Students are introduced to foundational meditation practices, focusing on stabilizing attention, and opening awareness.

Feeding Your Demons® Kapala Level I