A hybrid event both Online via Zoom and Onsite at Nalanda West
September 18 - 21, 2025
Event Overview
We are delighted to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Nalandabodhi’s annual Tara Drupchen in the presence of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche, our Nalandabodhi acharyas, lamas, and mitras, as well as many visiting lamas. We are especially happy to announce that Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche will offer the opening teaching on Thursday afternoon. In addition to connecting with Tara and practicing compassion, this special, practice-intensive weekend will allow us to engage with the new compilation offered by His Holiness the 17th Karmapa of “The Ritual of the Five-Deity Tara and Tara Mandala.” There will also be English sessions with our usual liturgy, “The Heart of the Two Accumulations: A Mandala Ritual from the Mind-Terma, Profound Drop of Tara.” Please check the section on the lung requirement below to ensure you are properly prepared to practice.
Special Anniversary Details
To honor the 10th Anniversary, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche, and many lamas will be present to practice at Nalanda West this year. Acharya Lama Tenpa warmly invites all Nalandabodhi members and friends to attend Tara Drupchen onsite at Nalanda West for this special anniversary. This will enrich the practice and deepen our connection with Tara. This year’s Drupchen is historical, with many blessings, as it is the first time the “The Ritual of the Five-Deity Tara and Tara Mandala,” compiled by His Holiness 17th Karmapa, will be done in the West.
For those unable to join at Nalanda West in Seattle, please contact your local center for opportunities to practice together locally. We hope this will foster a sense of community, whether you participate onsite or with your local group.
If you cannot attend onsite either at Nalanda West or at your local center, the event will be broadcast online. Both teachings and practice sessions will be recorded and accessible for 21 days following the Drupchen, until October 12.
Everyone is welcome to submit prayer requests and aspirations using the forms available on the registration page.
Prayer Requests
Aspirations and prayer requests are an integral part of the Tara Drupchen practice. All are encouraged to make as many aspirations and prayer requests as you wish. These will be displayed at Nalanda West as well as on a zoom slide show during the Drupchen.
Follow this link for submitting aspirations and prayer requests.
Registration Information
Anyone planning to attend all or part of the Drupchen onsite at Nalanda West must register by September 15th to secure a spot. Onsite registration will close after September 15th to allow for proper planning of services.
Online registration will remain open until the last session on Sunday, September 21st.
If you are joining at your local sangha, please register online for record-keeping and follow any additional protocols your local sangha may require for onsite participation.
Please email help@nalandabodhi.org if you have any questions.
Lung Requirement
We are so happy to announce that Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche will offer the lung for the new Tibetan-language practice, “The Ritual of the Five-Deity Tara and Tara Mandala,” onsite at Nalanda West Thursday, September 18 from 2:00 – 4:15 PM Pacific time. While live attendance for the lung is highly encouraged, either onsite or online, the lung, though not absolutely required for practice, will also be recorded and made available on the participant page.
The lung for the English-language practice, “The Heart of the Two Accumulations: A Mandala Ritual from the Mind-Terma, Profound Drop of Tara,” is required for participation in this practice. If you have not received the lung in past years, Lama Rabten has kindly agreed to offer it online Sunday, September 14, 3 PM pacific time. We encourage you to receive this transmission live by Lama Rabten, but that session will also be recorded so that everyone can ensure they are properly prepared to practice.
Online Registration
Thank you for your interest to join us online for Tara Drupchen 2025.
Onsite Registration
Thank you for your interest in joining us onsite at Nalanda West (Seattle, WA) for Tara Drupchen 2025. NOTE: This option will close on September 15, 2025
This is a free event, but monetary offerings and donations of any amount are appreciated - they help us make these and other events accessible to all and they are one form of generosity practice.
Sharing in the Sponsorship of this Practice Event
There are a number of very specific ways you can help create the material conditions that support this event–for example by sponsoring fruit offerings, flowers, tea breaks, or teacher and principal’s meals. To learn more about participating in sponsorship follow this link.
Tentative Schedule (subject to change)
All times are Pacific Time (UTC-7).
FAQ
Will There Be Recordings?
Sessions and teachings will be recorded and become available for viewing on the Tara Drupchen Resource page 24-48 hours after recording. The recordings will be available for 2 weeks after the event until October 12th. We ask for your patience as our volunteers work to make these available to all participants. While recordings will be available, it is recommended that participants who are able to attend live, do so.
What is a "Drupchen?"
Drupchen (Tibetan: སྒྲུབ་ཆེན་ ; literally, “great practice [gathering]” or “great accomplishment [gathering]”) is a traditional format for a practice-intensive retreat in the Vajrayana tradition. The practice of Drupchen is said to bring great benefit to its participants and the communities around them. In this way it is a strong generator of merit, purification, and blessings. It is a powerful method for dispelling obstacles and hindrances for ourselves and our sangha’s dharma activities.
The liturgy used during this Drupchen practice is the Heart of the Two Accumulations (ཟབ་ཏིག་སྒྲོལ་མ།). It will be screen shared for the English practice sessions.
Who is Tara?
In addition to being a symbol of our fearless nature of mind, Tara is also a historical figure. She was a devout practitioner and princess who vowed to attain full awakening in a female body, demonstrating that gender is not a barrier to enlightenment. Therefore, Tara is considered both a symbolic representation of our inner qualities and a historical, female bodhisattva.
What is the Purpose of This Practice?
The purpose of this practice is to dispel fear and cultivate compassion. In all wisdom traditions, including Buddhism, it is said that the antidote to fear is loving-kindness. In Vajrayana Buddhism, the figure of Tara symbolizes loving-kindness and compassion — and a strong resolve to dispel the fears of all beings.
In Tara practice we connect with this fearless and compassionate nature of our own mind, as symbolized by Tara, through a combination of methods—visualization, making offerings, chanting, and meditation—in order to embody and manifest those qualities more fully in our daily life.
About Nalandabodhi
Nalandabodhi is an international Buddhist community whose mission is “Offering the timeless wisdom and boundless compassion of the Buddha to inspire individuals and create kind communities in today’s world.” Using tools the Buddha offered, we provide a genuine path to a more open, kind, and full life.
Under the direction of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, our centers provide open and supportive spaces for engaging in study, meditation, and mindful activity on the journey to discover the full potential of our own mind. To learn more visit nalandabodhi.org
