Online Tara Drupchen 2021

Online Tara Drupchen  September 24th – 26th 2021

We joyfully announce the sixth annual Tara Drupchen to be held by the Nalandabodhi International sangha: September 24th – 26th. This weekend practice intensive includes sadhana or ritual practice, meditations, and teachings from Nalandabodhi teachers. All are welcome to attend online, make prayer requests, and offer positive aspirations by registering for this free event. Your offerings and donations are appreciated and help us make these, and other, events accessible to all.

Note that a lung for this practice is required for participation in the Drupchen practices. Lama Rabten will offer a lung before his talk on September 17th at 4:30PT. This will be recorded and the link posted on the Tara Drupchen resource page.

Schedule

Detailed schedule for Tara Drupchen can be found here.

The following Tara Drupchen related teachings will be given in the weeks before the Drupchen and will be recorded and available on the Tara Drupchen Resource page through October 6th:

• • September 14   Mitra Talk: Mitra Lee  “On Meeting Tara”

• • September 17 4:30pm PT  Lama Rabten: Lung and teaching on “The Visualization and Practice of the Heart of the Two Accumulations”

• • September 23 4:30pm PT  Acharya Lama Tenpa

The zoom link for Acharya Lama Tenpa’s talk is the same as the Tara Drupchen link.

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 10 days after the event until October 6th. 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.

How can I make prayer requests?

Prayer requests are an integral part of the Tara Drupchen practice and all are encouraged to make as many prayer requests as you wish. These will be both displayed physically at Nalanda West as well as on a slide show during the Drupchen breaks. Follow this link for submitting prayer requests.

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.

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 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།), which will be screen shared for both the Tibetan and English practice sessions.

Volunteering

Many hands make light work! There are several ways a volunteer can help make this year’s Tara Drupchen a success and many of these do not require physical presence at Nalanda West. Please check the box on the registration form if you are interested in more information about volunteering.

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

Questions?     Contact help@nalandabodhi.org