We are so happy to announce that we will be hosting a 3-week Inner Tara retreat in an online format to allow Tara practitioners all around the world to join us. Please be aware that this is a demanding retreat with a tight daily schedule, most likely to be attended by seasoned and committed participants. Still, this retreat is open to any practitioners who have previous experience with sadhana practice.

We are likewise delighted that Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche has kindly agreed to allow us to make available videos of the Outer and Inner Tara empowerments from the 2019 TTE retreat in Pharping as a blessing, so that participants who are waiting to receive the empowerments in person can continue with their practice of the Third Excellence in the meantime. More information on this will be forthcoming.

Description of Practice

Lama Tenzin will instruct and guide us in the practice related to the Third Excellence part 2, the Inner Tara sadhana. This sadhana practice belongs to the Yoga tantra and prepares one for the profound higher tantras in which everything is to be realized as equal. Through the Inner Tara sadhana one is able to receive the blessings of Tara’s enlightened body, speech and mind as if meeting Tara in person.

Can I attend? 

This retreat is open to all sincere Dharma practitioners who wish to participate in a rigorous schedule of sadhana practice including dietary restrictions.

Participant requirements for online retreat in the Tara’s Triple Excellence (TTE) context

If you are a TTE program participant and you would like this retreat to count as your Third Excellence Part 2 requirement, you will need to already:

• have received both the Outer and Inner Tara sadhana empowerments;
• have practiced the Outer Tara sadhana a full 108 times after you have received the empowerment, including the 12 repetitions of the “21 Praises to Tara” within each session;
• ideally, have already completed all the contemplations and teachings on the Inner Tara sadhana in TTE3 part 2.
• Please note: as we understand it, if you do not have the empowerment, the retreat does not count toward TTE practice accumulations.
• If you cannot commit to the entire 21 days and all sessions, but you fulfill the requirements mentioned in the first two points above, you can use this opportunity to start (or continue) accumulating the one million Tara mantras and the 40,000 activity mantras.
• Lama Tenzin will give detailed instructions about how many mantras should be accumulated during these 21 days in our first live Q&A session on October 16th.

If you are a meditator with previous sadhana experience, it is possible to undertake this retreat even if you do not have the empowerment but sincerely wish to engage in this practice. Participants without the empowerment are advised to watch the Inner Tara empowerment video they will be given access online, and also seek out the empowerment at the earliest opportunity following the conclusion of the retreat.

Dietary restrictions

The Inner Tara sadhana practice is part of the Yoga tantras and thus requires one to follow a particular strict dietary regimen, which is to avoid: meat, eggs, onion, garlic, and alcohol during the practice period.

Support to Participants

After your registration we will invite you to join a Slack workspace online in which you will be able to share your daily experiences and comments with the community, or post questions for Lama Tenzin for the weekly Q&A Zoom sessions.

REGISTRATION

Registration for the retreat will remain open until Sunday October 17th. Recordings will be available until Friday November 12th.

In order to access the teachings, all participants must already be registered at www.dharmasun.org. Registration on DharmaSun itself is free.

Suggested Online Retreat Daily Schedule

Before the retreat: From October 11th onward, you will be able to access the Inner Tara empowerment video and other supportive retreat materials by clicking on the Resources tab.

The schedule below shows the recommended way to structure your day during this retreat.

• Four sadhana practice sessions a day (each about 2 hours) - Inner Tara Sadhana (ITS)
• Sang practice can be included in the morning session and Protectors practice can be included in the afternoon session if you wish. Texts and practice support materials will be made available.
• Teaching videos as well as other materials will be made available to support your practice.
• Live Q&A Zoom sessions are listed below, using Central European Time. These sessions will be recorded and posted as well.
• We will try to offer two daily sessions (in different time zones) live over Zoom to allow those who wish to, to practice together. Details to follow.

Saturday, October 16

4:00 to 5:00 pm CEST (Vienna) - A live Zoom session with Lama Tenzin to welcome participants and introduce them to the practice.
Convert time zones here.

Saturday, October 23

4:00 to 5:00 pm CEST (Vienna) - A live Q&A Zoom session with Lama Tenzin.
Convert time zones here.

Saturday, October 30

4:00 to 5:00 pm CEST (Vienna) - A live Q&A Zoom session with Lama Tenzin.
Convert time zones here.

Saturday, November 6

4:00 to 5:00 pm CET (Vienna) - A live Q&A Zoom session with Lama Tenzin and retreat conclusion.
Convert time zones here.

Suggested Daily Schedule