Dear Friends,

We are happy to announce a major gift of $400,000 to Tara Mandala “Manifesting the Mandala” Capital Campaign from the Pende Foundation in Switzerland. This means we have $2,623, 583 pledged and are well past the halfway mark in achieving our $4 million goal for Phase 2, in which we will build our Tara Temple and library as well as two residence halls. It's really inspiring how the funds have been coming in. We are going ahead with the design and construction drawings and will begin to build next year. Thanks and deep bows of gratitude to all of you who have helped with our big push to raise these funds, it is really fantastic how everyone is pitching in and bringing the temple into this dimension.

Dr. Tsewang Ngodrub leads an herb walk
prior to giving the Medicine Budha Empowerment

When the medical Lama Tsewang Ngodrub Rinpoche visited July 12-13, just as he was leaving I took him to the proposed temple site. As we approached, his translator said that he was a famous geomancer in Tibet and sited all the new monasteries and houses. When Tsewang Rinpoche got to our site, he kept turning around looking in various directions and finally said, “If you put it here the administrator won't be able to administrate.” Then he took off, leapt over the arroyo up the hill across the meadow and to the original temple site that Dave and I had chosen. This was the same site that Adzom Rinpoche had independently chosen on his first visit to Tara Mandala in 1999, and we consecrated that site with him at that time. We had changed the site because it would be more expensive and difficult to construct it there. (If you are facing up the hill to the present gompa yurt it is across the arroyo to the left and higher up the hill.) Tsewang Rinpoche was completely convinced and said, “You are not going to do this again. It is important that the temple is in the right place and this is where it is supposed to be.” He continued, gesturing, “Behind is a hill with the Tara shrine. That is the head of the meditator. The hills to the left are one arm and to the right the hills are the other arm. The temple will sit in the lap on the hands of the meditator. This is the perfect location. Don't worry about the money-- the temple needs to be here.” He said the red and yellow stones on the site and brown earth indicated the right place for a temple. Then when I asked him to bless this site he asked for rice to throw, which is usually how it's done, but he had used up all the rice I had brought on the previous site. So he said okay I'll dance the blessing. And he proceeded to do a beautiful Lama dance on the spot.

So we are shifting back to the original site and will perhaps put one of the residences at the other site. This will involve a lot more work and expense but it feels right and there is plenty of space for expansion and future development if we chose to do that.

It's been a very busy summer with a great group of volunteer summer staff. We did the first Kapala Training Level 1 here at Tara Mandala. The evening the retreat ended there was a big rainbow followed by an inch of rain and large crystalline hail stones.

Currently, the Community Retreat is in full swing. We started the retreat with an inspiring visit from Chief Arvol Looking Horse and his family. Now the teens are in the hidden valley doing a four day rite of passage, and the rest of the group went on a day hike to beautiful Opal Lake. During this retreat, we've been focusing on Green Tara and ecology. The children have gotten an explanation of the land restoration we are doing, have planted trees and lavender, and participated in herb walks and a play based on Green Tara.

Planting Trees near Community Building

Arvol Looking Horse offering tobacco

We’re looking forward to the upcoming Three Yana Retreat which is offered in three individual sessions (Sutrayana from August 15-23; Mahayana from August 24-September 1; and Vajrayana from September 2-10.) It is not too late to register for any or all of these sessions; they will offer a comprehensive, practice-based overview of the development of the Buddhist teachings and view.

We are also looking ahead to our Temple Benefit on September 30th. The day will include teachings, a concert by Tibetan flutist Nawang Khechog, as well as an auction. Please mark the event; we hope you will be able to join us. If you are able to help out with this event – publicizing, donating objects for the auction, volunteering on site – please contact Charlotte at charlotte@taramandala.org.

We are also looking forward to some profound teachings on the land this Fall: Kilung Rinpoche's Dzog Chen retreat from November 13-20, and Adzom Rinpoche's visit from December 25 - January 2.

Thanks again to all of the generous benefactors and volunteers. You are fantastic!

May all be auspicious!

Tsultrim Allione,
Spiritual Director

P.S. I will be in personal retreat October 7 until November 7.