Lama Tsultrim Allione, Rob Preece, and Acharya Gaylon Ferguson discuss their individual relationships with nonmaterial realized beings and the purpose of including them in your practice. Introduction by Lama Rod Owens. I have never felt alone. I have always felt touched by an unseen world; the world of ghosts, spirits, demons, and angels has dwelled at times as close as a [...]
About Lama Tsultrim Allione
The Sacred Feminine
In Vajrayana Buddhism, dakinis are seen as unbridled and enlightened feminine energy. Lama Tsultrim Allione on how she discovered her own dakini power. When I was eleven, I ran home on the last day of school and tore off my dress, literally popping the buttons off, feeling simultaneously guilty and liberated. I put on an old, torn pair of cutoff jean shorts, a white [...]
How to Feed Your Demons
Lama Tsultrim Allione teaches you an innovative technique to turn your inner demons into friends. Feeding our demons rather than fighting them contradicts the conventional approach of fighting against whatever assails us. But it turns out to be a remarkably effective path to inner integration. Demons (maras in Sanskrit) are not bloodthirsty ghouls waiting for us in dark [...]
Overcoming Ego With the Practice of Chöd
Lama Tsultrim Allione looks at how the traditional Buddhist practice of chöd — offerings ones own body to frightening demons — can inspire us to let go of ego and practice joyful generosity. There is a story of a rich man who said that he could not practice generosity because he was unable to give anything away. The Buddha’s advice to him was to begin by simply taking a piece [...]
Tara, the First Feminist
Since becoming ordained four decades ago, Lama Tsultrim Allione has faced her share of challenges and sexism. Throughout it all, Tara’s vow to work for the benefit of all beings in a woman’s body has been a source of guidance and inspiration. When I think about women and Buddhism, the first thing that always comes to mind is the story of Tara’s vow. This story expresses our [...]
