Tara Archive - Ganden Chökhor

21 Taras – Master Atisha Tradition

For Tara lovers

Arya Tara is the mother of all Buddhas – Tara the enlightened liberator who helps to start and master the spiritual path. She has promised to attain enlightenment in female form, even appearing as a woman in all future lives. Arya means Noble, Pure or Honourable. She appears in all imaginable guises to assist living beings who are on the spiritual path.

Here, 21 colourful Taras manifestations are connected to the main Green Tara. These cover all areas of human experience in life. This practice was more widespread in Tibet than almost any other and was held in high esteem by all masters and revered by everyone equally. This is also because the practice is relatively easy to learn and has a very quick and direct effect.

Initiation into each of the 21 Taras according to the Atisha tradition, short commentary, practice and meditation

Venerable Lodrö Rinpoche will give the Vajrasattva initiation on Saturday afternoon as preparation. This practice is very powerful and is practised to remove disturbing concepts and obscurations caused by ignorance.

From Sunday morning, Lodrö Rinpoche will give the 21 initiations for the practice of the 21 Taras according to Master Atisha.

The 21 Taras can be practised individually or as a whole. There are many different texts and explanations.

The practice is a source of energy and concentration. This type of yoga for the mind through meditation exercises in combination with visualisations has been practised and perfected in the Vajrayana for hundreds of years in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Venerable Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche will give a short commentary each day on the profound practice of the 21 Taras. During this week we will get a unique insight into the practice of the 21 Taras.

Natascha Keller Gassmann will introduce the group to the practice of the Taras as part of the Sadhana.

At the end of the retreat each participant should be able to do the tara practice/sadhana/visualisation on their own.

The course will take place on site in Ganden Chökhor and also online

All are invited to participate

Deadline for registration for the online course is March 5th 2024

Schedule with Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche – language English with German translation

Saturday afternoon 4.30 – 6.00 pm Vajrasattva initiation

Sunday – Tuesday 9.30 – 12 am noon Initiations of the 21 Taras with 30 min break

Sunday – Tuesday 3.00 – 5.30 pm Initiations of the 21 Taras with 30 min break

Wednesday Free day

Thursday – Saturday 9.30 – 12.00 am noon Initiations of the 21 Taras with 30 min break

Thursday – Saturday 3.00 – 5.30 pm Initiations of the 21 Taras with 30 min break

Sunday: 9.30 – 11.30 am 21 Tara Puja at the end

Practice group for interested students

Saturday evening 8.00-8.30 pm Vajrasattva Sadhana ENGLISH

Saturday evening 8.45 – 9.30 pm Vajrasattva Sadhana GERMAN

Monday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara concise Sadhana and Mantra ENGLISH

Tuesday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara concise Sadhana and Mantra GERMAN

Wednesday Free day

Thursday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara very concise Sadhana and Mantra ENGLISH

Friday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara very concise Sadhana and Mantra GERMAN

Saturday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara Meditation with Praise 21 Taras

Tara Cycle: 21 Tara Surjagupta in Ganden Chökhor

For Tara Lovers

Initiation into each of the 21 Taras according to the Surjagupta line of transmission.

Venerable Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche will start with the Vajrasattva empowerment on Saturday afternoon. This practice is very powerful and is practiced to eliminate disturbing concepts and obscurations caused by ignorance. It is part of the daily practice/sadhana of the 21 Taras.

Sunday morning, Lodrö Rinpoche will give the 21 initiations on the practice of the 21 Taras according to Master Surjagupta (Sanskrit: Hidden Sun). It is an empowerment from anuttarayoga tantra and therefore carries with it the obligation to do daily practices of visualizations and mantras. For us, this includes: Never forgetting the practice of Arya Tara, reciting the Tara Mantra, practicing refuge in 6 sessions daily and, if possible, practicing a short Tara practice/visualization exercise with your own light body and the 21 Taras.

The practice is relatively easy to learn and is a source of energy and focus. This type of yoga for the mind or meditation exercises in combination with visualization has been practiced and perfected in Vajrayana for hundreds of years in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Venerable Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche will provide short commentary on the profound practice of the 21 Taras each day.

Natascha Keller Gassmann will introduce the group to the exercises of the 21 Taras, as part of the Sadhana.

At the end of the retreat, each participant should be able to independently exercise with the 21 Taras:

Daily Practice: Sadhana, Visualization, Mantra – as well as Torma and Tsog offerings.

Schedule with Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche – language English with German translation

Saturday afternoon 3.00 – 4.30 pm Vajrasattva initiation

Sunday – Tuesday 9.30 – 12 am noon Initiations of the 21 Taras with 30 min break

Sunday – Tuesday 3.00 – 5.30 pm Initiations of the 21 Taras with 30 min break

Wednesday Free day

Thursday – Saturday 9.30 – 12.00 am noon Initiations of the 21 Taras with 30 min break

Thursday – Saturday 3.00 – 5.30 pm Initiations of the 21 Taras with 30 min break

Sunday: 9.30 – 11.45 am Explanations Tara Powa, break, Tara Tsog at the end

Practice group for interested students

Saturday evening 8.45 – 9.30 pm Vajrasattva Sadhana

Monday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara concise Sadhana and Mantra GERMAN

Tuesday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara concise Sadhana and Mantra ENGLISH

Sunday – Tuesday 8.00 – 8.45 pm 21 Tara praise and very short Guruyoga

Wednesday Free day

Thursday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara very concise Sadhana and Mantra GERMAN

Friday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara very concise Sadhana and Mantra ENGLISH

Saturday 7.00 – 7.45 am 21 Tara Meditation with Sadhana and Mantra

Thursday – Saturday 8.00 – 8.45 pm 21 Tara praise and very short Guruyoga

Course Schedule

Streaming Schedule Set my timezone

Date0:001:002:003:004:005:006:007:008:009:0010:0011:0012:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:0021:0022:0023:0024:00Sat 18.03.23Vajrasattva Initiation 15:00Vajrasattva Sadhana 19:00Sun 19.03.2321 Tara Meditation Sadhana, part 1 07:00Initiation 21 Taras, Session 1 09:30Initiation 21 Taras, Session 2 15:0021 Tara Praise and Guruyoga, part 1 20:00Mon 20.03.2321 Tara Meditation Sadhana, part 2 07:00Initiation 21 Taras, Session 3 09:30Initiation 21 Taras, Session 4 15:0021 Tara Praise and Guruyoga, part 2 20:00Tue 21.03.2321 Tara Meditation Sadhana, part 3 07:00Initiation 21 Taras, Session 5 09:30Initiation 21 Taras, Session 6 15:0021 Tara Praise and Guruyoga, part 3 20:00Wed 22.03.23Thu 23.03.2321 Tara Meditation Sadhana, part 4 07:00Initiation 21 Taras, Session 7 09:30Initiation 21 Taras, Session 8 15:0021 Tara Praise and Guruyoga, part 4 20:00Fri 24.03.2321 Tara Meditation Sadhana, part 5 07:00Initiation 21 Taras, Session 9 09:30Initiation 21 Taras, Session 10 15:0021 Tara Praise and Guruyoga, part 5 20:00Sat 25.03.2321 Tara Meditation Sadhana, part 6 07:00Initiation 21 Taras, Session 11 09:30Initiation 21 Taras, Session 12 15:0021 Tara Praise and Guruyoga, part 6 20:00Sun 26.03.23Explanations on Tara Powa and Tara Tsog 09:30

Registration for the online course

Registration closes on March 4st 2023

Apply for streaming access:

Association membership
You are not registered as a member of the association on your website. Become a member to support us and recieve a reduction on your contribution to the streaming costs. Or contact us at stream@ganden.ch if you already are a member (Streaming contribution regular: CHF 330, contribution as a member of our association: CHF 275).
(CHF 165 for the current course)

Event sponsoring
Better situated participants now have the opportunity to support the event as event sponsors. The Ganden Chökhor Association would like to thank all sponsors and helpers who make it possible for us to continue to run the center and to have digital access to Lodro Rinpoche's teachings in these difficult times! Further information...

Please Login or register to participate

Tara cycle online – White Tara with rainbow light and praise of 21 Taras

White Tara with Rainbow Light Aura

Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche gives this initiation and explanations at the special request of a student. This transmission was and is extremely common in all Buddhist areas of the Himalayas. Tara has been among the most important Buddhist meditation objects of great masters since time immemorial. It has been practised intensively in all monastic communities, as well as by lay practitioners. The power of this incomparable practice is said to be magical, having the power to increase wisdom as well as to protect from all kinds of hindrances and dangers. Masters practised it to prolong their life force in order to be able to teach for as long as possible. (The initiation comes from Kriya Tantra – please abstain from meat/eggs on the day of empowerment).

We all look forward meeting you soon.

Friday evening 7 – 8.30 * pm Introduction to Buddhist Practice and Tara practice

Saturday 3 – 4.30 * pm Initiation of white Tara

Saturday 7 – 8.30 * pm Introduction/commentary on the practice of white Tara

Sunday 3 – 4.30* pm Introduction/commentary on the practice of 21 Taras (part 3)

Sunday 7 – 8.30* pm Introduction/commentary on the practice of 21 Taras (part 3)

Practical exercises for new practitioners with Natascha (English)

Sunday morning 10.30 – 11.30 *am White Tara meditation with mantra practice/sadhana and 21 Taras praise

*Local Swiss time

Course Schedule

Streaming Schedule Set my timezone

Date0:001:002:003:004:005:006:007:008:009:0010:0011:0012:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:0021:0022:0023:0024:00Fri 26.11.21Introduction White Tara 19:00Sat 27.11.21White Tara initiation 15:00Monthly Shiwa Lamsab Chöd practice, part 2 18:00Commentary, part 1, White Tara 19:00Commentary, part 1, White Tara 19:00Sun 28.11.21White tara practice, GER 08:00White tara practice, ENG 10:30Commentary, part 2, 21 Taras 15:00Commentary reconstructed, part 2, 21 Taras 15:05Commentary, part 3, 21 Taras 19:00

Registration for online participation

Registration closes on November 19th 2021.

Apply for streaming access:

Association membership
You are not registered as a member of the association on your website. Become a member to support us and recieve a reduction on your contribution to the streaming costs. Or contact us at stream@ganden.ch if you already are a member (Streaming contribution regular: CHF 140, contribution as a member of our association: CHF 110).
(CHF 84 for the current course)

Event sponsoring
Better situated participants now have the opportunity to support the event as event sponsors. The Ganden Chökhor Association would like to thank all sponsors and helpers who make it possible for us to continue to run the center and to have digital access to Lodro Rinpoche's teachings in these difficult times! Further information...

Please Login or register to participate

Initiation of the orange 20. Tara according to Master Atisha – Lifestream

Homage to you, Tara, whose two eyes

shine as bright as sun and full moon

by uttering HARA HARA and TUTTARE

You dispel all violent epidemic disease.

Praise to the 20th tare from the 21st tare praise

We are pleased to inform you that Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche, by request, will grant the initiation of the 20th Tara after Master Atisha on the upcoming full moon, i.e. on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 6 pm Swiss time. The initiation is from Kriyatantra and is accessible to anyone interested (please refrain from eating meat and eggs on Thursday if possible). Only live / simultaneous streaming is available – the initiation will not remain available on the webpage.

The 20th Tara was traditionally practiced in Tibet as a method to protect yourself and others from pandemics and diseases. Of course only high realized beings were able to fulfill this very high standard of being able to completely healing of themselves and others. The practice can, however, help us commoners to target and deepen our mantra and meditation practice.

Tara Cittamani – Introduction in Practice and Meditation – delayed to 2022

Extraordinary instructions to practice the green, female Buddha Tara Cittamani with 21 Taras

The transmission, as well as the instructions of this rare and extraordinary Tara meditation practice comes from the Gelugpa lineage and is based on the verbal instructions of Tara herself to the great master Gargyi Sangpo Taghpu Dorje Chang. Through her profoundity she is a precious jewel for all Tara friends. The 6th Lodrö Rinpoche is closely associated with this line.

Citta (Sanskrit) indicates heart, reason, thought, mind, empirical consciousness, intention

Mani (Sanskrit) means jewel, magnet, pearl, jewel or gemstone

Lodrö Rinpoche already gave a commentary on the practice in 2013 – which is unforgettable. We are very pleased that Rinpoche has agreed to speak again about this particular practice.

Great Mandala of the 21 Taras according to master Surjagupta with the red Tara

Initiation, commentary and exercises for the practise

The venerable Lodrö Rinpoche will first give the inauguration of the goddess Utschma according to Kriya Tantra on Friday evening. This practice is very powerful and is practiced to quickly remove energetic impurities in everyday life.

On Saturday/Sunday Lodrö Rinpoche will give the preparatory and main initiation into the large mandala to the practice of the 21 Taras according to Master Surjagupta (Sanskrit: Hidden Sun). This great practice with the red brave Tara in the center is very rarely to be received.

The authorization comes from Anuttarayoga Tantra and therefore attendees have an obligation to practice.

For us, this obligation includes: never forget the practice of the Arya Tara, recite the Tara Mantra, practice daily in 6 sessions and practice a short tara practice/visualization exercise with your own light body or the 21 tara. The practice is relatively easy to learn and is a source of energy and concentration.

The Venerable Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche will make daily comments on the profound practice of the 21 Taras according to Master Surjagupta. During one week we get an insight into the visualization and meditation techniques of this line of transmission. The course ends with a matching Four Tara Mandala Puja according to Master Surjagupta with 21 Taras.

The group learns the visualization exercises based on the ancient texts and practices them daily, similar to practitioners in Tibet and other Himalayan countries practiced centuries ago. Claudia Webinger and Natascha Keller Gassmann will introduce the group to the exercises of the Sadhana of the 21 Taras. At the end of the retreat each participant should be able to practice the Tara practice/sadhana, as well as torma and tsugar practice independently.

Beginners please contact Lama Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche:
dharma@ganden.ch

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator