The Great Perfection

The Great Perfection is an online Dzogchen workshop from Tara Mandala, taught live over Zoom by Lama Tsultrim Allione, Tulku Ösel Dorje and Sangye Khandro. It is the fifth and final course in the series The Heart of Buddhism: A Year of Study and Practice, and it welcomes both beginners and seasoned practitioners. Tara Mandala is based in Pagosa Springs, and this Tibetan Buddhist program can be joined from anywhere.

What to Expect

The course meets for five live sessions on Fridays, each two hours, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Mountain Time. The teaching centers on the Buddhist path as a way of working with suffering, individually and collectively, and on the luminous spaciousness described as the heart-essence of who we are. Within that frame, the Dzogchen teachings take up three themes:

- The essential practices for recognizing natural awareness
- Feminine perspectives within the Dzogchen lineages
- How recognition spontaneously benefits others

Alongside the live sessions, a weekly discussion forum connects you with a global practice community. A weekly discussion session will be announced separately. You can take part live or study at your own pace, and everyone has access to the recordings for one year. Examinations are offered after the final teaching session. Students attend one of four exam sessions on the weekend that follows. Exam questions are released at the end of the course, and taking the exam is a way to integrate and solidify what you have learned.

Those who wish to formally enter the Buddhist path have the option of taking the Refuge Vow, after exploring what taking refuge in the Three Jewels means.

About the Teachers

Lama Tsultrim Allione is the bestselling author of Women of Wisdom, Feeding Your Demons and Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine. She is the founder of Tara Mandala, a 700-acre retreat center with a three-story temple and library.

Tulku Ösel Dorje, Dorje Gyaltsab Tulku Ösel Dorje, was born in Rome, Italy, to the Italian filmmaker Costanzo Allione and Lama Tsultrim Allione. He has been immersed in the Dharma since birth, with Tibetan Lamas often at home and most family vacations spent at retreat centers with great teachers.

Sangye Khandro became a Buddhist in 1971, when she traveled to Asia and arrived in Dharamsala, India. There she began six months of study at the newly opened Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. Over the next seven years she continued her studies of Buddhist teachings and the Tibetan language.

Before You Go

No prior experience is needed, and the course is also a good entry point for anyone considering the Vajrayana path, whether with Tara Mandala or through another lineage. It is required for the Magyu and Gateway study pathways, where the exams are also required, and it will be offered annually. The program is taught in English.

Participation includes the five live Zoom sessions, the weekly discussion forum, one year of recording access and the optional examinations. Sustaining Sangha members receive membership discounts. Tuition is offered at two levels, Standard and Community Supported, with scholarships and an installment payment plan available. Dana, the traditional offering of gratitude to the teachers, is separate from tuition and entirely a matter of personal generosity.

Tara Mandala notes that its teachers are not mental health professionals and that the teachings are not a substitute for professional care.