Customer Reviews

Mandala of the Enlightened Feminine: Awaken the Wisdom of the Five Dakinis

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This is a very rare & wonderful exposition on the 5 dakini families with explanations of the psychological & spiritual similarities & differences among them. It consists of 5 CDs with 2 sessions each=10 sessions: CD1=73:03 in 11 tracks, CD2=78:39 in 12 tracks, CD3=77:17 in 8 tracks, CD4=77:17 in 8 tracks, CD5=79:48 in 10 tracks. This totals 6:26:04--almost 6 ½ hrs.--the CDs are virtually full. Sessions 1-3 are introductory with general explanations of Tantric Buddhism, dakinis, duality, & the sacred feminine. Session 4 is a general description of the 5 dakinis & their families. Sessions 5-9 are each devoted to one of the 5 dakinis/families: Buddha, Vajra, Ratna, Padma, & Karma with descriptions/explanations of symbols, psychological/social/emotional/spiritual implications, a valuable/useful preparation (cleansing) exercise, & a meditation. Session 10 includes common questions, on-the-spot uses (similar to Pema Chodron's on-the-spot Tonglen in "Always Maintain a Joyful Mind" (Book & CD), Tonglen, the Path of Transformation, & Awakening Compassion: Meditation Practice for Difficult Times), more extensive traditional practices, & dakini stories.

Her presentation is gentle, but rather flat & monotonous--without the warmth in Pema Chodron's "Getting Unstuck" or Don't Bite the Hook: Finding Freedom from Anger, Resentment, and Other Destructive Emotions--but she brings the dakini families to life nevertheless. Her enclosed chart (& the color mandala on the cover) provide verbal & pictorial information on the 5 dakini families per the CDs which correspond to the 5 Dhyani Buddha families in other works (e.g. Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism & Shingon - Japanese Esoteric Buddhism)--mostly consistent with this one. The corresponding Buddhas are: Buddha=Vairochana; Vajra=Akshobhya; Ratna=Ratnasambhava; Padma=Amitabha; Karma=Amogasiddhi. Each family also has a primary Bodhisattva.

Allione includes psychological amplification & esp. typology (you will note certain affinities or attunement with some/all of the 5= "recognizing your own energy" in session 9)--how practitioners can utilize knowledge of the 5 types in their lives (e.g. on social occasions). Regarding Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhist) deity yoga, she addresses the duality issue & the collapsing of opposites. She also explores the many-leveled, context-dependent patterns & interestingly differentiates the dynamic dakinis from the static Tara--esp. interesting since her organization is "taramandala.org." While these sessions only address the outer (vs. inner & secret) dakinis, they are lucid teachings whose value is not limited to Buddhists.

For more Allione, see "The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism" in Buddhist Women on the Edge: Contemporary Perspectives from the Western Frontier. For the psychology of dakinis, see Nathan Katz' Buddhist and Western Psychology & his "Dakini & Anima--on Tantric Deities & Jungian Archetypes" in Self and Liberation: The Jung-Buddhism Dialogue (Jung and Spirituality Series) and Rob Preece The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra who states p. 205: "The dakini is the Tantric aspect of the many facets of Anima." On typology: Psychological Types (Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 6).

I know Tsultrim Allione (now Lama Tsultrim).

The content presented in her wider thesis and synthesized into this volume represents the core teachings of the methods of realizing wisdom through the teachings of the divine feminine. Although some reviewers have been hoping to be entertained by her teachings, there is no intention to entertain. For those who crave a wide river of cognitive information to support their practice, they might also not fully be able to see the mandala picture she has presented. This is not for a lack of information, but rather like a deep lake, it might not appear deep. This wisdom information has a knack for only presenting the realizations that people are ready to see.

For those women who have felt as if the narrative of Buddhism leaves them unrepresented and a little lost, Lama Tsultrim will not disappoint. There is no obvious attempt to charm here and in her meditative absorption, she speaks to a part of us that is not used to being spoken to.

If there is a basic meditation practice in place and some knowledge of wisdom practices, empowerment with the Heart Sutra, knowledge or practice with The Prajna Paramita, then this is an excellent "200" level class. It is also a great service for those who have attended the retreats and want to encounter the material again.

This is a serious, completely correct and authentic exploration of Buddha-created concepts by an authentic wisdom being, who has been empowered with correct information through the lineages. This is material that you can trust. Having been in her presence and having received her adamantine compassion, gentle nature, and profound clarity, beings so fortunate may find themselves improved in their character and in their experience.

This 5-CD set is a 6 1/2 hour introduction to a Tantric Buddhist practice centered on 5 dakinis, each representing one of the 5 traditional `Buddha families' - Buddha, Vajra, Ratna, Padma and Karma. Each dakini/family represents an energy and its human expression in both obstructed and enlightened form. For example, in obstructed form Vajra energy manifests as anger, control issues, and being overly conceptual, while in enlightened form it manifests as clarity, insight, and truthfulness. The Buddha energy in obstructed form manifests as laziness, dullness, or ignorance, while in enlightened form it manifests as warmth, keenness and openness. The purpose of this particular practice is to help us to transform our own expression of these energies from their obstructed to their enlightened forms.

Tsultrim Allione was one of the first Western women to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun over 30 years ago, and now runs, and teaches at, her retreat enter in Colorado, U.S., The Tara Mandala center. She is considered a reincarnation of Machig Lapdron, an eleventh-century Tibetan woman lineage holder. In this excellent CD series, she presents the 'outer' teachings of the 5 dakinis - the introductory teachings available to anyone, as opposed to the 'inner' and 'secret' teachings, which require direct teacher/student transmission within the Tantric tradition. The fact that these are the outer teachings may be why one reviewer did not feel they were deep or comprehensive enough. If you are looking for full academic coverage of these teachings, or if you are looking for the most esoteric transmission, this isn't the CD for you. This is a 'public' transmission meant to be used in personal practice.

The first segments in this series offer an excellent historical and practical introduction to Tantra, and the principle of the sacred feminine as represented within it. Then each of the 5 dakinis are presented, and Tsultrim Allione does a great job of describing the obstructed and enlightened representations of the energies they each represent. She uses the model of going to a party to depict how each type of person might act when in the obstructed vs. enlightened form. She then walks the listener through a meditation for transforming each aspect - one that can be used as a daily practice.

Although most of us are a combination of all the aspects, typically one or two are predominant. In an FAQ towards the end the series, she offers guidance on how to select and work with these practices in our daily lives. It's worth noting that although the CD is entitled the `Mandala of the Enlightened Feminine' these are not practices solely for women. Rather, the model used for relaying and transmitting the teachings - in the form of the 5 dakinis - is a feminine one.

Whether you are interested in exploring Tantric practice, or simply interested in learning more about Tantra and dakinis, this is an wonderful audio course to consider.

This is an exceptionally rare and precious teaching from a teacher with "true grit." Worth repeated listening and contemplation.

This turned out to be the most superficial journey into this subject I have ever seen. In fact, I've never experienced anything even remotely as shallow. I was duped by her seemingly good credentials, the deceptively extensive menu of subjects and the positive reviews into buying this sight unseen and found nothing but coffee table conversation-level insights, at least among the people with whom I associate. I thought I'd keep listening anyway, in case I ended up with a small storehouse to work with. But to get those insights, you have to sit through her droning voice as she skates across the surface until she sees fit to drop these underwhelming nuggets. Unless perhaps you are coming from another religion and have no knowledge of Eastern archetypes, I cannot recommend this. It could have been published in a much shorter form and probably better done on paper.