After four decades of studying Tibetan Buddhism in Shambhala and other sanghas, Susan Lorraine entered the Magyu stream at Tara Mandala in 2016. At her invitation, Lama Tsultrim visited Nova Scotia, where she led retreats in 2017 and 2018. Senior teachers Charlotte Rotterdam and Pieter Oosthuizen taught Kapala Training here in 2018 and 2019, and in 2023, teacher-in-residence Tulku Ösel Dorje introduced us to Green Tara.

In November 2023, Lama Tsultrim encouraged Susan Lorraine to begin sharing some of the Magyu practices with others, conferring the title Chögé, Virtuous Teacher of Dharma.

Mandala

The mandala is an archetypal symbol, a map for liberating stuckness, healing fragmentation, and returning to wholeness. The mandala holds us as we awaken to the beauty, struggles and challenges of this life. 

In the practice of the Mandala of the Five Wisdom Dakinis, we embody the energies and wisdoms of the five directions, activating their playful, sometimes fierce energies in ourselves. We also explore how each of the elemental wisdoms becomes obscured in ourselves and our world, and practice transforming these confused energies and difficult emotions back into their true expression.

Charnel ground

In Vajrayana practice everything is included, including both brilliance and chaos, clarity and confusion. The traditional practice of Chöd takes place in the haunted charnel ground (open cemetery), among corpses and wild animals. The practitioner invites and directly confronts fears and the raw realities of life and death. 

Lama Tsultrim brought this spirit of "going to the places that scare you" into a practice called Feeding Your Demons. Instead of banishing unwanted emotions and fears (“demons”), we turn towards them, find out what they need, and feed them with compassion. In the process, these demons become allies.

Elements and dakinis

The dakini (khandro in Sanskrit) is the “sky dancer” who moves through the open sky of awareness. She is the play of energy that also manifests as the elements—earth, air, water, fire and space. 

Our day-long Meditating with the Elements gatherings take place at Blue Forest Shores, where we mix our practice with the fire of the woodstove and sauna, the water of the streams and ocean, the living earth, and the expanse of sky.

Deity practice brings together meditation, mandala, and charnel ground in a way that allows us to fully embody our own awakened qualities. We don’t escape our problems or the troubles of the world. Instead we approach them from the ground of our true nature, where these challenges can be seen, welcomed and released, without overwhelming or causing further suffering.

The practice of Green Tara is especially relevant in our fast and challenging world. She takes the wind out of fear and suffering, and protects us from outer and inner dangers, including fear, injustice, war, and environmental crises. In daily life, Green Tara’s practice can help us to meet personal and global challenges and loss with compassion, resilience and clarity.