Activities
The Tara’s Triple Excellence program is not just something you only do alone! We offer community and enrichment with a beautiful array of activities you are invited to join. Please check out the descriptions below and also refer to the Events Calendar page to see what’s happening soon.
Practice Together
TTE practitioners enjoy gathering to do traditional practice together in groups online using Zoom.
A key element of Vajrayana practice is the use of sadhana. A sadhana contains practice instructions with prayers, visualizations, mudras, mantra repetition, and more, leading us to unlock and embody our awakened qualities.
The Third Excellence modules 1 and 2 introduce us to the practices of the Outer and Inner Tara sadhanas. The contemplations go into great detail about all the details of how to practice each sadhana, with extensive teachings and demonstrations by our teachers.
These online practice sessions are primarily for Third Excellence practitioners, but are open to all TTE participants to get a taste of sadhana practice. Please note that without having received the corresponding empowerment, your participation in these sessions will not count toward the accumulations that will be detailed in the Third Excellence.
Other types of group practice are also offered, such as tonglen.
To look up session dates and times, please check the Events Calendar.
Practice Support Groups
We offer twice-monthly online meetings with fellow students in Practice Support Groups. This is a wonderful opportunity to supplement your personal study, reflection, and meditation on the Introduction, First, or Second Excellence courses by asking questions, learning with others on the path, and exploring the material together at a deeper level. Groups of 8 to 12 participants are led by two facilitators, who are Third Excellence practitioners. Practice Support Groups provide a chance to experience the richness and support of the sangha, the community of fellow practitioners.
This group practice is for you if you are…
- Wishing to share your experience of TTE with others.
- Wanting help setting up a daily practice.
- Looking for support that will keep you on track.
- Wishing to meet and build stronger connections with other TTE participants.
Sign Up for a Practice Support Group
To join a Practice Support Group, you’ll need to be currently enrolled in the Introduction program, or the TTE program. You can enroll in the TTE program here. Once enrolled, you can sign up for a specific group by filling out the registration form below. You can register as early as you wish, and simply wait to begin on the starting date of your group. Please note that you can only sign up for a Second Excellence Practice Support Group after you have completed the preceding courses, either in a group or individually.
Express your interest
If there is no Practice Support Group for the Excellence of your choice at the moment, please fill out this form. We will inform you when a support group for your Excellence is scheduled to start.
Reading Circles
The TTE team organizes and hosts weekly reading circles on Zoom, to study and discuss dharma books. Groups are run in English and other languages including Spanish, German, Hebrew, and Ukrainian.
Books we’ve read together include:
- Awakening Dignity by Phakchok Rinpoche
- As It Is, Vols. I & II by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
- The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wisdom by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
To look up session dates and times, please check the Events Calendar.
Q&A and Personal Interviews with Drubpon Lama Tenzin Sangpo
Depending on Drubpon Lama Tenzin’s schedule, we have the good fortune of hosting online Q&A sessions several times each year. Participants can submit their questions on TTE topics in advance, and Drubpon Lama Tenzin answers them in English and Tibetan with a translator. Sessions are often translated in real-time into other languages, so these wonderful events bring together members of the global community.
To look up session dates and times, please check the Events Calendar.
In addition, we are often able to schedule personal dharma interviews with Drubpon Lama Tenzin. Scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, the availability of interviews is posted in the monthly newsletter, as well as in the Events Calendar.
Seminars and Retreats
Since its inception, Tara’s Triple Excellence has teamed up with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche’s dharma centers to offer in-person retreats and seminars with Rinpoche, or Drubpon Lama Tenzin and a translator, across Europe and North America. Additionally, week-long TTE retreats have often been paired with Rinpoche’s annual Fall Seminars.
In addition, the TTE team has organized several online seminars and retreats, with topics such as:
- Shamatha meditation
- Tonglen meditation
- Outer and Inner Tara sadhana retreats
We have also hosted free Tara-related workshops by Heidi Koppl which can be found on YouTube here.
To look up future seminars and retreats, please subscribe to our monthly newsletters, and look in the Events Calendar.
