The Mandala Method courses and retreats offer an exploration into the ancient Tibetan Buddhist template of the mandala as it applies to our inner path of transformation and our outer experience in the world. In her book, Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine (Atria, 2018), Lama Tsultrim Allione offers mandala practices she has long taught in an accessible form suitable for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. 

The Mandala Method program is a deeper dive into these practices, along with additional practices to empower personal and spiritual transformation.

“The mandala is a template or blueprint of wholeness. It has a center and four directions. Associated with each direction is a color, an element, an obstructed pattern and a wisdom. It is a way to understand yourself and also your world.”

 – Lama Tsultrim Allione

Journey into the Union of the Sacred Feminine and Masculine (Yab Yum)

Venture into the Yab Yum Mandala to explore divine union beyond gender identifications, through the union of the feminine and masculine we each hold within ourselves. The model of Yab Yum union enables a direct experience of non-duality. The exploration of encumbered patterns  as represented by the five families becomes a framework for exploring obscurations that arise in relationships, such as attachment, anger, disconnection, and jealousy, and how these may be transformed into relationship wisdom.

The work of healing and moving towards wholeness involves drawing forth and cultivating the positive aspects of both our feminine and masculine energies; otherwise, the hidden agenda of each can be destructive and self-sabotaging. With the Mandala Method program we offer a sublime method to work with the feminine through the Mandala of the Dakinis, the masculine in the Mandala of the Buddhas, and the union of the two in the Mandala of the Yab Yum. This is deep inner work appropriate for individuals of all gender identities.

We can explore the Yab Yum in outer, inner and secret ways, a traditional way to unpack various layers of any given teaching. At an outer level, the teachings of Yab Yum suggest that we can meet another being – however that “other” appears to us – as a path of practice in which we fully face our partner with no escape, no guarantee, no solid ground. At an inner level, we can understand Yab Yum as a symbol of an internal balance between energies we have come to label ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine.’  At a secret level, the Yab Yum is the union of the ground of being and the emanations of the ground, the fundamental non-duality of emptiness and form, of wisdom and compassion. 

This course includes:

• Teachings on the Yab Yum figures and symbolism – Male and Female Buddhas 
• Integration of Sacred Feminine and Masculine, beyond the binary understanding
• Teachings on Jung’s Anima/Animus
• Working with obscurations in relationships, inner and outer
• Teachings on inner, outer, and secret mandala
• Divine union and non-duality
• The Mandala of the Yab Yum, daily meditation practice
• Guided Journey with the Yab Yum of a chosen family
• Art through Mandala Work with your Hands
• Unblocking the Encumbered Energy (Sound and Light Practice) for all five families
• Element Meditation for all five families