White Tara Winter Retreat (2010-11)
Short talks on the White Tara practice given during the 2010-11 White Tara Winter Retreat at Sravasti Abbey.
Who is White Tara?
Venerable Thubten Chodron As an introduction to retreat, an explanation of who White Tara is and what she represents.
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What is retreat?
Valuable advice for doing retreat—working with the mind, with pain, how to visualize, how to practice in session and in between sessions.
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Taking refuge
What does it mean to take refuge in the Three Jewels, and why we do it at the beginning of the sadhana.
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Bodhicitta motivation
The bodhicitta motivation is crucial to our practice. Self-centered thinking limits us and holds us back.
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Life force and the four elements
Questions and answers regarding "life force" and the "four elements" in the Tara sadhana.
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Motivation and karma
Setting the proper motivation is not just for meditation sessions but for activities between sessions as well.
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Motivation and our dignity
Examining how to relate to institutions and authority in a clear, honest, and constructive way, maintaining an inner sense of dignity.
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Mantras and symbols
Answers to questions on mantra, the White Tara sadhana, and the symbolism of White Tara's appearance.
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The four immeasurables
An explanation of the prayer of the four immeasurables that is included in the White Tara sadhana.
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Activities of wrath
The symbolism of the Lord of Death and an explanation of the wrathful activities mentioned in the White Tara sadhana.
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Immeasurable love
How love, which is the wish for all sentient beings to have happiness and its causes, differs from attachment, which usually has strings attached.
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