Arya Tara, the female buddha of compassion, manifests as peaceful, fierce, and semi-fierce, or joyful—qualities we can learn to embody in our practice and lives. In this talk, Chandra Easton explains how these qualities transform ignorance, aversion, and attachment. She also discusses the feminine principle in Buddhism from an early Buddhist context through Mahayana, and into Vajrayana.

Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton is a teacher, author, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. She has taught Buddhism and Hatha Yoga since 2001 and was given the title of Vajra Teacher, Dorje Lopön, in 2015. She serves on Tara Mandala’s Guiding Teacher Prajna Council, Upaya Council and the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Council. She is the author of Embodying Tara (2023).

Transcript

It has been edited for clarity.

Hello, I’m Dorje Lopon Chandra Easton and I’m a dharma teacher, author and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. I’ve been teaching dharma and Hatha yoga since 2001. While my studies and practice are founded in the Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions as well as Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, my focus is on bringing these beautiful ancient wisdom traditions into the modern age to make them more accessible for modern practitioners.