Lama Tsultrim Allione (born Joan Rousmanière Ewing in 1947) is an American author and teacher who has studied in

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mon ...

lineage.

Biography

Early life and education

She was born in 1947 in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

under the name Joan Rousmanière Ewing.

Recognition

it is believed that once beings such as Machig Labdrön attain enlightenment, they are no longer subject to the limitation of one body and may emanate into many different dimensions and forms. An emanation continues the work of the original incarnation. In May and June 2007 Allione led a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to Nepal and Tibet which included a visit to Sangri Khangmar ( Sangri County) where Machig Labdrön lived from the age of 37 to 99. At the site, Allione was recognized as an emanation of Machig Labdrön by the resident Lama, Karma Dorje Rinpoche, the 7th incarnation of the brother of Mikyö Dorje, the 8th Karmapa. Lama Karma Nyitön Kunkhyab Chökyi Dorje offered Allione a self-arisen golden crystal

phurba The ''phurba'' (; alternate transliterations: ''phurpa'', ''phurbu'', ''purbha'', or ''phurpu'') or ''kīla'' (Sanskrit Devanagari: कील; IAST: kīla) is a three-sided peg, stake, knife, or nail-like ritual implement traditionally associate ...

(ceremonial dagger), the only remaining tsa tsa made from the ashes of Machig's body (a mixture of clay and ash imprinted with an image of Machig dancing), texts of Machig's teachings, a hat with symbolic meaning designed by Machig, and various other treasures. Allione was also independently recognised as Machig's emanation in Nepal by Lama Tsering Wangdu Rinpoche, holder of the lineage of

Dampa Sangye Dampa Sangye ( "Excellent Buddhahood", d.1117, also called "Father Excellent Buddhahood", ) was a Buddhist mahasiddha of the Indian Tantra movement who transmitted many teachings based on both Sutrayana and Tantrayana to Buddhist practitioners i ...

(who had worked with Machig Labdrön to establish the Chöd practice in Tibet in the 11th Century). Commenting on the recognition as Machig Labdrön, Lama Tsultrim said she thought the purpose was

to make this new phase of collecting Machig's lineage more empowered. Recognition allows more energy to flow, and Machig's blessings can manifest more fully. It's a kind of mirroring from the outside validating our heartfelt intention to reinvigorate and spread Machig's lineage in the West. It also felt very natural. We will keep doing what we have been doing already, but the recognition creates an auspicious interdependence for the teachings.

Activities

In 2008 Lama Tsultrim Allione's book ''Feeding Your Demons'' was published, an approach based on the Chöd lineage of Machig Labdrön that Allione has practiced since 1973. Allione opens chapter five of the book by quoting

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...

as saying "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious."

Mark Epstein Mark Epstein (born 1953) is an American author and psychotherapist who integrates Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings with Sigmund Freud's approaches to trauma. He often writes about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy.Mark Epstein''Freud and B ...

has described her work as "a book that

could only have dreamed of writing." Allione claims that the "process of feeding our demons is a method for bringing our shadow into consciousness and accessing the treasures it holds rather than repressing it." In 2009, Lama Tsultrim Allione was selected by an esteemed committee of scholars and practitioners to receive the international “Outstanding Woman in Buddhism” Award given in

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated population ...

. Lama Tsultrim completed her book, ''Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine'', published by Simon and Schuster in May 2018. At the same time, Lama Tsultrim continues to guide Tara Mandala and thousands of students around the world. Her writings and teachings come from her sublime Tibetan lamas as well as her experience as a Western woman and mother. She is known for her ability to translate the wisdom of the ancient Tibetan Buddhist tradition into clear teachings that are relatable and relevant to Western audiences.

Works

Books

* * * *Allione, Tsultrim (2018). ''Wisdom Rising: Journey Into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine.'' Simon & Schuster.

Audio

References

External links

Women of Wisdom extract (Machig Lapdron's life and teaching)

Feeding Your Demons extract

Lama Tsultrim Allione podcast

Tara Mandala

* ttp://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-EPT/simm.htm Inviting the demon. (Milarepa, Tibetan Buddhism) (The Shadowissue) Judith Simmer-Brown,

Parabola In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped. It fits several superficially different mathematical descriptions, which can all be proved to define exactly the same curves. One descript ...

Vol.22 No.2 (Summer 1997) pp. 12–18
Feeding Your Demons: Life and Work of Lama Tsultrim Allione. Video documentary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allione, Tsultrim American Buddhist nuns American Buddhists Living people Karma Kagyu lamas Tibetan Buddhism writers Tibetan Buddhist nuns Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teachers Tibetan Buddhist yogis Women yogis Tibetan Buddhists from the United States 1947 births 20th-century Buddhist nuns 21st-century Buddhist nuns 21st-century American women