Inviting Tara

As I move closer to the start of a three-month Tara retreat, I feel that Mother Tara is drawing closer. Holding the mindful awareness of Divine Pride is easier today than yesterday; awareness of my self-cherishing mind-chatter is greater as is patience. Maybe I'm just having a good day, huh?

At any rate, I am excited to apply myself to a committed retreat, even one I will undertake as a householder. After 15 years of practice in Tibetan Buddhism I feel that I am now really going to begin to practice. I'm committed to a three-month "retreat from afar" to be done simultaneously with practitioners at Sravasti Abbey in Washington State and others around the world. Four of the prisoners I correspond with through the Liberation Prison Project will be doing the retreat with me.

During these last days I am trying to get all my practice materials in place--finding small items I would like to have on my altar during the retreat, putting together practice sets for my prison pen-pals, and generally trying to watch my mind. I am shifting my diet to be more compassionate, aware, and energetically clean-clear. This space will be for me--a place to write about my experiences--the good, the bad and the ugly.