Lama Tsultrim, in conversation with Anne Lamott

10/17/23 • 43 min

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Wisdom Rising with Lama Tsultrim Allione

In this touching interview, Lama Tsultrim speaks with best-selling author, activist and writing teacher Anne Lamott. They discuss themes of attachment theory, and writing as a discipline and also share glimpses into their personal journeys toward healing and inner wholeness. Anne reflects on the intersections between Buddhism and Christianity and suggests the power of expanding the notion of God into a “great spirit of universal love”.

Anne Lamott Bio (adapted from Steven Barclay Agency website): Critically acclaimed author, activist and Sunday School teacher Anne Lamott writes and speaks about subjects that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, and Jesus. Armed with self-effacing humor and ruthless honesty, Lamott converts her subjects into enchantment. In all her novels, tells stories with honesty, compassion and a pureness of voice that lifts, comforts and inspires.

BIO: Lama Tsultrim Allione is the bestselling author of Women of Wisdom (1984), Feeding Your Demons (2008), and Wisdom Rising - Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine (2018). Over 55 years of practice as a monastic and a laywoman, Lama Tsultrim has fully embraced the arc of Buddhism coming to the West as well as fully embracing her experience as a woman emerging from a patriarchal structure into a — of empowerment and agency. She founded the first Western Buddhist center dedicated to the Sacred Feminine in the Buddhist tradition, and leads several long term practice paths including, Magyu, the mother lineage. She emphasizes the need for emotional development to accompany spiritual practice, leading a vibrant international community with over forty groups around the world.

Previous Episode

Lama Tsultrim, in conversation with Jack Kornfield

Lama Tsultrim is joined by her long-time friend and the founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society, Jack Kornfield. Together, they explore the difference between mindfulness and awareness, what it means to go beyond Samsara and Nirvana, the meaning of enlightenment and more. Jack describes how meditation can free us from our patterns, increasing our ability to love and, in turn, enabling us to become loving awareness itself. He also talks about the transition from monastic life into intimate partnership and the important role that therapy has played in his own life.

About Jack Kornfield: Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies.

Lama Tsultrim Allione is the bestselling author of Women of Wisdom (1984), Feeding Your Demons (2008), and Wisdom Rising - Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine (2018). Over 55 years of practice as a monastic and a laywoman, Lama Tsultrim has fully embraced the arc of Buddhism coming to the West as well as fully embracing her experience as a woman emerging from a patriarchal structure into a — of empowerment and agency. She founded the first Western Buddhist center dedicated to the Sacred Feminine in the Buddhist tradition, and leads several long term practice paths including, Magyu, the mother lineage. She emphasizes the need for emotional development to accompany spiritual practice, leading a vibrant international community with over forty groups around the world.

Next Episode

Q & A with Lama Tsultrim: Trauma and meditation, abuse in Buddhism, Toglen and universal grief

In this Episode, Lama Tsultrim answers a wide array of listener questions. She offers guidance for survivors of sexual abuse within Tibetan Buddhist Communities, addresses how to be a feminist leader within patriarchal spiritual systems, shares details about her own feminist awakening and discusses how practices like Feeding Your Demons can be adjusted for people who've experienced trauma. Lama also reflects on the universal nature of the grief that can come through the death of a loved one and the healing role that Tonglen can play in the grieving process.