We recommend that you take a bottle of water that can be closed, a notebook and a pen. You can also bring coloured pencils if you want. Usually you don't need anything else. We will send you a detailed practical info before the workshop.
MANDALA - Journey of Transformation
24.–27. 4. 2025 | 3.–6. 10. 2025 | 23.–26. 4. 2026
It is with great pleasure that we welcome back to the Czech Republic Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam and Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen - direct students of Lama Tsultrim Allione, who will come to give us the Mandala Method teachings, which you may know from Lama Tsultrim's book The Wisdom Rising.
The opportunity opens up for you to embark on an adventurous year-long journey (the series includes 3 modules) full of encounter, wisdom, creation, meditation and personal transformational practice. We will discover the ancient wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist mandala, which facilitates personal and spiritual transformation and serves to understand our experience in the outer world.
This work transcends spiritual theories and serves as a meaningful tool for anyone wishing to experience greater emotional peace and clarity (regardless of religion, personal philosophy or gender).
The entire series will be interpreted from English into Czech language.
Dakini Mandala
24.–27. 4. 2025
Thr - Sat: 9:00-17:00, Sun: 9:00-16:00
Wisdom rising - The Mandala of the Emopowered Feminine
This session helps you transform your emotions to support your spiritual journey. The Mandala, which is a template of wholeness, has a center and four directions as its basic structure. Each direction is represented by one "family" of elements, colors, seed syllables, emotions, psychological types and wisdoms.
The Dakinis are the female deities of Tantric Buddhism who embody deep wisdom and feminine power with all its aspects. Lama Tsultrim Allione says, "They are radiant, subtle spiritual energies, guardians and protectors of unconditioned wisdom and sacred ground." In Tibetan art they are depicted naked, with only their ornaments, dancing, fierce and powerful.
This level includes:
- Introduction to the Mandala Principle
- Introduction to the empowered feminine within Buddhism
- Introduction to the five families, and teachings associated with each
- Creation of a personal altar
- Guided Life Review Practice, for each of the five families, to help you identify your own obscurations and wisdoms in your own life
- The Mandala of Five Wisdom Dakinis daily meditation practice
- Guided Journey with the Dakini of a chosen family
- Art through Mandala Work with your Hands
The teachings will be personally delivered by Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam.
The Mandala Method
Dakini Mandala | Buddha Mandala | YAB-YUM Mandala
The basis of the Mandala Method is the so-called "five Buddha families", which represent five types of emotional suffering that we gradually transform into five manifestations of enlightened energy. Mandala will guide you through a process exploring the divine feminine and masculine and the connection of the feminine and masculine aspects of our psyche. Each of the three modules in the series offers a unique application of the principles of the mandala. It helps to transform burdened emotional patterns (ignorance, anger and desire) into wisdom through meditation, sound, art, movement and a five element practice.
Follow-up modules
Buddha Mandala
3.–6. 10. 2025
Fri - Sun: 9:00-17:00, Mon: 9:00-16:00
Exploring Sacred Masculinity
The Mandala of the Five Buddhas is for those who wish to cultivate a sacred and wise masculinity. Buddhism sees enlightened masculinity as the ability to act with wise compassion, which needs to be cultivated in all of us, regardless of gender. Healing involves cultivating both masculine and feminine aspects, otherwise the hidden agenda can have destructive consequences.
This level includes:
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Teachings on the Five Buddhas
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Buddhas of the Mandala attributes, including mental obscurations (skandhas) and mudras
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Intro and exploration of the ‘Sacred Masculine’
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Deeper identification and exploration of your personal obscurations and wisdoms as discovered through five family work, especially in relation to the masculine
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The Mandala of the Five Buddhas, daily meditation practice
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Guided Journey with the Buddha of a chosen family
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Art through Mandala Work with your Hands
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Unblocking the Encumbered Energy (Sound and Light Practice) for all five families
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Element Meditation for all five families
The Five Buddhas Mandala practice combines sound, visualization and meditation to provide an inner map and resources to help us transform challenging emotions into their liberating wisdom.
The teachings will be personally delivered by Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen.
YAB-YUM Mandala
23.–26. 4. 2026
Thr - Sat: 9:00-17:00, Sun: 9:00-16:00
The sacred union of the feminine and masculine principle
This mandala of divine union explores a connection that transcends gender identity - the union of the feminine and masculine that each of us carries within us. Yab-yum allows us to experience non-duality. On a hidden level, it represents the union of the essence of being and its emanation, the essential non-duality of emptiness and form, wisdom and compassion.
This level includes:
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Teachings on the Yab Yum figures and symbolism – Male and Female Buddhas
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Integration of Sacred Feminine and Masculine, beyond the binary understanding
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Teachings on Jung’s Anima/Animus
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The Mandala of the Yab Yum, daily meditation practice
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Guided Journey with the Yab Yum of a chosen family
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Art through Mandala Work with your Hands
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Unblocking the Encumbered Energy (Sound and Light Practice) for all five families
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Element Meditation for all five families
The teachings will be personally delivered by Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam and Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen.
* to participate in this module you must have attended the previous two
Who is this method for?
Anyone who wants to bring clarity to their emotions and their spiritual journey.
Individuals who desire wholeness by harmonizing their masculine and feminine powers.
To anyone who wants to turn emotional patterns into wisdom - working with the darkened mind, anger and desire.
To all who desire to nourish their soul through meditation, sound, art, movement and the traditional practice of mandala.
Mental health professionals, therapists and anyone dedicated to helping and healing others.
If you are a professional and want to continue using the method in practice with your clients, you need to get certified. In this case, you need to complete all three modules + complete the online final seminar + complete 75 hours of home practice between seminars. If you have chosen this option, please let us know at seminare@maitrea.cz after signing up.
Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam
a Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen
Both Charlotte and Pieter are long-time students of Tibetan Buddhism, senior teachers of meditation, Feeding the Demons (FYD) practice, Chöd, and other Buddhist practices in the US and abroad. They teach at the Tara Mandala Buddhist Center, founded by Lama Tsultrim Allione. Pieter earned his law degree in his native South Africa and is chairman of the Tara Mandala board of directors. Charlotte received her Master's degree from Harvard Divinity School and is an instructor and director of the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education at Naropa University. Together they lead the Tara Mandala sangha. Their blog offers dharmic reflections on modern life: www.skymind.us.
Lama Tsultrim Allione is the founder of the Tara Mandala Center in southwestern Colorado with a three-story temple and library dedicated to the divine women of the Buddhist tradition. She leads an international community with over forty groups worldwide. She was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. She later gave up her robes and married three times. She is the mother of three children and grandmother of six grandchildren. In 2007, she was recognized in Tibet and Nepal as the reincarnation of the famous 11th century Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön and is one of the few female lamas in the world.
REGISTRATION GATE
MAITREA - the organizer
Welcome to Prague, the most beautiful city of Europe
MAITREA was founded in 2006. It aims to provide space for those who feel the need for personal development and self-realization. It’s pleasure for us that you decided to visit the workshop here, in Prague.
Let’s introduce our projects:
- House of Personal Development - Space for experiential seminars, workshops, trainings and therapy
- Vegetarian restaurant - Beautifully designed restaurant with delicious vegetarian and vegan food
- Publishing house - Books focused on personal development
- Kindergarten - Harmonious development of a pre-school aged child based on R. Steiner’s principals
We hope that, you’ll get a lot of great experience, and have a great time here!
Foundation of Maitrea has been blessed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
FAQ
What type of cloth should I wear?
It is convenient to wear a comfortable clothing in which you feel good. You can change on site (especially for dance and movement focused seminars.) You can also use the shower if necessary (can be found on the same floor as the seminar rooms).
Is there any refreshments available?
Small snacks (biscuits, muesli bars, etc.) can be bought on site. Coffee, tea and filtered tap water are available. We take drinks in the seminar rooms only in closed bottles. An adjoining kitchen is designed for consuming refreshments. We recommend to bring your water or tea in a plastic bottle or thermos. If you forget about that, you can buy bottled water on the spot.
For lunch or dinner you can go to our vegetarian restaurant MAITREA. We recommend booking your seat at the phone number: +420 221 711 631 (11.30 am - 11 pm). If booking for a larger group, count with the so-called GROUP OFFER, where there is a choice of about 6 meals, and you will not be waiting for a long time. Reservation is reserved for you only 15 minutes from the agreed time.
Other alternatives: Country life (www.countrylife.cz), BEAS DHABA (www.beas-dhaba.cz), GIALLO ROSSA pizzeria (www.giallorossa.cz)
Is accommodation available in Maitrea?
Unfortunately we do not have any accommodation capacity in our building. We recommend Airbnb or this nice and cosy accommodation in a nearby monastery.
Where can I park my car?
We are surrounded by the blue residential area. Parking (paid) is possible only in the shopping malls Kotva and Palladium, also in the Rudolfinum building (we recommend to leave the car in the P + R parking lot and to reach us by subway). In front of MAITREA, only short stops for getting off and unloading are possible.
How can I get to Maitrea?
- Tram 5, 8, 14 - station Dlouhá třída: Then walk along Dlouhá street direction Old Town Square, turn the fourth lane left and there you are in Týnská ulička.
- Metro A/B (green/yellow) - station Můstek: Then walk along Na můstku street and further into Melantrichova street until you reach to Old Town Square, pass the Jan Hus statue and walk into Dlouhá street and turn the first lane right.
- Metro A (green line) or tram 17, 18 - station Staroměstská: Then walk along Kaprova street to Old Town Square, pass the Jan Hus statue and walk into Dlouhá street and turn the first lane right and there you are in Týnská ulička.
- From Airport Letiště Václava Havla: Bus 119 to Nádraží Vokovice (green line) metro station, then earlier mentioned Metro Můstek (green line) station or Staroměstská (green line) station. Or you can take a taxi.
- From Florenc Bus station: Metro station Florenc to earlier mentioned Metro station Můstek.
- From Hlavní nádraží train station: Metro station Hlavní nádraží (red line) to Florenc (yellow line) metro station, then transfer to green line metro and go to Můstek (green/yellow line) metro station.
- Taxi: If you don’t like traveling by public transport, you can also take a taxi. Nonstop customer service is on phone number: 14 014. MAITREA's address is Týnská ulička 6/1064, 110 00 Prague 1.