About us

The TARA Foundation was founded in 1999 in Düsseldorf. Its purpose is to provide humanitarian aid to the Tibetan ethnic group and, in particular, to promote Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism, in Germany and abroad.

The foundation supports monasteries, retreat places and schools in Nepal, India and Tibet, and since 2009 – in accordance with the new foundation law – has been strengthening scientific, cultural and religious centers and public institutions in Germany that serve to convey knowledge about Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism. It grants research fellowships for centers of Buddhist studies and Tibetology and offers scholarships for the training of qualified translators of ancient Buddhist texts into Western languages.

The TARA Foundation is a foundation under civil law with legal capacity. It is registered in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (StiftG NRW) under the AZ.: 15.2.1-St. 777 on August 30, 1999. The foundation operates selflessly. Its members work on an honorary basis. The TARA Foundation is represented by the Chairwoman of the Board, Dr. Liane Pitsos, and by the members of the Board, Dr. Jan-Ulrich Sobisch and Mr. Christian Licht.

Lotus Stupa Lumbini

In 1999, based on a vision, H.H. Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang commissioned Drubwang Sonam Jorphel Rinpoche to build the Great Lotus Stupa in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. The TARA Foundation acquired a plot of land in the Monastic Zone of Lumbini and provided the necessary financial resources for the entire project. In 2004, the stupa was ceremonially opened. Since then, the TARA Foundation has covered the costs of maintaining the stupa and supports religious activities on site.

Chair of Tibetology at LMU Munich

In 2003, the TARA Foundation established an endowed professorship in the field of „Tibetology and Buddhist Studies“ at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). This professorship will continue for at least 27 years through a 2020 contract involving the Tara Foundation, the Khyentse Foundation and the LMU. Together with four other subjects at LMU, Tibetology is involved in the interdisciplinary Study Program of Buddhism, which also offers an internationally successful PhD program.

Research and translation projects

Private Library of H.H. Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang

His Holiness Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang is a great connoisseur of Tibetan Buddhist literature and over the decades has amassed an extensive collection of manuscripts and block prints, both original and copies. The digitized collection and catalog will be freely available to international scholars through the Buddhist Digital Archives of the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC) upon completion.

Essence of Mahayana teachings

The Essence of Mahayana Teachings is one of the two central scriptures of Drikung Kagyupa tradition. Scheduled for publication in 2024 in four volumes in English and German, it will be a milestone in the study of the second teaching tradition of Buddhism in Tibet.

Dharmadhara Study and Practice Program

Dharmadhara is a five-year program designed by the Drikung Translators Group with Dr. Jan-Ulrich Sobisch and under the guidance of Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen. It provides an in-depth study of the gradual path to awakening, with special attention to the Drikung Kagyu tradition.

Dharmadhara is a project of the TARA Foundation and is coordinated by Mr. Ben Müller.

Donation

If you would like to support the activities of the Foundation, please send your contribution to:

TARA-Stiftung
GLS Bank
IBAN: DE20 4306 0967 1273 0465 00
BIC: GENODEM1GLS Sie erhalten eine abzugsfähige Spendenquittung.