SHOWER OF WHITE TARAS WITH TAI SITUPA RED ACTIVITY CROWN “INNER VISION” AT SHERAB LING: 8th Tai Situpa’s Golden Stupa and “inner vision” shower of White Taras with red activity hats, and red and white rose flower garden, during Palpung Sherab Ling’s Gutor (nine-day, 24 hour) Mahakala ritual (Part I, Losar Sherab Ling))

Introduction

The first day of the Tibetan and Chinese Lunar New Year (Losar), of the male Fire-Horse was on 18th February 2026.  I was very fortunate to have the merit and motivation (and be heavily magnetised/pulled) to spend the few days before and during Losar day at the stunning Palpung Sherab Ling monastery near Bir, Himachal Pradesh, seat of HH 12th Tai Situpa in India.

Here is my first short report about the pre-Losar events, in my own personal experiences during the first day after arriving at Sherab Ling (during the ongoing Gutor/Mahakala protector rituals) , while I was meditating very early in the morning on White Tara next to the 8^th Tai Situpa Golden relic Stupa, which I could see directly from my window. It was the first time I had been back to the stupa and Sherab Ling since my last visit in 2019 just as the COVID lockdown started (which I wrote about here).  A spontaneous and magnificent, moving “inner pure vision” of hundreds of White Taras and 8^th Tai Situpas that seemed to appear from the stupa, raining down on the whole area. I knew this was a vision, because I had never before seen or thought of this image and it arose directly from the stupa itself.

This “inner vision” experience inspired my creation of a brand new original artwork of White Tara wearing the Tai Situpa red activity hat with the 8th Tai Situpa above her crown. I thus hope that this new artwork and report will inspire people with its blessed origin from the golden stupa at Sherab Ling, and what it represents.

I also had a vision of flower and shrub garden, dedicated to White Tara and 8th Tai Situpa, of red and white flowers/roses in the corners of the land in front of the building. I have suggested this as an idea/project to the Sherab Ling monastery General Secretary and will also ask HH 12th Tai Situpa Rinpoche (if an opportunity arises).

Next report will be the Mahakala Gutor Ritual, magnificent Cham lama dances,  and New Year’s Day event with 12^th Tai Situpa and 9^th Gyalton Rinpoche in attendance. One of the finest and accomplished displays of Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana in India, and a New Year testament to the merit and tantric magnetising, pacifiying and subduing powers of 12th Tai Situpa, 9th Gyalton Rinpoche and the Khenpos, Vajra masters, and lamas there!

Music? White Tara mantra by Deva Premal and Inner Visions by Stevie Wonder.

Dedicating the merit and blessings to the Dharma and all beings, and in particular, to the long-life and health of HH 12th Tai Situpa, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa and 9th Gyalton Rinpoche and kind individual sponsor who made this trip possible. May Palpung activities flourish and prosper!

Adele Tomlin, 19th February 2026.

Magnetised by devotion and the guru to Sherab Ling monastery from SE Asia, and the challenges of  India for a solo female traveller

I have visited Sherab Ling monastery near Bir several times before over the past fifteen years, and the last time I visited wrote this article about the 8^th Tai Situpa’s golden stupa there, his connection with Jetsun Taranatha and  his Shentong view of emptiness, see here.

Incredibly, I was magnetically pulled all the way from the beautiful Danang, Vietnamese coastline, with lovely cafes, sea views and sunny, warm temperatures, via a few days in Bangkok,  all the way back to chilly Northern India. I have not been back to India since I left there in 2022, for a variety of reasons, including the fact the 17^th Gyalwang Karmapa has not been able to return there for many years. In fact, I honestly thought I would never go back there for a variety of reasons.

However, I also knew I did not want to stay in a touristy beach town for Losar and was missing being physically near the guru and an environment more conducive to meditation practice and study. Due to my ongoing vajra connection with 9th Gyalton Rinpoche, and attending the Indonesian events led by his guru, 12th Tai Situpa, when I saw they were both attending the Palpung Sherab Ling Gutor/Protector event that was announced at Sherab Ling, Himachal Pradesh, India (see photos below) I felt compelled to go, despite the challenges and not really wanting to return to India! Some things are too important, timely and sacred to be missed!

It was a long trip from Danang, Vietnam to Sherab Ling, three flights (via Bangkok for a few days), then Delhi, then Kangra airport and a two-hour taxi ride. Not a huge fan of flying or long taxi rides, but like a horse galloping towards its destination, my heart and legs were pulled to go.  In particular, my ongoing strong union and devotion to 9th Gyalton Rinpoche seemed to be urging me on.  I remembered how great female practitioners, like Yeshe Tsogyel and Sera Khandro took great risks and humiliation to be in the presence of their gurus, and also knew that in life one has to sometimes take risks (and losses) to attain anything of real value. In any case, whatever the reason it led me to doing what I thought I would never do, return to India alone after several years away!

I had booked a flight to go there on 12^th February to Delhi but then suddenly cancelled the flight thinking it was not such a great idea (obstacle!). However, as I had booked the only available  flight from Delhi to Dharamsala on 14^th February and as it was not free cancellation, I kept that flight. Then, bizarrely I felt compelled to re- book another flight to Delhi on 13^th February and thankfully did not lose the money on the Dharamsala flight (first-world problems I know!). Nothing like cancelling one’s plans last minute (losing some money), then booking again the next day though, how is that for some “crazy wisdom”!

When I arrived in India, instantly I felt the massive cultural change. Having lived in and visited India for many years, I know it tends to be much more macho and male dominated culture than Europe, or Thailand and Vietnam. As a solo female traveler, one instantly feels the difference, a lot more overbearing male presence, leery stares and comments by groups (or even solo) men.  I instantly became more guarded (and slightly more anxious). I started to miss SE Asia, and the much more relaxed and pleasant experience being a woman there, I had experienced zero street harassment or that kind of conduct and atmosphere there. Even taking a taxi alone feels different in India, although one cannot generalize, there are many lovely, kind and respectful Indian men too. Interestingly, there were no Uber or Grab taxi apps available in that region either, so that also reduced the security of travelling alone as a woman that I was used to in SE Asia.  Also, it is difficult to find good, inexpensive. safe, clean hotels near the New Delhi airport. One normally has to book an expensive hotel, as the cheaper ones around the airport are often rundown, unclean, and for a woman unsafe.

When I arrived in Delhi, more mental obstacles arose, but even though I felt like cancelling and returning to Bangkok or SE Asia, I decided as I was there (and felt very pulled to attend the Losar events in the presence of Gyalton Rinpoche and his guru, 12th Tai Situpa, I would still get the very early morning flight at 6.30 am to Dharamsala.

On the positive side, flying into Dharamsala (Kangra) airport is one of the most beautiful flight arrivals in the world, on par with arriving in Bhutan, the views of the Himalayas are spectacular indeed. The temperature drop was significant though, having been used to humid, sweaty climes for a few years, where evenings were also sweaty and warm and one could still walk around naked in a bedroom and not feel cold. The shift in temperature was notable and required a heater in the guestroom at night. It was all worth it though, as I discovered when I arrived.

8^th Tai Situpa and the golden stupa and a shower  of  “inner pure vision” White Taras with Tai Situpa red activity crown

The first day I arrived at Sherab Ling was Valentine’s Day (14^th February) a romantic time to arrive, full of love in the air.  I attended some of the Mahakala puja in the main shrine hall, followed by a public audience with 12^th Tai Situpa, who was holding an open-door audience for whomever turned up. No need to arrange with the office or attendants. Those whom Rinpoche met were given a blessing thread and also some blessed Tibetan medicine pills. Most people there seemed to be from the Ladakh/Zanskar regions, and some people told me (when I asked them) told me it had taken them two days to get there. Amazing devotion!

The following day 15th February, before I attended the morning puja of Mahakala, I woke up early around 5am and did some meditation. The guesthouse room was on the higher floor and had a stunning view of the mountains and stupas at the back of Sherab Ling and the building that houses the 8th Tai Situpa golden stupa. It was a beautiful view and energy and was happy I had made the long journey.

The silence was also notable after having stayed for years in hotels or places more for tourists, with cleaners turning up every morning to clean the rooms of people who had checked out! Not easy to work or write in those environments, but not complaining either. Living a fortunate dream Dharma life for sure!

When I visited the golden stupa before in 2019, just before the COVID lockdown,  I remember meditating next to the stupa itself, and the whole stupa came to life with dakinis, and 8^th Tai Situpa seemed to speak from the stupa itself, that I needed to keep him and his legacy alive (see my article about that pilgrimage visit here).

In 2000, the golden stupa containing the relics of the 8th Tai Situpa was consecrated by HE 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche at Sherab Ling monastery, India. The 12th Tai Situ’s current and long-time personal secretary, Lama Tenam explained to me in a conversation in 2019 how the precious relics and ‘kudung’of the 8th Tai Situ were received from the Palpung monastery in Tibet.  When the Chinese soldiers destroyed much of the Palpung monastery and also the kudung stupa of the 8th Tai Situpa housed there, fortunately, the people at the monastery were able to hide and keep most of the treasures contained within it, including most of the precious relics and body remains of the 8th Tai Situpa.  When the 12th Tai Situpa later visited Palpung Monastery, Tibet, they offered back these treasures to Rinpoche, who decided to leave half these precious relics with the monastery in Tibet and brought the other half to the monastery in India.  These relics and kudung were then placed inside the golden stupa at Sherab Ling monastery where they remain to this day.

This time when I meditated in the guesthouse room from which I overlooked the stupa building, I was visualizing myself White Tara, which I did as it is part of my daily practice, and then I felt pulled to visualize myself as White Tara in the golden stupa itself. On doing so, then it seemed as 8^th Tai Situpa came to life saying that it was far worse than imaginable what had happened to the Karma Kagyu since the Gelugpa-Mongolian violence and takeover of Tibet. That he had actually not written down everything and how awful it had been. But basically “it was nothing short of miraculous that the Karma Kagyu, and Tai Situpa had not only been able to survive the horrific onslaught, murder, theft and persecution of the Gelugpa violence and sectarianism, and able to build and flourish was a testament to how amazing a lineage they are.”

I mentally appreciated how amazing it was that 8th Tai Situpa  (and his attendant Belo) had written it all down (handwritten) in their autobiographical and biographical diaries, as without that no one would know what actually happened to the 10^th Karmapa, Choying Dorje and Tai Situpa, as I wrote about here during my visit to Phuntsok Dargye Ling temple in Lijiang and the main Karma Kagyu temples established by the 10^th Karmapa and maintained and developed by 8^th Tai Situpa.

Shower of hundreds of White Tārās with Tai Situpa red activity hats

As I carried on practising  and chanting the White Tārā mantra , the golden stupa turned into White Tārā, and went into an inseparable union/merging with 8^th Tai Situpa who then emanated hundreds of bodies of White Tārā with his red activity crown on her head seated on white lotuses, that rained down in a beautiful shower on the stupa and on the whole monastery area.

It reminded me of the image of Green Tārā with the Karmapa’s activity hat. I had never had such a vision/idea before, and saw it as an auspicious sign. So, I decided it would be auspicious to try and create a visual representation of it, not easy as am not a graphic designer. I looked online and there were hardly any (if at all) representations of White Tārā in the Karma Gardri style, but also with the Tai Situpa in it. However, I was able to design and create this one, hope you like it!

As I wrote about before here, the great 8th Tai Situpa Panchen, Chokyi Jungne (1700–1774), one of the greatest Tibetan Buddhist masters and scholars in Tibetan Buddhist history, composed a widely used daily practice (sadhana) of White Tārā, known as the “Wish Fulfilling Wheel” (Tibetan: Chiwa Luje Karmo, “The White Lady who Deceives Death”). This practice is central to the Karma Kagyu tradition for cultivating longevity, healing, and wisdom, derived from the lineage of Vāgīśvarakīrti.  He created new artworks that indirectly spoke of protecting from the “fear of enemy armies”.

Golden Stupa photos and thangkas and pure vision of a rose-flower garden area in front corners of the stupa building

The ground/lawn area in front of the stupa building was quite bare and dry, and very little grass and saw some horses grazing a little there. The area around the grounds was full of weeds too. It was probably the time of year, cold and chilly and the trees were also bare of leaves. By contrast, the garden areas around the main monastery were watered regularly and full of green shrubs, trees and flowers. So it was not weather-related, but more about a lack of personal care and attention.

At the same time as I had the pure vision of a red-hatted White Tara, a vision of a beautiful garden of white and red roses, shrubs and plants arose, that would be evergreen even in winter and contacted a personal friend to ask if they would help me make a donation to the monastery to create such a garden. I have also suggested the idea to the General Secretary of Palpung Sherab Ling, and will suggest it to HH 12th Tai Situpa (when and if I get an opportunity).

Here are some more photos I took at the Golden Stupa this year, to compliment the ones I took during my visit in 2019 as well.

There were many lovely thangka artworks in the shrine room too, and statues of Guru Padmasambhava, all the Situpa lineage, and Jetsun Taranatha. In particular, a huge thangka artwork of the 8th Tai Situpa (the same as the digital design below) and one of Vajravarahi and Machig Labdron.