Sustainable Compassion and Wisdom Training
With Tulku Migmar Tsering, John Makransky and Hilary Herdman
June 16 - 20, 2025
Join us for Week 1 of the Samye Institute Summer Immersion Program! In this first week, we are joined by Prof. John Makransky, who will lead us into a deeper understanding of how to develop sustainable compassion and wisdom. These daily sessions will be complemented by daily teachings with Tulku Migmar Tsering, and supported throughout by Hilary Herdman, PhD.
Sustainable Compassion and Wisdom Training (SCT) is a method derived from Tibetan Buddhism to help us realize a power of unconditional love and wisdom from within that can be deeply healing and sustaining, make us more fully present to ourselves and others, and empower compassionate action that is less subject to emotional exhaustion. Fundamental Buddhist principles, areas of modern psychology, and guided meditations inform this transformational learning.
The Samye Summer Institute Immersion in the Buddhist Arts & Sciences is an immersive six-week program offers a unique opportunity to delve into the timeless wisdom of the Buddhist tradition. Combining intellectual exploration with personal transformation, it integrates teachings on the inner fields of knowledge—Buddhist philosophy and meditative practices—with the outer fields of knowledge, such as logic, medicine, language, artisanry, astrology, and geomancy. These teachings are delivered by accomplished Tibetan masters and academically-trained scholar-practitioners, fostering a holistic learning experience. Apply here for a summer to remember.
Classes run Monday through Friday, offering four daily sessions:
- Morning Meditation (7:00–8:00 AM): Traditional Tibetan Buddhist practices such as Treasury of Blessings (Module 1) and Concise Manual for Daily Practice (Module 2).
- Outer Fields of Knowledge (10:30 AM–12:00 PM): Sessions led by expert instructors.
- Buddhist Philosophy and Practice (2:30–4:00 PM): Teachings on achieving Buddhahood.
- Personal Sitting Practice (4:00–5:00 PM): Individual meditation held daily in the same natural spot on campus. This practice fosters a deeper connection to the land, allowing participants to attune to the surrounding plants, wildlife, and the rhythms of the natural environment, enriching their meditative experience and sense of connection.
How You’ll Transform
This six-week journey offers more than just an academic or meditative experience—it provides an opportunity to harmonize the intellectual, spiritual, and physical aspects of life. By engaging deeply with the inner and outer fields of knowledge, participants will develop a holistic understanding of how ancient wisdom can be integrated into modern life.
Daily practices, such as meditation in nature and mindful movement, foster a profound connection to the environment and a sense of balance between inner awareness and outer engagement. Through guidance from accomplished Tibetan masters, expert scholars, and contemplative ecologists, students will cultivate insights that resonate far beyond the program.
Ultimately, this program is designed to inspire meaningful transformation, helping participants to integrate these teachings into their personal lives while building a deeper relationship with themselves, their communities, and the natural world.
Spaces are limited—apply today to this journey of self-discovery and holistic transformation. Experience the natural beauty of Samye’s rural campus, learn from accomplished teachers, and immerse yourself in practices that inspire lasting change.
Visit the Samye Institute Summer Immersion website for more details.
Teachers
Tulku Migmar Tsering is a master of the Chokling New Treasures lineage of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Nubri, Nepal in 1975 and began his training at an early age after having been recognized as a reincarnate lama. Tulku Migmar began his formal education in 1983 at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Kathmandu. Through the years, Tulku Migmar proved to be an outstanding practitioner, mastering all of the elaborate vajrayana rituals and sacred arts so essential to the Chokling New Treasures tradition. Tulku-la completed a 3-year retreat under the close guidance of his root guru,…
Learn more about Tulku Migmar Tsering
John Makransky, PhD, is a professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology at Boston College, senior advisor for Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche’s Centre of Buddhist Studies in Nepal, a fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, and developer of the Sustainable Compassion Training model for accessing innate capacities of compassion and awareness. John’s scholarly writings have focused on connections between practices of devotion, compassion and non-dual wisdom in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, on adapting Buddhist practices to meet contemporary minds, and on theoretical issues in interfaith learning. In 2000, John was ordained as a Lama, a meditation teacher of innate compassion and wisdom, within…
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Hilary Herdman, PhD, studied and taught at Rangjung Yeshe Institute at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery since 2000. Hilary was a founding member of the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. She completed an MA and later a Ph.D in Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, UK. Her thesis concerned the origins of pilgrimage and her research interests include pilgrimage, devotional and ritual practices, and their significance in the Buddhist tradition. She is a member of Samye Institute Manager team, serving as Content Manager. She humbly wishes to thank her teachers, Khyabje Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and Phakchok Rinpoche for their tremendous compassion, wisdom…
Learn more about Hilary Herdman