Programs

Group Retreats

Medicine & Wellness: Crafting Inner-Outer Harmony

With Tulku Migmar Tsering and Tawni Tidwell

Join us for Week 4 of the Samye Institute Summer Immersion Program! In this fourth week, we are joined by Tawni Tidwell, TMD, PhD, who will help us engage practical life-skills for living in harmony with your environment and community. These daily sessions will be complemented by daily teachings with Tulku Migmar Tsering, and supported throughout by Hilary Herdman, PhD.

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 with Phakchok Rinpoche.
  • 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

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,…
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Tawni Tidwell

Tawni Tidwell, TMD, PhD, is a biocultural anthropologist and Tibetan medical doctor, the first non-Asian to complete formal Tibetan medical training alongside Tibetan peers. She integrates Tibetan medicine, neuroscience, and Buddhist epistemology in her research, focusing on diagnostic practices for cancer and metabolic disorders. As a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she bridges Tibetan and Euroamerican medical traditions, leading studies on meditative states, Tibetan medicine for COVID-19, and meditation’s link to the gut microbiome. She also maintains a clinical practice in Wisconsin and Austria, treating chronic conditions with Tibetan medicine. Tawni credits her success to her Tibetan…
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