This third week of the Samye Institute Summer Immersion: The Buddhist Arts & Sciences continues the integration of inner and outer sciences at the heart of the program. Building on the contemplative foundation established in the opening week, participants now bring the inner science of buddha dharma into dialogue with another of the great outer sciences of the Buddhist tradition: artisanry. The week unfolds through meditation, study, and hands-on practice, with studio sessions led by Urgyen Gyalpo at its center.

The week’s centerpiece is the Outer Science of Sacred Art, taught by Urgyen Gyalpo, a master of Tibetan thangka painting. Sacred art plays an essential role in communicating Buddhist insights and shaping the contemplative environments in which practice unfolds. Through workshop and studio time, participants will learn to draw an iconometrically precise Buddha — entering the lineage of thangka practice not as observers but as students of its disciplined, devotional craft. The work invites participants to discover how careful attention to proportion, line, and form becomes its own contemplative path.

Continuing the inner science thread from earlier weeks, the contemplative portion of the week — led by Hilary Herdman and Seth Auster-Rosen — offers a complementary practice. [Inner Science description to come.]

Together, the two strands invite participants to hold rigorous inquiry and lived contemplative practice as two sides of a single path — the way the Buddhist tradition itself has always understood the relationship between knowing and being.

Format

The week weaves together several modes of learning and practice:

• Talks introducing the philosophy and practice of sacred art
• Studio and workshop sessions in iconometric drawing
• Guided meditations
• Facilitated Q&A and group discussion
• Space for personal practice and movement

Free & Open to All

Several sessions each week are free and open to anyone, with no registration required. We warmly welcome locals and newcomers to drop in:

• The weekly public talk
• The Wednesday evening Introductory Talk, which opens the week
• All morning and afternoon meditation sessions, every day of the week

If you’ve been curious about Samye Institute, Tibetan sacred art, or Buddhist practice, these are an easy way to step in and experience the teachings firsthand.

Schedule

The course opens on the evening of Wednesday, July 1, allowing participants to arrive earlier in the day and settle in. From July 2 through July 4, each day follows a full rhythm of morning and afternoon meditation alongside two teaching sessions in the afternoon and evening. The program concludes on the morning of Sunday, July 5, followed by lunch and departure.

Wednesday, July 1 — Arrival

• 3:00 – 5:00 pm — Registration
• 6:00 – 7:00 pm — Dinner
• 7:00 – 8:30 pm — Introductory Talk (free and open to all)

Thursday – Saturday, July 2–4

• 7:00 – 8:00 am — Personal Practice
• 9:00 – 9:45 am — Breakfast
• 10:00 – 10:45 am — Guided Meditation (free and open to all)
• 12:30 – 1:15 pm — Lunch
• 1:30 – 2:15 pm — Inner Science Meditation (free and open to all)
• 3:00 – 4:30 pm — Sacred Art Studio with Urgyen Gyalpo
• 4:30 – 5:00 pm — Break
• 5:00 – 6:00 pm — Q&A / Discussion
• 6:00 – 7:00 pm — Inner Science with Hilary Herdman & Seth Auster-Rosen
• 7:00 – 8:00 pm — Dinner

Sunday, July 5 — Closing

• 8:00 – 8:45 am — Breakfast
• 10:00 – 11:30 am — Closing Session
• 12:30 – 1:15 pm — Lunch and Departure

Attendance & Hybrid Access

Participants are welcome to register for the full week or for individual days as their schedules allow. To help sessions begin on time, we ask that all attendees arrive 15 minutes early.

The Outer Science, Inner Science, and Q&A / Discussion sessions are offered in a hybrid format, accessible both in person and online. Recordings of these sessions will be made available to all registered attendees, so anyone who joins partway through will receive recordings of the days they missed.

Please note: while the teaching portions of the Sacred Art sessions will be offered in hybrid format, the hands-on studio practice is best experienced in person.

Commuter registration includes lunch and dinner; residential registration includes all meals and on-site lodging. Scholarships are available on request — please reach out if cost is a barrier to attending.

Prerequisites

No prior experience is necessary — including no prior experience with drawing or visual art. This week is open to participants of all backgrounds, whether or not they attended earlier weeks of the immersion. It may be especially meaningful for artists and makers, students of Buddhist iconography, and anyone drawn to the meeting point of craft and contemplation.