Experience the power of transformation and the clarity of realization

This immersive six-week program offers a unique opportunity to delve into the timeless wisdom of the Buddhist tradition as it applies in modern times.

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The Buddhist Arts & Sciences

Combining intellectual exploration with personal transformation, the program integrates teachings on the inner science—Buddhist philosophy and meditative practice—with the outer Buddhist arts and sciences including logic, medicine, language, fine arts and artisanry, as well as calculation, astrology and geomancy.

The framing of this immersive program presents the Buddhist arts and sciences as outer and inner qualities to cultivate throughout one's life for greater wellbeing, insight, harmony with the natural world and all its beings, lucid expression, and lasting joy and peace.

Inner Science: Buddhist Philosophy & Practice

Guided by Phakchok Rinpoche, Tulku Migmar, and Professor John Makransky, this course explores core Buddhist teachings and practices continually throughout both modules.

Outer Arts and Sciences: Logic, Medicine, Fine Arts and Artisanry, Astrology, Geomancy, and Finances

Each of the outer arts and sciences is taught as a one-week mini-course with a specialist instructor. The courses are carefully designed to provide an in-depth, hands-on exploration of each discipline, complemented by ecological contemplation that emphasizes a mindful connection to our environments.

Connect to Nature

A core practice throughout the program will be the daily "sit spot" practice guided by Tibetan medical physician Tawni Tidwell and translator and eco-chaplain in training Oriane Lavolé. This practice encourages participants to choose a single spot to build a profound connection to the land, deepening their awareness of the interplay between the outer environment and inner mindfulness. 

What You'll Learn

Rooted in centuries-old training methods from India and Tibet, this program introduces participants to the foundational Buddhist wisdom that balances theoretical knowledge with practical application. Over six weeks, students will:

Program Structure

The program is structured into two three-week modules, which both feature inner and outer arts and sciences. Classes are five days a week with optional weekend programming and activities. Customize your experience by choosing from the weekly offerings:

Module 1

The Path of Dignity

June 15–July 3

Module 2

The Path of Transformation

July 6–July 24

Module 1: The Path of Dignity

The Inner Science

  • Awakening Dignity: An Immersion

    Instructors:  Tulku Migmar Tsering & Sophie (Shu-Chin) Wu

    From the Buddhist perspective, dignity is the power that comes from knowing decisively that our heart is noble and our nature is pure. Cultivating this inner dignity requires that we shift our identity from the narrow confines of our ego-self to the broad, unimpeded expanse of our inherent goodness. During this week, Tulku Migmar Tsering & Sophie (Shu-Chin) Wu will present exercises and discussions designed to help participants understand and cultivate their own inner dignity. Because this way of thinking runs counter to the conventional view that dignity is something bestowed by others, they will also share practical tools and exercises to help participants communicate about inner dignity with friends, family, and children. In this way, the course seeks to awaken dignity not only within us but also in those around us.

  • The Foundational Vehicle: Fundamentals of Buddhist Thought and Practice

    Instructor: Tulku Migmar Tsering & Samye Instructors

    Discover the fundamental concepts and practices taught by the Buddha and his followers. Gain a broad understanding of the Buddhist worldview and its key philosophical tenets, and explore their practical applications in guided meditation practices.

The Outer Arts & Sciences

  • Introduction to the Buddhist Arts and Sciences

    Instructors: Hilary Herdman (Samye Institute) & Seth Auster-Rosen (U. Chicago)

    Learn key concepts of the Buddhist arts and sciences and how these connect to skillful and compassionate living through the gradual awakening of our basic goodness. 

  • Medicine & Wellness – Crafting Inner-Outer Harmony

    Instructor: Tawni Tidwell (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

    Cultivate personal and communal well-being by learning the practical skills and routines needed to harmonize with your environment, community, living structures, and relationships.

  • Artisanry & Craftsmanship – Evoking the Environment of Awakening

    Instructor: Tulku Migmar Tsering, Hilary Herdman (Samye Institute) & Urgyen Gyalpo (Riwoche Temple, Toronto)

    Learn how  the principles of Buddhist philosophy are evoked through artistic expression, and apply them through hands-on creative exercises.

Module 2: The Path of Realization

The Inner Science

  • Entry into the Mahayana Path

    with Tulku Migmar Tsering

    Dive deeper into Buddhist philosophy and practice, exploring the bodhisattva path and its core concepts of selflessness and emptiness through study, reflection, and meditation. 

  • Noble Living, Noble Caring, Noble Dying

    with Tulku Migmar Tsering, Tsunma Jamyang Donma & Andrea Sherman

    Samye Institute’s Noble Living, Noble Caring, Noble Dying team will lead a week-long exploration of the practice of bodhicitta in application based on the 6 perfections. They will emphasize the relationship between the perfections and caregiving–grounding compassion in action.

  • Summer Seminar with Phakchok Rinpoche

    Instructions from the Three Vehicles

    More information soon!

The Outer Arts and Sciences

  • Buddhist Philosophy — Knowing the World by Knowing the Mind (Part One)

    Instructor: Alex Yiannopoulos & Seth Auster-Rosen

    Discover the innovations of the four major schools of Buddhist philosophy, exploring the key teachings of interdependence, impermanence, selflessness, and emptiness through external observation and inner reflection/ or: observation and introspection.

  • Buddhist Philosophy — Knowing the World by Knowing the Mind (Part Two)

    Instructor: Alex Yiannopoulos & Seth Auster-Rosen

    Continue the exploration of Buddhist philosophy with emphasis on Madhyamaka and Yogacara thought as it relates to Buddhist practice.

  • Integrating Buddhist Arts and Sciences in Daily Life

    Instructors: Samye Institute team & Special Guests

    Explore how all the Buddhist Arts and Sciences interconnect in the fabric of daily life, and benefit from group exercises and individual mentorship to develop a personal plan for carrying the knowledge absorbed into your home, community, and larger social networks.

Welcome to Samye

Nestled in the rolling green hills of upstate New York, Samye is perfectly situated a few miles from Cooperstown village, one of America's classic small towns. Located near the shimmering Otsego Lake, it's only a short drive to a number of fun parks, museums, and towns we'll explore on weekend trips together.

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 living.

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.

All students will also experience practical solidarity in a small community by contributing to the functioning of the center by working in the kitchen, on the grounds, or in communal spaces. Students will gain practical skills in community service jobs and managing small teams.

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.

Teachers

Phakchok Rinpoche

Phakchok Rinpoche is the Vajra Master of Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling Monastery, home of Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu, Nepal. Born in 1981, Rinpoche is the 7th reincarnate lineage holder of the Profound Treasures of Chokgyur Lingpa from the Nyingma School of Early Translations and one of the throne-holders of the Riwoche Taklung Kagyu Lineage. Phakchok Rinpoche’s primary root gurus are his grandfather, the late Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and late Kyabje Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche.
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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.
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John Makransky

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, and a fellow of the Mind and Life Institute. He developed the Sustainable Compassion Training model to access innate compassion and awareness. Ordained as a Lama in the Nyingma Dzogchen tradition in 2000, John integrates Tibetan Buddhist practices with contemporary needs, focusing on devotion, compassion, and non-dual wisdom. For over 25 years, he has taught meditations of innate compassion and wisdom to modern Buddhists, interfaith practitioners, and those in caring professions.
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Sophie (Shu-Chin) Wu

Trained in Chinese intellectual history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Sophie teaches Asian history and philosophy, including Buddhism, as an associate professor at Agnes Scott College. Her current academic research focuses on Chinese and Tibetan independent films and contemplative education. As a longtime student of Buddhism, Sophie is a board member and meditation instructor for Phakchok Rinpoche’s organization. She lives in Atlanta with her husband. In her (imaginary) free time, Sophie enjoys home-roasted coffee, nature hikes, and traveling.
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Tawni Tidwell

Tawni Tidwell, TMD, PhD, is a Tibetan medical physician (also known as “menpa” or “amchi”), who studied Tibetan medicine at Men-Tsee-Khang in north India and Sorig Loling Tibetan Medical College of Tso-Ngon (Qinghai) University in eastern Tibet. Tawni completed her Ph.D. in biocultural anthropology at Emory University.
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Urgyen Gyalpo

Urgyen Gyalpo is a traditionally trained Himalayan artist specializing in authentic Buddhist Thangka painting. From 1996 to 2006, he studied at the renowned Tsering Art School in Kathmandu, Nepal, under the mentorship of the esteemed master painter Venerable Konchog Ladrepa. He was trained in the Karma Gadri style—an Eastern Tibetan tradition known for its spacious landscapes and luminous, transparent hues.

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Seth Auster-Rosen

Seth Auster-Rosen is a PhD candidate in Philosophy of Religions at the University of Chicago and has been attending teachings at Samye NY for ten years. His dissertation is a study and translation of two Madhyamaka Buddhist philosophical texts by the 8th Karmapa Mikyö Dorje on the nature of reality, what we can know about it, and how Madhyamaka is connected to Mahamudra. Seth also has interests in ecology and the philosophy of technology. He is the Academic Coordinator of the Samye Institute Summer Immersion program.
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Alex Yiannopoulos

Alexander Yiannopoulos, PhD, had the good fortune to take refuge with Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche under the Bodhi Tree in 2005, and has been engaged in the study and practice of Buddhadharma ever since. To date, his academic research has focused on the epistemological works of Ratnākaraśānti and Dharmakīrti, with a particular emphasis on the topic of “reflexive awareness” (rang rig) or “luminosity” (‘od gsal). Currently, he is working on the mathematical formalization of Buddhist metaphysics as a unified quantum field theory.
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Tsunma Jamyang Donma

Tsunma Jamyang Donma, RP, CRPO, is a certified clinical chaplain and pastoral counselor. She serves as Lead for Spiritual & Religious Care and The Mindfulness Project at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada and is an ordained Buddhist nun. Tsunma provides ongoing support to patients, families, and staff, as well as on-call throughout the hospital as needed. She is also an active supporting participant in the Pediatric Advanced Care Team at SickKids. Originally of the Anglican Christian faith, she took ordination as a Buddhist nun, within the Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana tradition.

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Andrea Sherman

Andrea Sherman, PhD, is a gerontologist, educator, trainer and end-of-life doula, and is co-author of Transitional Keys: Rituals to Improve Quality of Life for Older Adults. She is Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, and New York Academy of Medicine, former Curriculum Consultant to the Bronx VA, and National Center for Creative Aging, and teaches Aging for Beginners at Westchester Meditation Center. As an educator her focus is on palliative and end of life care.

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Hilary Herdman

Hilary Herdman, PhD, has studied and taught at Rangjung Yeshe Institute at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery since 2000 and was a founding member of the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. She earned an MA and PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Bristol, focusing on the origins of pilgrimage and its significance in Buddhist traditions. As a member of the Samye Institute Manager team and Content Manager, Hilary expresses deep gratitude to her teachers, Kyabje Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and Phakchok Rinpoche, and the lamas, khenpos, and nuns of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery for their guidance and wisdom.
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Oriane Lavolé

Oriane Lavole is a translator and interpreter of Tibetan Buddhist texts and teachings, as well as a PhD candidate in Buddhist Studies (Religious Studies department) at Stanford University. Her research centers on ecology in Tibetan Buddhism, land-based rituals, and the relationship to sacred sites. In parallel, Oriane is training as a Buddhist eco-chaplain and developing the contemplative ecology curriculum for Samye New York.
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How to Apply

SISI 2026 Tuition

Benefactor Rate — $3200
Sustaining Rate — $2600
Commuter Rate — $1800

Apply for the Summer Immersion

Single Week - $550

Single week and online options will become available in Spring 2026.

Limited scholarships available upon application.