In this retreat, Tulku Migmar Tsering taught on the fundamentals of tantric practice, including the three samadhis, four stakes, and other essentials, with daily group practice of the Trinley Nyingpo. This condensed sadhana practice is drawn from the Lamé Tukdrup Barché Kunsel (The Guru’s Heart Practice, Dispeller of All Obstacles), which was discovered by the great treasure revealer Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa in the 18th century with the support of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamgön Kongtrul Lodro Thaye. The chief figure in this practice is Guru Padmsambhava, with the sambhogakaya Avalokiteshvara and the dharmakaya Amitabha, surrounded by the Guru’s twelve emanations.…

In the summer of 2023, Tulku Migmar Tsering guided us toward a deeper experience of compassion. Over a week-long series of personalized teachings and practice sessions, Tulku Migmar led us into ever greater insights into how we can develop ever greater compassion, the heart of Buddhist path. This style of mind-training is a powerful mechanism to purify our mental obscurations and help us train in bodhicitta, the mind set on awakening for the sake of sentient beings.   These teachings also provided the opportunity to learn one of the key practices of this mind-training tradition, giving-and-taking (tonglen), which was brought…

In winter of 2024 during the New Year of the Tibetan lunar calendar, known as Losar, Samye New York hosted an immersive retreat on the Four Foundations of the Dharma. According to tradition, the actions carried out during these first days of the year are believed to carry a potency magnified a millionfold.   Guided by Tulku Migmar Tsering and instructor Matthew Zalichin, we explored the Four Foundations, also referred to as the “preliminary practices” or ngondro in Tibetan. These encompass the taking of refuge and cultivating bodhicitta, engaging in confession and purification practices, making mandala offerings, and delving into…

In this introductory retreat, Tulku Migmar Tsering led us through the Buddhist path of meditation. Experiential guidance in the traditional path of meditation was combined with dedicated practice sessions, suitable for absolute beginners as well as those who wish to reconnect with their sitting practice.   Tulku Migmar elucidated the path from the outset of the four mind-changings up until essential Mahamudra, the peak of all of Buddha’s teachings. During these sessions, he presented ever-more-refined meditation techniques, depending upon one’s personal level of experience.  He also offered priceless pith instructions and different methods for overcoming various obstacles that can occur…

This week introduces the principles of Tibetan medicine and its holistic understanding of health.   Participants explore how body, mind, community, and environment interact, learning practical approaches to cultivating balance through lifestyle, diet, and awareness.  

Sacred art plays an essential role in communicating Buddhist insights and shaping contemplative environments.   Students will learn, through workshop and studio time, to draw an iconometrically precise Buddha from a master of Tibetan thangka painting.  

Critical thinking is how we come to understand the most important Buddhist teachings: impermanence, selflessness, emptiness, enlightenment.   Participants explore the core Buddhist philosophical concepts through both philosophical reflection and contemplative practice. These explorations illuminate the intimate relationship between mind and world.  

The way we perceive and think shapes our understanding of our world; Buddhist epistemology is the study of what we really know and how.   Participants examine the nature of thought, language, and conceptual knowledge in Buddhist philosophy. Through experimentation and contemplative exercises, we investigate the relationship between conceptual understanding and non-conceptual meditation.