Programs

Each Sunday from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, our sangha gathers for a morning of meditation, discussion, and Dharma study. Sundays at Samye offer a welcoming space to deepen practice and explore the Buddhist path together.   About the Current Course: The Practical Bodhisattva Guided by Lama Michael Friedman, this course explores the Bodhisattva path […]

In fall of 2025, Samye Hermitage New York hosted a weekend retreat on lojong—the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of “mind training.” Lojong teachings show us how to transform adversity into the path, open the heart of compassion, and bring Dharma practice directly into everyday life.   Guided by Matthew Zalichin, this retreat focused on The Seven […]

In the fall of 2023, our resident meditation instructor, Matthew Zalichin, offered a series of classes dedicated to The Song of Lodro Thaye by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, a concise yet profound poem from the Kagyu Gyurtso. Closely aligned with Phakchok Rinpoche’s presentations on Mahamudra, this text lays out the essentials of Mahamudra—the ground, path, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Samye Hermitage New York is a sanctuary for those who wish to deepen their practice and train their minds. We encourage serious Buddhist practitioners who are studying under the guidance of a teacher to apply for private retreat. After we receive your deposit, our resident meditation instructor Matthew Zalichin will review your application and reach […]

Deepen your practice. Serve with awareness. Live the Dharma. Samye Hermitage New York invites practitioners to join our community for periods of residential practice and service during the quieter months of the year.
 Set on our 26-acre retreat campus in the hills of Cooperstown, this program offers an opportunity to live within a rhythm of […]

Join us Tuesday nights for a simple, welcoming hour of meditation, reflection, and community. Drawing on meditation practices from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, this weekly gathering is open to everyone—whether you are completely new to meditation, have practiced in another tradition, or are looking for a supportive community in which to deepen your practice. This […]

Our Bardo Practice Group is for students who have received the Korwa Dongtruk empowerment. Korwa Dongtruk (“Shaker of Saṃsāra from Its Depths”) is a profound practice of Red Avalokiteshvara from the Chokling Tersar tradition, practiced especially for the benefit of those who have passed away and as preparation for the bardo of death. Phakchok Rinpoche […]

This fall we are beginning a weekly practice group for those engaged in the Tukdrup Barché Künsel Ngöndro, practicing the concise version arranged by Kyabjé Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Phakchok Rinpoche most recently gave the transmission for this practice during the 2026 Summer Seminar. The emphasis is simple: actually practicing together, week after week, and supporting […]

Lojong, or “mind training,” is a profound and practical tradition for bringing the Buddhist path into the circumstances of everyday life. Rather than seeing difficulties as obstacles to practice, lojong teaches us how to meet adversity as part of the path—loosening habits of self-centeredness, deepening compassion, and strengthening bodhicitta, the wish to awaken for the […]

Each year, practitioners gather at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Nepal for a month of intensive ngöndro practice. This December, we will begin alongside the monastery and devote a week at Samye Hermitage New York to practicing together as a sangha. The emphasis of this retreat is simple: practice. Ngöndro—the preliminary practices of the Vajrayana […]

About Vajrakilaya Retreat Vajrakilaya, the wrathful form of Vajrasattva, is the yidam deity who embodies the awakened activity of all buddhas and whose practice is famous for being the most powerful for removing obstacles, destroying forces hostile to compassion, and purifying the spiritual pollution so prevalent in this age. The Sangtik Phurba practice belongs to […]