Samye Hermitage New York is a center for the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Situated on 25 acres in the rolling hills of Upstate New York, the natural beauty of our surroundings provides a perfect backdrop for deepening our inherent wisdom, compassion, and dignity through classes, retreats, and communal service. We strive to create an inclusive, welcoming environment for visitors and practitioners of all backgrounds and interests, while maintaining a commitment to the Buddhist values of non-harm, compassionate activity, and clear insight to our true nature.
Our Lineage
Historically, our teachings and practice derive from Shakyamuni Buddha, who turned the wheel of Dharma in India more than 2,500 years ago. The Buddhist tradition was passed down through generations of dedicated practitioners, monks and nuns but also lay people, and was firmly established in Tibet in the 8th century.
The transmission of the Buddha’s teachings was a project sponsored by the king, Trisong Detsen, and was supported by one of the top scholars of Nalanda Monastery in India, Shantarakshita, as well as one of the most impressive yogis of the realm, Guru Padmasambhava. These three great masters founded Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist institute in Tibet, from which the Nyingma (Old School) tradition Tibetan Buddhism derives. This tradition comes down to us through a succession of masters, and our center practices the those handed down by the great 18th-century treasure-revelear Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa.
Along with the exile of the Tibetan people in mid-20th century, the renowned meditation master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, who was the main lineage-holder of Chokgyur Lingpa and both an attendant and teacher to His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, founded Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Boudha, a quiet village to the northwest of Kathmandu, Nepal. This monastery now educates hundred of monks, lay people of all nationalities through Rangjung Yeshe Institute, and serves to spread the Dharma through teaching and service.
Our center was founded as Rangjung Yeshe Gomde Cooperstown in 2009, as a gift to Chokling Rinpoche, the son of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and his son, Phakchok Rinpoche, who now serves as our main spiritual guide and director. In 2022, Phakchok Rinpoche gave our center a new name — Samye Hermitage New York — align our work more closely with the Samye International Mandala, and specifically Samye Institute, which is the main source for his educational programs. Samye Hermitage New York continues to host daily and special monthly sessions of traditional Tibetan Buddhist practice, as well as weekly classes on meditation and Buddhist philosophy. During the summertime, we offer longer-term retreats guided by senior teachers, and welcome retreatants to join our community of service and spiritual growth. Check our programs page for details.
Our Teachers
Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche
Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche was born in 1981 and is a 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. Phakchok Rinpoche has received a traditional education from the Dzongsar Shedra in India, the complete Chokling New Treasures lineage from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Kyabje Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, and the Great Perfection lineage from Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche. Rinpoche’s teaching style is direct, addressing…
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,…