Practice Retreat: A Flexible Summer Session

Flexible Dates

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Tulku

Matthew

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, the renowned Dzogchen master, Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. He has received extensive teachings and empowerments from Kyabje Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, Kyabje Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche. He then went on to study for six years in the Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Shedra or Monastic College. There he excelled at the intricacies of Buddhist philosophy in the monastery’s advanced Buddhist studies program. Tulku-la has also been an integral part of humanitarian and cultural preservation activities within Nepal. Tulku Migmar has been a friend of Phakchok Rinpoche since childhood and they share a close dharma bond. Tulku-la continues to work hard to develop his English language skills so that he can share the dharma in a way that allows his audience to truly understand and gain experience. For the past five years, Tulku Migmar has been based in Singapore, where he has fulfilled multiple roles of lama, spiritual advisor, ritual specialist, counselor, organizer, cook, and center manager. In addition, he has traveled throughout Asia and North America teaching and inspiring students at many centers. Tulku-la is a keen observer and is quick to understand the difficulties faced by students from many nationalities and walks of life. Phakchok Rinpoche has appointed him the senior lama and supporting teacher for his sangha based upon his wonderful qualities as a lama and his strong capacity and desire to help others.

Matthew Zalichin

Matthew Zalichin began studying Buddhism as an undergraduate in 1971. His teachers include many of the past and current century’s most eminent Tibetan lamas of all main lineages, but principally the Kagyu and Nyingma through his two root gurus Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, whom he met in 1977. He has, for the most part, practiced as a householder in North America, and from roughly 1981-2000 focused on ngondros, various yidam practices, and dharma center administration while working full time, raising a family, paying mortgages, and so on. Authorized as a meditation instructor in 1981, he taught meditation, Buddhism, and related subjects continually from then until 2000, when he moved to Nepal to focus on solitary retreat practice. In July 2009 he accepted Phakchok Rinpoche’s appointment as meditation instructor and teacher in residence at Rangjung Yeshe Gomde New York.

Details of this retreat

This August, Samye Hermitage New York offers a self-directed summer retreat period for practitioners seeking spaciousness and guidance in deepening their path.
From August 3 to September 6, participants may stay for any length of time, choosing their own schedule of practice and study within a supportive retreat environment.
Whether you're working with Mahamudra meditation, ngöndro, or sadhana practices from the Chokling Tersar tradition, this flexible retreat allows you to engage with the path of Dharma in a way that fits your time, rhythm, and aspirations.

Guiding Teachers:

Tulku Migmar Tsering will be on-site for the first week (Aug 3–10) to lead group practice and offer personal guidance.

Matthew Zalichin will remain available throughout the retreat period to provide support and instruction as needed.

This open format is ideal for practitioners focusing on the paths of Dignity, Transformation, and Realization who benefit from a contemplative setting while maintaining autonomy in their retreat design. We’ll also be gathering feedback during this season as we look toward offering a full 35-Day Group Retreat in Summer 2026.

Getting Here

Samye Hermitage New York

Accommodation

Retreat Room

Our new completed retreat rooms are perfect for those who want a more comfortable stay while at Samye Hermitage. With plenty of light afforded by sliding glass doors, these spaces come furnished with a bed, small desk, and practice cushion and table. These rooms are equipped with multiple electrical outlets and WiFi service, for those who want the option of staying connected during their stay.

Tent Cabins - Pond

Experience the tranquil embrace of nature in one of our brand-new tent cabins, nestled upon raised platforms beside the serene pond on our Samye campus, and a selection closer to our campus core. Each cabin offers a cozy retreat, providing the perfect blend of comfort and immersion, available throughout the spring, summer, and fall months. These cabins come with bedding, rug, small table, and a portable lamp.

Micro Cabin

Our Micro retreat cabin offers a quiet place to practice and enjoy the peace of our 26 acre property. The cabin is equipped simply, with a bed, dresser, and practice cushion and table, and a small but adequate heating unit. Cooking and bathing facilities are available at our Bath House and Lotus Barn kitchen.