Week Two: Tibetan Medicine & the Science of Wellbeing
3 Spaces Remaining
Week Two: Tibetan Medicine & the Science of Wellbeing
412 Glimmerglen Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326
Flexible Dates
About this Retreat
Tawni Tidwell, TMD, PhD, is a biocultural anthropologist and Tibetan medical doctor, the first non-Asian to complete formal Tibetan medical training alongside Tibetan peers. She integrates Tibetan medicine, neuroscience, and Buddhist epistemology in her research, focusing on diagnostic practices for cancer and metabolic disorders. As a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she bridges Tibetan and Euroamerican medical traditions, leading studies on meditative states, Tibetan medicine for COVID-19, and meditation’s link to the gut microbiome. She also maintains a clinical practice in Wisconsin and Austria, treating chronic and acute conditions with Tibetan medicine. Tawni has been fortunate to provide the potency of Tibetan medicine for the wellbeing of others from the remarkable opportunities to learn from her Tibetan medical teachers and dharma teacher, Phakchok Rinpoche.
Hilary Herdman, PhD, studied and taught at Rangjung Yeshe Institute at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery since 2000. Hilary was a founding member of the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. She completed an MA and later a Ph.D in Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, UK. Her thesis concerned the origins of pilgrimage and her research interests include pilgrimage, devotional and ritual practices, and their significance in the Buddhist tradition. She is a member of Samye Institute Manager team, serving as Content Manager. She humbly wishes to thank her teachers, Khyabje Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and Phakchok Rinpoche for their tremendous compassion, wisdom and kindness. Hilary feels deep gratitude to all the excellent Buddhist teachers throughout the years, and the lamas, khenpos, and nuns associated with Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery.
Dr. Seth Auster-Rosen received his PhD 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 philosophy is connected to Mahamudra meditation. Seth also has interests in ecology and the philosophy of technology. He is the Academic Director of the Samye Institute Summer Immersion program.
Details of this retreat
This second week of the Samye Institute Summer Immersion: The Buddhist Arts & Sciences begins the integration of inner and outer sciences that defines the heart of the program. Building on the contemplative foundation established in the opening week, participants now bring the inner science of buddha dharma into dialogue with one of the great outer sciences of the Buddhist tradition: medicine. The week unfolds through meditation, study, and discussion, with study sessions led by Tawni Tidwell at its center.
The week's centerpiece is the Outer Science of Medicine, taught by Tawni Tidwell, which introduces the principles of Tibetan medicine and its holistic understanding of health. Participants will explore how body, mind, community, and environment continually interact to shape well-being, and will learn practical approaches to cultivating balance through lifestyle, diet, and awareness. Through study, discussion, and guided reflection, participants engage directly with this body of knowledge and consider how it illuminates a Buddhist understanding of the human person and our place in the wider web of life.
Continuing the inner science thread from Week One, the contemplative portion of the week — led by Hilary Herdman and Seth Auster-Rosen — is an exploration of the Buddha's life story with a focus on his teaching career. We will investigate the noble eight-fold path and the three trainings and begin to contemplate the causal chain of dependent arising.
Together, the two strands invite participants to hold rigorous inquiry and lived contemplative practice as two sides of a single path — the way the Buddhist tradition itself has always understood the relationship between knowing and being.
The outer science teachings sessions will be offered on zoom.
Format
The week weaves together several modes of learning and practice:
Talks introducing the principles and practice of Tibetan medicine
Guided meditations
Facilitated Q&A and group discussion
Space for personal practice and movement
Several sessions each week are free and open to anyone, with no registration required. We warmly welcome locals and newcomers to drop in:
The weekly public talk
The Wednesday evening Introductory Talk, which opens the week
All morning and afternoon meditation sessions, every day of the week
If you've been curious about Samye Institute, Tibetan medicine, or Buddhist practice, these are an easy way to step in and experience the teachings firsthand.
Schedule
The course opens on the evening of Wednesday, June 24, allowing participants to arrive earlier in the day and settle in. From June 25 through June 27, each day follows a full rhythm of morning and afternoon meditation alongside two teaching sessions in the afternoon and evening. The program concludes on the morning of Sunday, June 28, followed by lunch and departure.
Wednesday, June 24 — Arrival
3:00 – 5:00 pm — Registration
6:00 – 7:00 pm — Dinner
7:00 – 8:30 pm — Introductory Talk (free and open to all)
Thursday – Saturday, June 25–27
7:00 – 8:00 am — Personal Practice
9:00 – 9:45 am — Breakfast
10:00 – 10:45 am — Guided Meditation (free and open to all)
12:30 – 1:15 pm — Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 pm — Inner Science Meditation (free and open to all)
3:00 – 4:30 pm — Tibetan Medicine with Tawni Tidwell
4:30 – 5:00 pm — Break
5:00 – 6:00 pm — Q&A / Discussion
6:00 – 7:00 pm — Inner Science with Hilary Herdman & Seth Auster-Rosen
7:00 – 8:00 pm — Dinner
Sunday, June 28 — Closing
8:00 – 8:45 am — Breakfast
10:00 – 11:30 am — Closing Session
12:30 – 1:15 pm — Lunch and Departure
Attendance & Hybrid Access
Participants are welcome to register for the full week or for individual days as their schedules allow. To help sessions begin on time, we ask that all attendees arrive 15 minutes early.
The Outer Science, Inner Science, and Q&A / Discussion sessions are offered in a hybrid format, accessible both in person and online. Recordings of these sessions will be made available to all registered attendees, so anyone who joins partway through will receive recordings of the days they missed.
Commuter registration includes lunch and dinner; residential registration includes all meals and on-site lodging. Scholarships are available on request — please reach out if cost is a barrier to attending.
Prerequisites
No prior experience is necessary. This week is open to participants of all backgrounds, whether or not they attended the first week of the immersion. It may be especially meaningful for healthcare practitioners, students of contemplative traditions, and anyone drawn to a holistic, integrated view of health.
The week's centerpiece is the Outer Science of Medicine, taught by Tawni Tidwell, which introduces the principles of Tibetan medicine and its holistic understanding of health. Participants will explore how body, mind, community, and environment continually interact to shape well-being, and will learn practical approaches to cultivating balance through lifestyle, diet, and awareness. Through study, discussion, and guided reflection, participants engage directly with this body of knowledge and consider how it illuminates a Buddhist understanding of the human person and our place in the wider web of life.
Continuing the inner science thread from Week One, the contemplative portion of the week — led by Hilary Herdman and Seth Auster-Rosen — is an exploration of the Buddha's life story with a focus on his teaching career. We will investigate the noble eight-fold path and the three trainings and begin to contemplate the causal chain of dependent arising.
Together, the two strands invite participants to hold rigorous inquiry and lived contemplative practice as two sides of a single path — the way the Buddhist tradition itself has always understood the relationship between knowing and being.
The outer science teachings sessions will be offered on zoom.
Format
The week weaves together several modes of learning and practice:
Talks introducing the principles and practice of Tibetan medicine
Guided meditations
Facilitated Q&A and group discussion
Space for personal practice and movement
Several sessions each week are free and open to anyone, with no registration required. We warmly welcome locals and newcomers to drop in:
The weekly public talk
The Wednesday evening Introductory Talk, which opens the week
All morning and afternoon meditation sessions, every day of the week
If you've been curious about Samye Institute, Tibetan medicine, or Buddhist practice, these are an easy way to step in and experience the teachings firsthand.
Schedule
The course opens on the evening of Wednesday, June 24, allowing participants to arrive earlier in the day and settle in. From June 25 through June 27, each day follows a full rhythm of morning and afternoon meditation alongside two teaching sessions in the afternoon and evening. The program concludes on the morning of Sunday, June 28, followed by lunch and departure.
Wednesday, June 24 — Arrival
3:00 – 5:00 pm — Registration
6:00 – 7:00 pm — Dinner
7:00 – 8:30 pm — Introductory Talk (free and open to all)
Thursday – Saturday, June 25–27
7:00 – 8:00 am — Personal Practice
9:00 – 9:45 am — Breakfast
10:00 – 10:45 am — Guided Meditation (free and open to all)
12:30 – 1:15 pm — Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 pm — Inner Science Meditation (free and open to all)
3:00 – 4:30 pm — Tibetan Medicine with Tawni Tidwell
4:30 – 5:00 pm — Break
5:00 – 6:00 pm — Q&A / Discussion
6:00 – 7:00 pm — Inner Science with Hilary Herdman & Seth Auster-Rosen
7:00 – 8:00 pm — Dinner
Sunday, June 28 — Closing
8:00 – 8:45 am — Breakfast
10:00 – 11:30 am — Closing Session
12:30 – 1:15 pm — Lunch and Departure
Attendance & Hybrid Access
Participants are welcome to register for the full week or for individual days as their schedules allow. To help sessions begin on time, we ask that all attendees arrive 15 minutes early.
The Outer Science, Inner Science, and Q&A / Discussion sessions are offered in a hybrid format, accessible both in person and online. Recordings of these sessions will be made available to all registered attendees, so anyone who joins partway through will receive recordings of the days they missed.
Commuter registration includes lunch and dinner; residential registration includes all meals and on-site lodging. Scholarships are available on request — please reach out if cost is a barrier to attending.
Prerequisites
No prior experience is necessary. This week is open to participants of all backgrounds, whether or not they attended the first week of the immersion. It may be especially meaningful for healthcare practitioners, students of contemplative traditions, and anyone drawn to a holistic, integrated view of health.
Getting Here
Samye Hermitage New York, 412 Glimmerglen Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326
Accommodation
Shrine Hall Room — Sustaining Rate
On-site indoor lodging in the Shrine Hall with shared facilities.The Sustaining Rate reflects the full cost of offering this seminar and helps support the ongoing operation of Samye Hermitage New York.
Commuter
For participants arranging their own accommodations off-site.The Benefactor Rate helps subsidize reduced-rate participation for others and supports the continuity of these teachings within the community.
Online
All online participants will have access to the teaching sessions of the program, as well recordings afterwards.
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