375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
December 2 - 6, 2026
About this Retreat
Lama Yeshe Jinpa (Stephen Bryant Walker, LMFT) is an American Buddhist teacher, psychotherapist, and community leader whose life's work has been dedicated to healing, spiritual practice, and compassionate service. Based in Sacramento, California, he serves as Spiritual Director and resident teacher of Lion's Roar Dharma Center, which he co-founded with Geshe Losang Gyatso in 1992. Lion's Roar was established as a nonprofit organization in 1998. Lama Jinpa received direct lineage transmission from Geshe Losang Gyatso in 1995 and is among the few Western lamas recognized within the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
His path into Buddhism began early, shaped by his grandmother's library of Buddhist books, an influential high school teacher, and a formative trip to Japan at age fifteen. He later studied with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, where he first took Refuge. From 1975 to 1980 he attended the Buddhist Studies Program at Naropa, and he also trained in Zen with Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi, helping to establish a Zen center in Boulder. These experiences contributed to the warmth, openness, and nonsectarian spirit of his teaching, which is rooted in the Gelug tradition and the example of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Alongside his Dharma work, Lama Jinpa founded Middleway Health and the Middle Way Health Foundation, integrating psychotherapy with mindfulness, loving-kindness, nonjudgmental awareness, and contemplative practice. The foundation offers free individual psychotherapy and supports weekly recovery and grief groups. He has also served as a prison chaplain at Folsom Prison and created Expressions, a monthly program devoted to art as a source of healing. Throughout his life, Lama Jinpa has joined spiritual practice with direct human care, embodying the tour's purpose of bringing healing, inner change, and peace into real communities.
Venerable Geshe Tashi Lama joined Sera Jey Monastery in India in 1995 to pursue the rigorous course of study leading to the Geshe degree. He completed advanced study of the Five Major Treatises - Valid Cognition, Perfection of Wisdom, Madhyamika, Monastic Discipline, and Phenomenology - and was selected on merit for the Geshe program. In 2019, he received an MPhil degree in Buddhist Philosophy.
He then completed a full year of tantric study and practice at Gyuto Tantric Monastery in Dharamshala, specializing in mandala construction and ritual, followed by six months of internal tantric practice at Sera Jey in 2021. He has extensive experience in monastic administration and project implementation. In 2022, he was elected to the monastic assembly, where core policy decisions are made, and he has represented the monastery and Lawa Khangtsen on tours to Buddhist communities in Vietnam, Taiwan, Laos, and elsewhere. He has also offered public lectures and teachings on the Buddhadharma. In 2024, the Lawa Khangtsen assembly elected him to lead the Khangtsen for a three-year term focused on its welfare and development.
Venerable Geshe Lharampa Lobsang Tsultrim joined Sera Jey Monastery in 1996 and undertook many years of rigorous training in Buddhist philosophy and dialectics. In 2019, he completed the full Geshe curriculum and was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest academic degree in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His studies encompassed the Five Major Treatises: Valid Cognition, Perfection of Wisdom, Madhyamika, Monastic Discipline, and Phenomenology.
Following his philosophical studies, he completed tantric training at Gyuto Tantric Monastery, where he received specialized instruction in mandala construction and ritual practice. He has extensive experience teaching Buddhist philosophy and practice to younger monks and lay communities. Since 2022, he has served as a member of the teaching and examination faculty at Sera Jey Monastery, helping educate and train the next generation of monastic scholars.
Venerable Geshe Jampa Dhonden joined Sera Jey Lawa Khangtsen in 1998 for his monastic education. Over the next twenty-one years, he completed foundational and advanced training in Buddhist philosophy and dialectics as a fully ordained monk. In 2019, he was selected for the Geshe Lharampa degree program, and in 2025 he completed examinations in Pramana, Vinaya, Abhidharma, and all levels of Madhyamika, earning the Geshe Lharampa degree.
He subsequently undertook a year of tantric study at Gyuto Tantric Monastery, specializing in mandala construction and ritual ceremony. Since the beginning of 2026, he has served as a resident Geshe and teacher for Sera Jey in Gangtok.
Among his academic distinctions, he ranked first among Sera Jey candidates in his class in 2002 and again in 2004 during Madhyamika studies. He has also participated in numerous national and international seminars.
Venerable Geshe Lharampa Yeshe Gyaltso entered Sera Jey Monastery in 1999 and undertook the full course of philosophical and scholastic training in Buddhist studies. In 2023, he completed the Geshe curriculum and was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest academic degree in Buddhist philosophy in the Gelug tradition. His studies included Valid Cognition, Perfection of Wisdom, Madhyamika, Monastic Discipline, and Phenomenology.
In addition to his traditional monastic education, he pursued specialized studies in Buddhist science and Buddhist psychology through Emory University. He also completed tantric studies with specialized training in mandala construction and ritual practice. These combined qualifications have enabled him to participate in national and international events, ceremonies, and public programs across a wide range of Buddhist and educational settings.
Venerable Geshe Lharampa Lobsang Donyoe enrolled at Sera Jey Monastery in 1999 and devoted many years to the rigorous study of Buddhist philosophy and dialectics. In 2023, he completed the Geshe curriculum and was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree. His academic training included the Five Major Treatises: Valid Cognition, Perfection of Wisdom, Madhyamika, Monastic Discipline, and Phenomenology.
After completing his philosophical studies, he undertook a year of tantric training at Gyuto Tantric Monastery, specializing in mandala construction and ritual practice. He also carries important responsibilities in monastic education and is currently entrusted with overseeing the studies of monastic students, supporting their academic progress and formation. His work reflects both scholarly accomplishment and devoted service to the monastic community.
Venerable Geshe Tsering Dhondup received his initial ordination and early language education at a village monastery before making the difficult journey into exile in 1998. In 1999, he joined Sera Jey Monastery in India to continue his monastic studies. He completed the Geshe curriculum in Valid Cognition, Perfection of Wisdom, Madhyamika, Monastic Discipline, and Phenomenology, and in 2022 he was awarded an MPhil degree in Buddhist Philosophy.
In 2024, he completed tantric studies and training at Gyuto Tantric Monastery, specializing in mandala construction and ritual practice. Alongside his academic work, he has held a variety of administrative responsibilities within the monastic community, including serving Khen Rinpoche for one year. He brings broad experience in monastery service and religious training and is continuing his spiritual and ritual formation through an intensive period of monastic tantric practice at Sera Jey.
Details of this retreat
Cultivating Inner Peace Through Meditation, Sacred Art, Dialogue, and Compassion
The Mandala Path: A Journey to Peace with the Monks of Sera Jey
Join six Tibetan Buddhist monks from Sera Jey Monastery in India for an unforgettable five-day journey into the heart of peace. At the center of this immersive experience is the creation of a sacred sand mandala, a living map of the awakened mind made visible, where participants meet the energy and image of peace and compassion firsthand. The mandala traces the journey itself: encountering the Five Buddha Families and, through them, joining the wider family of peacemakers.
The Steps of Liberation are the skills and tests learned along the way. Through chanting, silent meditation, traditional dance, peace circles, and dialogue, participants will explore how inner transformation becomes compassionate action grounded in the Five Buddha Families, the Twelve Steps of Liberation, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path. A special screening of Mission: Joy offers a moving reflection on the friendship between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
On the final day, before the mandala's dissolution, an empowerment ceremony based on the mandala's central Buddha image will be offered. The ceremony blesses everyone present and empowers them to carry the message of peace forward. As the completed mandala is ceremonially dissolved and released, guests carry its reminder that peace cultivated withi naturally moves from our hearts into family, community, and the wider world.
Schedule:
Wednesday, December 2
3 - 5:30 pm Guest Arrival, Registration & Room Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Opening Ceremony: Becoming Peacemakers
Welcome, introduction of the monks, sacred chanting, retreat orientation, and guided meditation for peace
Thursday, December 3
7 - 8 am Morning Meditation & Sacred Chanting
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 - 10:30 am Opening Prayers & Consecration of the Mandala Space
10:30 am - 12 pm Beginning the Sacred Sand Mandala
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 3 pm Rest, Spa Time, Nature Walks, or Personal Reflection
3 - 5:30 pm Mandala Creation & Teaching: Inner Peace as the Foundation for World Peace
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Guided Meditation & Peace Circle: What Does It Mean to Be a Peacemaker?
Friday, December 4
7 - 8 am Morning Meditation, Mantra & Sacred Chanting
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Mandala Creation & Teaching: Compassion and Interdependence
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 3 pm Optional Film Screening: Mission: Joy
Finding Happiness in Troubled Times (dir. Peggy Callahan & Louie Psihoyos) offered alongside rest, spa time, and nature walks for those who do not wish to attend
3 - 5:30 pm Mandala Creation, Small-Group Dialogue & Deep Listening Practice
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Reconciliation and the Courage to Listen: Teaching, guided contemplation, questions, and community dialogue
Saturday, December 5
7 - 8 am Morning Meditation & Prayers for Healing
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Mandala Creation & Teaching: Transforming Difficulty into the Path
12:30–1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 3 pm Rest, Spa Time, Nature Walks, or Personal Reflection
3 - 4:30 pm Completion of the Sacred Sand Mandala
4:30–5:30 pm Sacred Dance, Ritual Music & Contemplative Movement
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Becoming a Peacemaker: Closing teaching, dedication, candlelight meditation, and prayers for world peace
Sunday, December 6
7 - 8 am Final Morning Meditation & Sacred Chanting
8 - 9 am Breakfast & Guest Room Check-out
9:30 - 10:15 am Final Teaching: Carrying the Retreat into Daily Life
10:15 - 11 am Mandala Viewing, Blessing & Closing Prayers
11 am - 12 pm Ceremonial Dissolution of the Sand Mandala
12 - 12:30 pm Peace Procession & Offering of the Sand
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note this schedule is subject to change.
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