I have found Nitartha to be an amazing and unique experience. If you are at all attracted to the philosophy of Tibetan and early Nikaya Buddhism, this is for you. I’ve attended the 4 Mind and its World foundation courses and the Chittamatra or “mind-only” class. Nitartha has added a crucial dimension to my practice and clarified and re-positioned my understanding of dharma gained from other contexts. The material is engaging and the teachers are passionate and welcoming. I’ve been able to take a local 9-day intensive course in Vancouver, online and self-paced courses, and attended the 2016 Summer Institute. There is something available for whatever style fits

Nitartha was run beautifully, and the University was wonderful. Your staff did such a great and incredible job!

Initially I attended Nitartha in 2011 as a Naropa student and have subsequently attended in 2012, 2014 and 2016 in the Tibetan Language program. I find it very inspiring to study and practice in a container that was truly focused in the study of the buddhadharma and be surrounded by such esteemed teachers. Going into Tibetan texts in-depth and practicing my spoken Tibetan with Nitartha’s language instructors has been an excellent asset to developing my skill as a translator and practitioner. I very much enjoyed studying in this way complementary to receiving daily teachings and guidance from Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen.

It seemed an unbelievable and perfect dream to me! Have no complaint about a single thing, only praise for the venue, the staff and of course most of all, the incredible gift of Rinpoche’s teachings as well as Lama Tenpa, Karl, Stuart and Susan’s Madhyamaka course. Oh yes, and Ikebana!

Nitartha Institute is a globally unique project focused on conveying Dharma into the west society on a profound level. Carrying decades’ long effort to translate canonical Buddhist texts from Indian and Tibetan tradition into English. All of them are critical for in-depth understanding view, methods of contemplation, and meditation in a progressive manner. English version of traditional text with comments from eminent scholars and teachers create opportunities to be published in western format easy to comprehend and apply into practice. This is the base for translation and publication in other languages like we did in Polish. Annual Nitartha Summer Institute, with lecture and practice make all process alive

The root of the twelve Nidānas is ignorance. To be liberated is to be free from ignorance through studying, contemplating and practicing the Dharma. Studying the knowledge from the Shedra marks the beginning of liberation, accompanied by the Right Thought and Right Understanding of the Nitartha Institute leads us to the right path towards the Definitive Meaning. I sincerely recommend and invite you to join this meaningful Journey of Wisdom.

Since I came to Nitartha Summer Institute for the first time in 2014 Nitartha has become like a second home for me. I feel grateful to have been able to join the teachings by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche as well as the excellent faculty of acharyas and experienced teachers almost every year since. To be a part of this warm Sangha is something I look forward to every year. In daily life, living far from the teachers, the online program is a great resource for deepening knowledge and compassion. I hope that these teachings will be beneficial to others as they are to me.

I attended Nitartha Institute in the summer of 2016 for Mind and Its World 1 (taught by Stephanie and Scott) and 2 (Jirka) and Clear Thinking (Sandra and Stephanie); I also attended Acharya Lama Tenpa’s teachings on Lama Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty in addition to Ponlop Rinpoche’s opening and closing sessions. Initially, I only planned to take MW1 and Clear Thinking, but at the end of those first two weeks, I knew that I needed to take advantage of this precious opportunity. I was very impressed with the compassion and support from my teachers, as well as their breadth of knowledge and understanding of how to teach a

This may have been the best experience I’ve had in my five years of attending the Nitartha summer session — coming from all levels, Rinpoche’s teachings, our teachers (Lama Tenpa, Karl, Stuart, Susan), the translator Miguel, the staff, the facilities, the setting, the food… ! Willamette University is beautiful, the Kaneko dorm was clean and comfortable and food was very good.

We would most definitely strongly recommend to others to participate in the Nitartha Summer Institute. Especially because of the days’ mix of study and meditation. And of course because the whole structure of the institute oozes of DPR’s wisdom and loving care.