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 was new to this sangha and to the patterns of the silent Mahamudra retreat. To my surprise and delight along with chanting, lu jong, walking and sitting, we also sang. Though I had sung one or two of the songs of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche with another sangha, the songs had never had the starring role that they did in this retreat. Such an effective (and indelible) way to be reminded of the teachings!

Excellent instruction by enthusiastic, kind, patient and knowledgeable instructors. I liked the availability of all the teachers.

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.

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 and mind transforming.

I don’t see any project in Buddhist environment contributing so deeply in the process of conveying Buddha’s Wisdom into the west. I’ll do my best to present all NI publication in Polish language.

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

Nitartha abrió mis ojos e impactó mi práctica. Fui por primera vez este verano y espero regresar el próximo también. Los maestros, el currículo y la sabiduría que se compartieron eran todos regalos. ¡También fue maravilloso estar rodeada de personas que hacían un compromiso para aprender y que siempre estaban abiertos a contestar preguntas y discutir los puntos de confusión!

I financially support Nitartha for a number of reasons. Nitartha produces translations of priceless treasures of Buddhist wisdom, bringing these masterworks to people who would not otherwise have access. The study programs are an artful balance of practice and study, offering an entry point for people new to this stream of listening, contemplation, and meditation, as well as advanced curricula for those who have spent years walking this path. My own practice and learning have blossomed as a result of participation in these programs, bringing peace, joy, and openness to all parts of my life. And most of all, I fund Nitartha because the teachers are true masters, embodying the wisdom and compassion of bodhisattvas. They are extending a Buddhist lineage with deep roots to a new generation, bringing ancient teachings to a modern world that could not be more important or timely.

Asistí el Instituto de Nitartha en el verano del 2016 para La mente y su mundo I (enseñados por Stephanie y Scott) y II (Jirka) y Pensar Claramente (Sandra y Stephanie). También asistí las enseñanzas de Acharya Lama Tenpa sobre El faro de la certeza (Beacon of Certainty) de Lama Mipham y las sesiones de apertura y cierre de Ponlop Rinpoché. Al principio, solo pensaba en tomar La mente y su mundo I y Pensar Claramente, pero cuando terminaron las dos semanas sabía que necesitaba aprovechar de esta oportunidad preciosa. Me impresionaron mucho tanto la compasión y el apoyo de mis maestros como su alcance del conocimiento y la compresión acerca de cómo enseñar un currículo que puede ser retador para principiantes como yo!

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!

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.

After completing the Nalandabodhi Buddhist study curriculum, I wanted to go deeper and further in my studies. The Nitartha Institute presented an excellent curriculum and opportunity. I am most grateful to the wonderful Nitartha teachers and the thorough and genuine teachings found in the Nitartha curriculum. It truly deepened and clarified my understanding of the Buddhists dharma. And, it helped my meditation practice through clarifying the view presented by the great Indian and Tibetan masters. I am especially happy to have access to the online materials for our small study group here in Boulder that is working through the Advanced curriculum. Such a treasure!

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.

My experience at Shedra is that the faculty are kind, caring and consider my learning and me. When I was younger than I am now, I never had the opportunity to study a graduated course. One that starts at the beginning and progressively builds stepwise through a cohesive body of knowledge.

(This explains why I am good with money, which is numbers and not good at mathematics’ which is also numbers.) When I got the chance, to attend Nitartha Shedra, I took it and I was rewarded then and now for my effort. I still use the source material in my daily practice and path even though four years have gone by since I have been able to return to my Nitartha Shedra education.

If you want a sharper mind—or the tools that will help you develop a sharper mind—the Nitartha Shedra Program is for you.

If you want to experience the place, the environment, where the tools are used seamlessly by a beginner and by a master, and by all of the gradations in-between, then there is no better way to have this than by attending the Ponlop Rinpoche’s Nitartha Shedra.

If you are a Buddhist and you still have desire then desiring the best, with the brightest, is one way to be on the enlightened path while living and learning with the students and faculty at the Nitartha Shedra.

Para decirlo de manera sencillo, el Instituto de Nitartha cambió mi vida. No me di cuenta qué tanto hasta recientemente. El programa ha sido indispensable para mis estudios en la maestría en tradiciones indias-tibetanas y para mi práctica como un budista. En solo un mes sentí que me transformé. El nivel de la profundidad y el entendimiento en los programas de shedra y de gomdra es extraordinario.

Quedé muy contenta y impresionada con el ambiente profesional y bondadoso creado por los excelentes maestros y los voluntarios devotos. Un gran gracias de gratitud a todos ustedes por una experiencia que transforma la vida.

I donate what I can to Nitartha because the teaching material is rich with wisdom and empowers you to work through life’s challenges. I’ve studied a number of courses over the last 6 years, and it is like being handed the keys to your own mental health and well-being. When you find something so valuable it’s natural that you want others to have access to it. By donating I can support the practical work of translating, editing and communicating the teachings of the Buddha which have been so valuable for my own life.

This was my sixth year returning to Nitartha Summer Institute. Even though when I sometimes examine the parts, they seem chaotic and sometimes precarious, and when I examine the whole it seems like a rolling cloud that appears as some illusory city, every time I return home, I feel that my practice has expanded and deepened exponentially. So that even though I sometimes think I can imagine a Summer Institute that would help me better, it turns out that the Summer Institute just the way it is has helped me immensely and I am immensely grateful.

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.

He encontrado que Nitartha es una experiencia asombrosa y única. Si te atrae la filosofía del budismo tibetano y la tradición temprana de Nikaya, Nitartha es para ti. Asistí los cuatros cursos de La mente y su mundo y el curso Chittamatra o “Solo mente”. Nitartha ha añadido una dimensión crucial a mi práctica y aclarado y reposicionado mi entendimiento del dharma que he adquirido en otros contextos. El material es motivador y los maestros son apasionados y acogedores.

En general, el material es realmente un nuevo ángulo para considerar tu experiencia y por lo tanto ti mismo. No sé si yo hubiera podido lograr esta perspectiva o comprensión de otra manera. Recomiendo Nitartha ampliamente a mis amigos y compañeros en la práctica del dharma.

This new campus is a real move up for NI. The beautiful environment with sweeping lawns bordered by flowers and shrubs lovingly cared for and the quiet tree lined campus avenues were a perfect container for dharma teachings and practice. Up to date accommodations with AC and full kitchens were really appreciated. The shrine room as well, was spacious, open and inspiring.

The Teachers at NI are phenomenal; really engaging and clearly deeply inspired personally by the material they are presenting. And important to say – I am always amazed at how relaxed and accessible Rinpoche is at Nitartha. It’s a great place to be with Rinpoche and receive teachings from him.

I know there is a lot of work behind the scenes to bring about such an amazing month long experience and appreciate all the work that goes on for many months before the Summer Institute. I can only say that I didn’t want to leave when the time came for me to pack my bags.