Tergar Institute

Something is breaking in education. Educators feel it. Researchers see it. Parents sense it in their children. 🌱

In his latest essay for Living Dharma, our Co-Executive Director Justin Kelley, PhD asks a bold question: what if Tibetan Buddhist thought offers not just consolation — but genuine pedagogical wisdom for a world in crisis?

Drawing on Longchenpa, Rangjung Dorje, and Patrul Rinpoche, Justin explores three orientations that go deeper than technique:

✦ Learning to see clearly
✦ Honoring the body in learning
✦ Awakening genuine purpose

This is the kind of essay that stays with you. Read it at the link in our bio.

This week in our Madhyamaka course, we’re exploring one of the key distinctions in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy — the Shentong view, which holds that the ultimate nature of mind is not an absence, but a luminous, knowing presence.

The reflection question we’ve been sitting with: Can you find a moment of simply knowing or being aware — before you know “what” — before a subject and object have fully formed? What is that like?

Emptiness is not a blank. It is awake. This is what we keep pointing to in our practice — not something to fabricate, but something already here. Can you find even a brief moment of that in your own experience right now?

What does pride mean in a Buddhist context — and what does it have in common with a d**e march or trans pride event?

In our latest blog post, Lama Karma Yeshe Zangmo weaves together Vajra pride, q***r community, and the dharma of wholeness and integrity. A tender and courageous reflection on belonging, innate goodness, and finding ourselves in the mirror of sangha.

Link in bio.

In moments of fear and uncertainty, meditation doesn't remove the difficulty. Rather, meditation creates enough space to respond rather than react. And when enough of us learn to do that, something shifts in the communities we build together.

Read Stephanie Wagner's latest essay at the link in bio. 🙏

✨Something precious is unfolding at Tergar Osel Ling Monastery.

From May 8-28, 2026, Guru Vajradhara H.H. the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa will offer teachings on Pointing Out the Dharmakaya, a profound Mahamudra text, at the personal request of Mingyur Rinpoche. These teachings will take place at Tergar Osel Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, in the weeks leading up to its Grand Opening.

This is a rare and precious opportunity to receive direct instructions from one of the most revered masters of our time, in a place built for exactly this kind of deep encounter between teacher, student, and the living tradition.

Then, from May 31 - June 4, we gather at Tergar Osel Ling Monastery in Kathmandu to celebrate the Grand Opening of the rebuilt monastery: a milestone for our global sangha and a testament to what becomes possible when a community comes together around a shared vision.

We hope you will join us. More details coming soon, link in bio. 🙏

What happens inside us shapes what's possible around us.

In her latest essay for Tergar Institute, meditation teacher Stephanie Wagner reflects on a moment of collective distress in Minneapolis and how years of contemplative practice made it possible to move from overwhelm to compassionate action.

Drawing on Buddhist wisdom and neuroscience, she explores the difference between empathy and compassion, and why that distinction matters not just personally, but for the communities we build together.

Read "The Power of a Compassionate and Supportive Community" at the link in bio. 🔗

"Practice doesn't remove hardship, it teaches us how to stay."

Devon Hase shared this in our latest episode of the Living Dharma Podcast — a quiet reminder that practice isn't something separate from life's difficulties, but what allows us to meet them with presence and care. If this resonates, the full conversation is waiting for you.

Link in bio. 🎧

Ever wondered what a glimpse inside our virtual Madhyamaka classroom is like?

Following the in-person Foundations of Buddhist Experience program at Tergar Osel Ling (September–December), Tergar Institute students continue their studies online and go deeper into Buddhist philosophy, inquiry, and practice.

This course brings together:
• Recorded teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche
• Guided lectures and commentary with a Khenpo from Osel Ling
• Meditation with Tergar Faculty
• Small-group seminars with faculty

Through this layered approach, students engage Madhyamaka not only as a philosophical system, but as a lived path of understanding and transformation.

Swipe for a sneak peek into the classroom. 🪷