REGISTRATION

REGISTRATION DEADLINES:

Onsite students: June 13, 2025
Online students: July 9, 2025

(midnight Pacific time)

Before You Register

MAHAMUDRA ELIGIBILITY APPLICATION

Before you register, click here to check the prerequisites and submit your Mahamudra eligibility application if you would like to attend:

• Mahamudra Shamatha (online*) or
• Mahamudra Vipashyana-I or Mahamudra Vipashyana-II (onsite or online) or
• Key Points of Mahamudra Shamatha and Mahamudra Vipashyana I and II: Guided Practice Review (onsite or online)

After your application is processed you will receive an email with a personal registration link. Please wait for this email before registering. You will need this link in order to register.

MAHAMUDRA ELIBILITY APPLICATION DEADLINES

Onsite students: June 6, 2025
Online students: June 30, 2025

*If you would like to attend Mahamudra Shamatha onsite at Lewis & Clark College you do not need to fill out an eligibility application.

Two-Session Courses

All shedra courses begin in Session 1 and continue until the end of Session 2. It is difficult to start in the middle of a course, so if you plan to take only Session 2 you would not be able to take a shedra course unless you have already taken it previously.

• If you plan to attend Session 2 onsite and you would like to start your shedra or afternoon Mahamudra course online during Session 1 you are welcome to do so.
• If you are new to one of these courses and cannot begin in Session 1, there is also the option to audit a shedra course (listening only without participating in asking questions).

Mahamudra Shamatha and Vipashyana-I also begin in Session 1 and continue until the end of Session 2. If you would like to attend one of these courses and have not taken it previously, you will need to register for and attend Session 1 to take these courses.

Text ordering deadlines

All online students: June 20, 2025
Onsite students (texts will be onsite for you to pick up): July 3, 2025

All courses begin in Session 1 and continue through the following sessions. It is difficult to start in the middle of a course, so unless you are taking only the Session 3 Silent Mahamudra Retreat, please register for Session 1 or Sessions 1 and 2.

• You are welcome to take Session 1 or 2 online and the other session onsite. Recordings of your courses will be available to view at a time that is convenient for you. (See course details pages for more information.)

Are you are unable to take Session 1 online, onsite or by viewing the recordings, contact Elena at eweiss@nitarthainstitute.org.

Discover the Correlation between Mahamudra and Shedra Levels

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen designed the Summer Institute in a way that joins study and meditation. Each shedra level supports the corresponding Mahamudra level as shown below. Our teachers will help you to see the connections between your study and Mahamudra meditation courses.

We highly recommend taking these courses according to these pairings.

• Level 1: Mahamudra Shamatha and Mind and Its World I with Clear Thinking
• Level 2: Mahamudra Vipashyana-I and Madhyamaka
• Level 3: Mahamudra Vipashyana-II and Buddha Nature

Click here to read more about how the Summer Institute joins study and meditation.

Finish the Intermediate Curriculum this summer!
If you have already taken all three Summer Institute Mahamudra and shedra levels and all foundation and intermediate courses except Paths & Bhumis? We encourage you to complete the intermediate curriculum by taking Paths & Bhumis this summer. It is also a good opportunity to repeat this course if you have taken it before as well as all three Summer Institute levels.

Payments

All payments are due upon submission of the registration form, unless you have requested a payment plan.

Refunds

• Cancellations before the June 13 onsite deadline for onsite students and July 9 online deadline for online students will be fully refunded.
• After June 13 no refunds will be possible for housing and meals.
• Cancellations within 7 days after the registration deadlines (June 20 for onsite and July 16 for online) will receive a 50% refund on tuition. No tuition refund is possible after those dates.

Nitartha’s financial Assistance Program was established to support students who would not be able to attend the Institute’s courses without this assistance. It is funded by donations from fellow students. If you would be unable to attend without a discount or payment plan, please fill out the PPFA application before you register.