REGISTRATION

REGISTRATION DEADLINES:

Onsite students: May 28, 2026
Online students: June 22, 2026
(midnight Pacific time)

DEADLINE FOR TEXT ORDERS:
Deadline for ordering texts for all online and on-campus students: June 15, 2026

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
  • Session 3 Silent Retreat for those who will not have attended Mahamudra at the Summer Institute this July or previously

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: May 28, 2026
Online students: June 22, 2026

*If you would like to attend Mahamudra Shamatha onsite at Willamette University 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

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.

Payments

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

Refunds

  • Cancellations before the May 28 onsite deadline for onsite students and June 22 online deadline for online students will be fully refunded.
  • After May 28 no refunds will be possible for housing and meals.
  • Cancellations by June 4 for onsite and June 27 for online attendance 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. *Please note, we are unable to provide financial assistance for housing and meals.*

2026 Summer Institute Registration Form

2026_NSI-Registration
I am a...
Name
Name
First Name
Last Name
Please provide if different from your phone number
Address
Address
City
State/Province
Zip/Postal
Country
Session 1 Attendance
Session 2 Attendance
Session 3 Attendance
Mahamudra Course

You need to complete a Mahamudra eligibility application before you can register. Click here to review the prerequisites and complete the Mahamudra eligibility application.If you have already completed a Mahamudra eligibility application and have been approved, then register using the link provided in your approval email.

If your application was denied, everyone is eligible to attend Mahamudra Shamatha onsite. If you would like, you can select that option above.

Course Selection

We will automatically enroll you in the Main Teachings by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen for the sessions you have chosen to attend. Please select any additional courses below.
Because you have indicated that you are not attending Session 1, you can start a shedra course in Session 2 if you have previously taken the course. If you have not previously taken the course for which you would like to register, there is the option to audit the course (listening only without participating in asking questions). Please keep that in mind when selecting your courses.
Shedra (study) level course selection:
Course Information

  • Languages: English, Chinese (consecutive translation)
  • Instructor(s): Alison McKee
  • Prerequisites: None

Course Information

  • Languages: English only
  • Instructor(s): Arne Schelling and Christian Scott
  • Prerequisites:
    1. Mind and Its World I & II with Mahamudra Shamatha
    2. Madhyamaka with Mahamudra Vipashyana-I
    3. Buddha Nature with Mahamudra Vipashyana-II

Course Information

  • Languages: English only
  • Instructor(s): Israel Lifshitz and Dr. Phil Stanley
  • Prerequisites: Mind and Its World I & II

Course Information

  • Languages: English only
  • Instructor(s): Jirka Hladiš
  • Prerequisites:
    1. Mind and Its World I & II with Mahamudra Shamatha
    2. Madhyamaka with Mahamudra Vipashyana-I
    3. Buddha Nature with Mahamudra Vipashyana-II

Course Information

  • Languages: English only
  • Instructor(s): Susan Stewart and Francis Sullivan
  • Prerequisites: Mind and Its World I & II and Madhyamaka

Because you are taking Mahamudra Shamatha, Mind and Its World I is highly recommended. These courses were designed by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen to be taken together.

Please consider changing your shedra selection to get the most out of these courses.

Because you are taking Mahamudra Vipashyana-I, Madhyamaka is highly recommended. These courses were designed by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen to be taken together.

Please consider changing your shedra selection to get the most out of these courses.

Because you are taking Mahamudra Vipashyana-II, Buddha Nature is highly recommended. These courses were designed by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen to be taken together.

Please consider changing your shedra selection to get the most out of these courses.

Since you are taking Mind and Its World I and Clear Thinking, the Clear Thinking Discussion Group during the second session of the Enrichment Activities is required. You can also take Health and Healing during the first session. And if you are onsite you can take Space Awareness in addition to the Clear Thinking discussion group, which is offered at a different time (after dinner).
Enrichment Activities:
English only.
Note: Space Awareness is offered onsite in the evening. The others are offered earlier in the day. It is therefore possible to take both Space Awareness and any other enrichment activity if you wish.
Space Awareness and the Colloquial Tibetan language courses both occur in the evening timeslot during the program. Since you have selected Space Awareness for your Enrichment Activities above, you cannot select a Colloquial Tibetan course. If you would like to take Colloquial Tibetan, please unselect Space Awareness and choose your preferred Tibetan course below.
Tibetan Courses
English only.
Note: All Tibetan courses are taught on Zoom only. Onsite students can take a Tibetan course and attend using their individual computers.

Housing and Meals

Emergency Contact Name
Emergency Contact Name
First
Last
Enter the name of the person with whom you have agreed to share a room.
Enter the name of the person with whom you have agreed to share a room.
First
Last
Please select the meals that you would like to include.
Meal Preferences

Mindful Activity

Please select any mindful activities you would like to do:
(These will be assigned depending on need.)
Note: A Summer Institute staff member might contact you by email, WhatsApp or WeChat before the start of the program about your mindful activity assignment.

Additional Information

How did you hear of Nitartha Summer Institute?

Donations

Teaching Gifts:

Please consider donating to our faculty here as appreciation for the precious teachings and to support our dedicated teachers. Your full teaching gift will go to the teachers themselves.

Recommended donations:
One session: $150 - $300
Two sessions: $250 - $400
Three sessions: $300 - $450

Financial Assistance for Students:

Our financial assistance fund for students was created to provide access to our programs for everyone who would not otherwise be able to attend our courses. It is supported entirely by Nitartha Institute students to help fellow students in need. To apply for assistance, please first submit an application (click here). Once your request is reviewed, we will send you information about how to register. Please allow up to 7 days for processing.

If you’re inspired by this project, please consider donating to the financial assistance fund below.

General Fund Donations:

By donating to Nitartha’s general operating fund you can help us to keep our wheels turning smoothly all year long and to connect increasingly more people with our unique dharma courses and programs.

Agreements

I agree that my information will be collected and processed from the form in order to process my application or registration. I understand I can revoke my consent at any time via e-mail to info@nitarthainstitute.org.Detailed information on handling user data can be found in our privacy policy.

I have read and agree to the Appearance Release policy. Detailed information can be found online in our Appearance Release Policy. (Note that if you would rather that your image not appear in our publications, please mention that in the comment box or send an email to our registrar Elena at eweiss@nitarthainstitute.org I understand that if I speak in class my image and my environment will appear on the video  recordings if my video is on, and my voice will appear on the audio recordings.)

I have read and freely accept and assume the liability as described in the liability release policy. Detailed information on liability release can be found online in our Release of Liability Policy.

I have read and agree to the Ethics Agreement. I understand that Nitartha Institute reserves the right to deny participation in the Summer Institute if it deems that participation to be disruptive. Detailed information can be found online in our Ethical Conduct Agreement.

I understand and affirm that I will not share any digital materials I receive from Nitartha Institute with others, and I affirm that I will not post any text, images or excerpts online or on social media.

Payment

Please review your responses and scroll to the bottom of the page to submit your registration.

Payment is required now in order to complete your registration.

Upon submission of this form, you will be redirected to PayPal to complete your payment. From there, you can either pay using your PayPal information or by credit card.