Tibetan Nyingma Institute

It is said that anyone who crosses the threshold of the Venerable Tarthang Tulku’s Nyingma Institute In Berkeley will gain tangible benefit. Having recently completed a year of training in Dean Barr Rosenberg’s Skillful Means course I believe that this is most true. If one comes to the Institute with an open heart and an open mind a diverse and expertly crafted curriculum awaits. The Skillful Means course provides pragmatic and significant support to any form of sincere endeavor and would be most appropriate for students studying at the University of California just down the block and across the street. Even a single class or the good fortune to read Skillful Means could change everything for the better. Recognition should also be accorded to another fine instructor at the Nyingma Institute, Mr. Santosh Phillip.

Somehow it seems a bit inappropriate to «review» a spiritual place like this on a commercial venue like Unilocal,so really the reason for my doing this post is to encourage others to visit and enjoy this wonderful place. They offer a multitude of classes and workshops. You can stay and enjoy a quiet retreat and/​or participate in classes. The meditation garden is lovely and calming. I plan to return for more Tibetan yoga and mediation soon.

First off, let me say that this is NOT an actual temple or monastary. That does not take away from the fact that this is a beautiful & peaceful place that you can learn from.
Ive been in an odd situation so out of semi desperation I took the liberty in making my stay into a «mini retreat». The workshop I took was a half day (10 – 1) intro to meditation, chanting & kum nye at $ 45 w/​accommodations of an overnight stay being another $ 45. If you stay overnight you get free access to to the morning meditation & kum nye session of the next day.
The instructor Ken was a very light, open minded person who had a very peaceful vibe to him. While he did mention some overall basic tools towards meditation I found that I had gathered more information/​knowledge on my own through reading books and articles online.
I think the longest we sat was 15 mins w/​generally a couple of 10 min intervals.
I did enjoy the chanting & the kum nye. Although chanting wasn’t necessarily new to me kum nye was a whole new experience. Quite different from other yogas I had partaken in. It seemed that there was more focus on the entire body, paying attention to «smaller» details that other yogas (at least from my experience) tend to overlook. This definitely helped me to relax more and get into a deeper practice.
Around 11:30 we took a 20 min break for tea and snacks. I thought this was a nice touch, but with such a short workshop I felt the break was a little too long.
After our workshop we were served food in their dining room. Although there are signs everywhere in that room thanking people for respecting their requests to keep meals silent, I guess our instructor said it was okay to have «light talking». I still personally chose to eat my meal in silence. This of course is for people to become more mindful of their food/​eating habits. If you wish to talk there is a separate room w/​a gorgeous view in which you can do so.
After that I went to my room which had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL view. I cannot believe I had paid only $ 45 for the room considering that is generally motel prices. However i used that room to justify my overall purchase of $ 90 since i didnt think the workshop was worth the $ 45. It was on the very top of the «new house» (there are two buildings) w/​a view of both the bay & golden gate bridge, absolutely breathtaking during sunset!
Their meditation garden is also very beautiful & peaceful. They had a large prayer wheel which spins ²⁴⁄₇ as w/​the rest of the prayer wheels that border the back of the main house. I found it peculiar that all of the prayer wheels were mechanical since it seems to defeat the purpose; however, as mentioned earlier this is not a temple.
One of my favorite things about this place though was the library. They had quite a few number of books which can be overwhelming but I stuck with reading «The Way of the Bodhisattva» for hours and even almost finished it. The only odd thing was that they requested for people to leave the books in the library & said that if you wanted to take them to your room you should buy it in the main house (they have a little gift shop but i suggest you go to an actual Tibetan store/​amazon instead). Luckily the library is VERY comfortable so i preffered reading in there anyways.
The library is in the new house, which you actually need to have a key to get in so I don’t believe it is open to the public. Maybe if you offer a donation they’ll let you in.
That is another thing I’m not so sure about. With workshops being $ 45+ what are the needs for donations? There is no mention as to giving back to the actual Tibetan community or anything so this was something I was skeptical of. I should have asked so it’s nothing I’ll hold against them.
They do not serve dinner Saturdays but there are options close by and downtown is about a 20 minute walk (maybe a good time to practice walking meditation). Even though they arr closed to the public they give you keys so you don’t have to worry about getting locked out.
This place is not wheel chair accessible. If you have bad knees or whatever there are quite a few set of stairs throughout the place.
They have free chanting session and dharma talks Sunday evenings!
You can also do a drop in for their Sunday morning meditation and kum nye for a decent price.
If you stay overnight it is suggested that you wash your sheets. Quarters are needed and it’s a dollar for both the washer and dryer (8 quarters needed, they have change in the main building).
You are allowed to use their kitchen in the main house to cook meals. They have a small fridge & an electric kettle in the new house.
While I did really enjoy my stay, if I had honestly had more time, not only planning but for retreat in general and had better means of transportation I would prefer to go to an actual temple. Also temples will often offer free meditation classes. But if you just need a quick getaway or are planning last minute I think this is a good alternative

Nestled into the hills of Berkeley, the Nyingma Institute is an absolute gem — in A LOT of ways.
Curious as to what Tibetan Yoga (Kum Nye) was exactly, I first visited the gorgeous facility to experience yoga from the Tibetan perspective, one that I have long adored. Being a yogi for quite some time, my heart sped up a bit to learn that a Tibetan-​specific form of yoga existed.
Given that the Bay Area is the yoga capital of the U.S., we’ve got loads of choices when it comes to different styles. As far as I know, the Nyingma Institute is the sole place in the Bay that offers Kum Nye, Tibetan Yoga. For anyone even mildly interested in yoga or movement work, I highly suggest checking out the Kum Nye class on Sunday mornings.
It blew my mind. The grace, flow, deep awareness, and gentleness involved in Kum Nye really caught me off guard. I say this not in a derogatory way, but just that I was surprised to discover such an elegant, powerful, and transformative practice.
To all you yogis and yoginis out there, I highly suggest the Tibetan Yoga class here. If your experience is like mine, the class will open you up and enliven you with a very grounded, presence-​oriented empowerment.
Unlike any yoga studio out there, the Nyingma Institute is a very sacred and beautiful place. That’s not to say that studios out there don’t exhibit these qualities, as many of them do. Just setting foot on the property is powerful in itself. The property is a spiritual palace. The second you set foot onto the land, you can feel the sacred energetic depths tingling your being into a state of presence.
There are so many wonderful things to say about the Nyingma Institute. The garden, flower and water features are stunning, the bookstore is incredible (filled with potent books and beautiful artwork), and the staff is very friendly, compassionate and humble.
If you go check out the yoga class, here’s a tip: don’t bring a mat. You don’t need one with this style of yoga. Once you check in at the front desk, you’ll head downstairs to a gorgeous sanctuary where you’ll find blankets, cushions and an amazing teacher.
Again, for anyone interested in yoga, transformation, meditation, etc., I highly suggest the Kum Nye class on Sundays at the Nyingma Institute. It will open you and take you to depths that you probably have never experienced before in yoga. Kum Nye is truly a sacred art, one that is like no other.
In my opinion, the Kym Nye (Tibetan yoga) class at the Nyingma Institute is without a doubt, the yogic gem of the entire Bay Area.
When you walk in the front door, it feels like you’re walking into a high-​altitude Tibetan Monastery, which is pretty much what you experience once inside.
They have meditation classes and a whole slew of other offerings which I have yet to experience, but look forward to.

I have been taking classes at Nyingma Institute since the Fall of 2007 when I discovered them. I live in mid-​peninsula and have to commute a minimum of one hour to get there when there is no traffic. I was pleasantly surprised by the high caliper of the teachings which I was longing for and aspiring for decades and perhaps for ions. I have been learning and discovering about the nature of mind, how it operates and affects experience. The training that I have been receiving at Nyingma has been primarily experiential and less conceptual. This was very important since most of the educations I have received most of my life has been conceptual. This profound training in some other words has been about suffering and its nature… how it comes about, and what are the remedies and antidotes, and most importantly teaching practices that have been showing the way towards freedom … I am very committed and the rewards have been incredibly worth my efforts… This training has been a priceless gift … learning to use the creative powers of the mind in constructive ways… I will continue to go there to receive more training until my enlightenment… and I feel even after that I will go to pay homage in any way I can to the lineage holders that are bringing the practices towards freedom to our realm…

Incredibly beautiful Tibetan monastery up on Highland Place! So aptly named! The space for meditation is incredibly peaceful and tranquil and the rose garden is just lovely. This summer I’ve been flirting with the idea of taking their regular classes, especially this «Time Space and Knowledge» series which sounds absolutely fascinating, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to commit to it. So far, I’ve only been to their Open House, Sunday meditation (5−6pm) and talks (6−7pm) that are open to the public. Drop-​in Kum Nye (Tibetan yoga) on Sunday morning (10 – 12) might be the next thing to try. So far they’re all great. Always bring more peace and clarity to my mind. I’m really grateful that this wonderful sanctuary is located in Berkeley, walking distance from where I live! I have the Tibetan lama Tarthang Tulku who brought the ancient teaching to the West in the 60s and all the committed Westerners who keep this place up and running, to thank.
I first «discovered» this place when I was a wide-​eyed undergrad here long time ago. Found it really exotic; nothing like the Buddhism I was immersed in back in Taiwan. That got me hooked to finding out more about the Buddhism in the West. Then I found out that I really like Americanized Buddhism, be it the transplanted Zen or Theravada or Tibetan. Wide-​eyed Westerners are really intent on personal transformation, if not the total enlightenment itself. It’s amazing and moving. It’s funny that while some Buddhists in Taiwan tend to be a conservative bunch sticking to strict rituals and morality and conduct, Buddhism in the West — free of the cultural baggage of thousands of years of tradition — is so liberal in contrast. Westerners I’ve talked to (a highly-​educated bunch of people) really question things, are totally obsessed with meditation and mindfulness (something tragically lacking in where I’m from), and are quite insistent on going back to figuring out the Buddha’s original core teachings. It’s absolutely wonderful. I found that I started to meditate in the US of A, an activity I had NEVER done seriously back in Asia (which might be why I’m so bad at it). Never mind I’m from a Buddhist family; all we did was bowing and chanting and recitation. No one told me to watch my breath. No one taught me to observe my rising and falling thoughts. Just sit there focusing on reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha, whose presence and power I’d love to believe in but honestly, remain agnostic to. It’s ironic that my complaints of the Pure Land school are similar to some white people’s complaints of their enforced church-​going or synagogue-​going. Funny how I’m now rediscovering my faith here. Also funny how Christianity in the US (at least the evangelical type, at least in this part of the US) is sometimes perceived as redneck & conservative, while in Asia many Christians are highly-​educated, cosmopolitan, «progressive,» well-​read and well-​travelled middle-​class intellectuals. real smart just like some Euro-​American Buddhists here in the US. Maybe people should just stick their heads out and check out what other folks are doing elsewhere from time to time. And reflect. Part of the mindfulness practice?
Anywayz, I found the Nyingma Institute up on Highland a REALLY NICE place to meditate and calm your mind down. So well-​maintained and so incredibly peaceful! I don’t see any Tibetans here though. this place is very «white» in both its instructors and study body. I’m not sure what to think of it yet… don’t know if the practice is in any ways benefitting the Tibetans themselves (who I think badly need some «transference of merits» since they’re in such a screwed-​up situation). Well, I sure hope some of the $$ they make here goes to the Tibetans!

I freaking love this place. A long, long time ago, when I was in high school (1999!), my mom, who I always thought was a freaky –deaky new-​age pirate made me take a meditatation class with her here. I thought it was going to be a bunch of really annoying middle age women trying to convert me into a Buiddhist. And it was. But I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I sometimes go back there when I’m feeling sad or lonely. There’s a nice garden in the back. It’s a nice place to be alone.