Week Four: Buddhist Philosophy I – Understanding Reality by Knowing the Mind

This fourth week of the Samye Institute Summer Immersion: The Buddhist Arts & Sciences continues the integration of inner and outer sciences at the heart of the program. Building on the contemplative foundation established in the opening week, participants now bring the inner science of buddha dharma into dialogue with another of the great outer sciences of the Buddhist tradition: philosophy. The week unfolds through meditation, study, and dialogue, with study sessions led by Seth Auster-Rosen at its center.

The week's centerpiece is the Outer Science of Philosophy, taught by Seth Auster-Rosen. Critical thinking is how we come to understand the most important Buddhist teachings — impermanence, selflessness, emptiness, and enlightenment — and this week invites participants into that mode of careful, rigorous reflection. Through philosophical inquiry and contemplative practice held side by side, participants will explore core Buddhist concepts and the intimate relationship between mind and world they reveal. The week opens an inquiry into how knowing the mind becomes a path to understanding reality itself.

Continuing the inner science thread from earlier weeks, the contemplative portion of the week — led by Tulku Migmar Tsering — offers complementary instruction.

Together, the two strands invite participants to hold rigorous inquiry and lived contemplative practice as two sides of a single path — the way the Buddhist tradition itself has always understood the relationship between knowing and being.
Format
The week weaves together several modes of learning and practice:

Talks introducing the principles and practice of Buddhist philosophy
Guided meditations
Facilitated Q&A and group discussion
Space for personal practice and movement

Schedule
The course opens on the evening of Wednesday, July 8, allowing participants to arrive earlier in the day and settle in. From July 9 through July 11, each day follows a full rhythm of morning and afternoon meditation alongside two teaching sessions in the afternoon and evening. The program concludes on the morning of Sunday, July 12, followed by lunch and departure.

Wednesday, July 8 — Arrival

3:00 – 5:00 pm — Registration
6:00 – 7:00 pm — Dinner
7:00 – 8:30 pm — Introductory Talk

Thursday – Saturday, July 9–11

7:00 – 8:00 am — Personal Practice
9:00 – 9:45 am — Breakfast
10:00 – 10:45 am — Guided Meditation
12:30 – 1:15 pm — Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 pm — Inner Science Meditation
3:00 – 4:30 pm — Buddhist Philosophy with Seth Auster-Rosen
4:30 – 5:00 pm — Break
5:00 – 6:00 pm — Q&A / Discussion
6:00 – 7:00 pm — Inner Science with Tulku Migmar Tsering
7:00 – 8:00 pm — Dinner

Sunday, July 12 — Closing

8:00 – 8:45 am — Breakfast
10:00 – 11:30 am — Closing Session
12:30 – 1:15 pm — Lunch and Departure

Attendance & Hybrid Access
Participants are warmly encouraged to drop into individual meditation sessions and class sessions, whether or not they attend the full week. To help sessions begin on time, we ask that all attendees — drop-ins and full-week participants alike — arrive 15 minutes early. If you are interested in attending for less than the full program, but would like to book a room, please contact us directly at contact@samyenewyork.org to organize accommodations.

The Outer Science, Inner Science, and Q&A / Discussion sessions will be offered in a hybrid format, accessible both in person and online. Recordings of these sessions will be made available to all registered attendees, so anyone who joins the course partway through will receive recordings of the days they missed.
Prerequisites
No prior experience is necessary. This week is open to participants of all backgrounds, whether or not they attended earlier weeks of the immersion. It may be especially meaningful for those drawn to philosophical inquiry, students of contemplative traditions, and anyone curious about how careful thinking and lived practice illuminate one another.