Help complete our Shrine Hall by 2028 and create a lasting home for the Dharma for generations to come.
Building a Lasting Home for the Dharma
Founded under the guidance of Phakchok Rinpoche, Samye Hermitage New York is a retreat center dedicated to meditation, Buddhist study, and the living practice of the Chokling Tersar tradition. Since opening our doors, we have welcomed practitioners from around the world for retreats, teachings, and periods of quiet practice rooted in authentic lineage.
Today, our community stands at a pivotal moment.
We are building an enduring Shrine Hall—not merely a building, but a lasting home where the Dharma can be practiced, taught, and transmitted for generations to come. The teachers are here. The sangha is here. The aspiration is here. What remains is to create a space worthy of the lineage we have received and the generations who will inherit it.
Each year our community continues to grow, yet we gather in spaces never intended to support the role they now serve. This project will create a beautiful, lasting home where practitioners can come together throughout the year for teachings, retreats, empowerments, and the daily rhythms of practice that sustain a living tradition.
Our aspiration is to complete the Shrine Hall in time to host a drupchen in 2028, the next Monkey Year traditionally associated with Guru Padmasambhava—a deeply meaningful milestone for our lineage and for the future of Samye Hermitage New York.
The completed project will allow us to welcome larger gatherings without turning practitioners away. The Shrine Hall itself will seat up to 250 people, creating a dedicated space for major teachings and practice gatherings. The project also includes residential accommodation for up to 48 retreatants, dedicated bathrooms, and a kitchen for the resident lamas and staff whose ongoing presence makes year-round retreat life possible. Together, these additions provide the essential infrastructure of a mature retreat center—one capable of serving practitioners for decades to come.
Thanks to extraordinary generosity, $398,500 has already been raised toward our $800,000 goal — nearly half of what we need — allowing construction to begin this winter. The gifts we raise now will carry the project through to completion and help ensure that this vision is realized without interruption.
Whether your offering is large or small, every contribution becomes part of something that will continue benefiting practitioners long after all of us are gone. We invite you to help build a place of refuge, practice, and awakening for future generations.
You may make a one-time gift or join our Sustaining Circle with a monthly contribution.
Suggested One-Time Gifts
$108 — Mala Offering
Inspired by the 108 beads of a traditional mala—a meaningful offering in support of the Dharma.
$360 — Sangha Gift
Approximately one dollar a day for a year—a simple and accessible way to help build our shared home.
$1,080 — Founding Supporter
A significant expression of commitment, helping establish the Shrine Hall for generations to come.
$2,500 — Cornerstone Gift
A substantial investment in bringing the project from design into reality.
$10,800 — Benefactor Gift
A transformational gift that moves the campaign significantly toward completion and helps establish the Shrine Hall as a lasting home for practice.
Join the Sustaining Circle
Monthly giving provides dependable support throughout construction and allows members of the sangha to participate in this project over time.
$27/month — Sustaining Circle
A steady offering that grows into lasting impact.
$54/month — Community Circle
An ongoing commitment that strengthens the foundation of the project.
$108/month — Founding Circle
A traditional mala offering, given each month in support of the Shrine Hall's completion.
Other Ways to Give
Prefer to give by check, stock transfer, donor-advised fund, or wire transfer? We'd be happy to assist.
Please contact: doris.motta@cglf.org
Every gift, however it arrives, helps bring this vision to completion.