Madison Tergar Community
Upcoming Events
The Path to Inner Calm – Hybrid Retreat
With Khenpo Kunga
Hybrid from Tergar Madison
Jun 12 - 14, 2026
In these challenging times, it can be tempting to retreat into our phones in another doomscrolling session, or to busy ourselves with constant work and activity. But there is another way to live. The ancient wisdom of meditation puts us in touch with an inner source of calm that we can access anytime and anywhere, even when we feel stressed out or overwhelmed.
Among these ancient wisdoms is the 16th century text, Clarifying the Natural State, a practical manual for both teachers and students. Clarifying the Natural State clearly describes the path from mindfulness to complete enlightenment. In this retreat with Tergar lama Khenpo Kunga, participants will learn the essential skills outlined in this canonical Tibetan Buddhist text and how to apply these skills. Whether you’re new to practice or have been on the meditative path for decades, Khenpo Kunga will illuminate the path to recognizing the clarity of your natural state.
There are no prerequisites for this retreat.
Click here to register.
Recurring Events
Joy of Living Meditation Group
Tuesday Evenings, 7:00—8:00pm
Offered as a hybrid event via Zoom and in-person.
Whether an experienced practitioner or just beginning your meditation journey, please join us on Tuesday evenings to explore the practices of awareness, compassion and wisdom.
*Community Nights: the first Tuesday of each month includes a 60-minute teaching/practice session followed by a 30-minute social period with snacks provided.
To receive the Zoom links, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter or email [email protected].
Open Meditation
Friday mornings, 8:00—10:00am
The first hour of Open Meditation is an unguided meditation, followed by one hour of shared reflections (in-person only). We alternate between Wingra Park on the west side of town and Burrows Park on the east side of town. If the weather is not good for an outside meeting, we will meet at the Tergar Center on Blount Street. An email is sent out on Thursday with the location for the following day. To join this group, please email [email protected].
Blueprints of Awakening Discussion Group
First and Third Wednesdays,
4:00—5:30pm
This discussion group meets via Zoom every first and third Wednesday of the month to discuss the Blueprints of Awakening transmission fromVajrayana Online (online only). Meetings are held from 4 pm to 5:30 pm with rotating moderators. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Nectar of the Path Practice
Second Sunday Mornings, 10:30am—noon
This is a monthly opportunity to practice the Nectar of the Path at our center (in-person only). This concise and beautiful liturgy was written by our guiding teacher, Mingyur Rinpoche, and captures the essence of many key aspects of Tibetan Buddhism in a practice that involves contemplation, meditation, and chanting in both Tibetan and English. The one-hour practice is led by a volunteer Umdze (chant leader) and is open to all.
Dharma Talks
Biweekly on Thursday Evenings, 7:00—8:00pm
This hybrid talk is offered twice a month on Thursdays and is led by guest speakers such as Dr. Cortland Dahl, Kasumi Kato, Dr. Scott Anderson, Dr. John Dunne, and others. These meetings are FREE and open to everyone. The talks start at 7 pm and are held at our center at 301 S. Blount St. and on Zoom.
If you are interested in Buddhism or the spiritual journey, these talks are for you. To view the schedule or receive the Zoom links, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter or email [email protected].
Movie Night
Monthly on Saturday Evenings,
7:00—9:00pm
Each month the Tergar-Madison Meditation Community hosts a community movie night in our beautiful center. These screenings are free and open to all! Bring your friends, family and favorite movie snacks for a relaxing Saturday night.
Saturday, March 14th - The Dalai Lama’s Gift
The Dalai Lama's Gift is a documentary about the historic 1981 Kalachakra Tantra ritual performed by the Dalai Lama in a Wisconsin cornfield, the first time the ceremony was held outside of Tibet or India. The film uses never-before-seen footage from the Smithsonian archives to explore how this sacred event and the teachings of the Dalai Lama had a transformative and lasting impact on the American and Midwestern Buddhist community that organized it.
Saturday, April 11th - Digital Dharma
Digital Dharma is an epic story of a cultural rescue and how one man’s mission became the catalyst for an international movement to find, save and provide open access to the story of the Tibetan people.
When ancient writings of Sanskrit and Tibetan texts vanish during the political turmoil of the 1950s and 1960s, the history of a whole society-–its beliefs, customs and roadmap to enlightenment-–is in danger of disappearing. Enter destiny in the form of American pacifist E. Gene Smith, a Mormon from Ogden, Utah, the unlikely leader of an effort to rescue these early insights from mankind’s consciousness, from the medical to the mystical.
Saturday, May 9th - AKONG: A Remarkable Life
AKONG: A Remarkable Life traces the extraordinary journey of Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, born in Kham (Eastern Tibet) and recognized as a reincarnate tulku at a young age. In 1959, amid escalating Sino-Tibetan tensions, he joined a perilous 10-month trek across the Himalayas to India—an ordeal few survived. Resettling first in India and later in the UK, Akong Rinpoche co-founded Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery & Tibetan Centre in Scotland in 1967—the first Tibetan Buddhist centre in the West—and helped introduce authentic Tibetan Buddhist teachings to generations of students.
Through ROKPA and allied initiatives, Akong Rinpoche supported medical, educational, and humanitarian projects across Asia and Africa. The film interweaves rare archival footage, interviews, and on-the-ground material to capture a life defined by compassion, pragmatism, and service.
For upcoming events and programs please go to our online calendar.
Under the guidance of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Tergar Madison holds weekly drop-in meditation groups and public talks, as well as periodic retreats, workshops and classes on meditation and Tibetan Buddhism. Please join us!
Please Note: Service animals are welcome in the center. Other animals are asked to stay home during the retreat to make the space as accessible as possible for those with allergies.
Tergar Madison
Address:
301 S Blount Street, Suite 104, Madison, WI 53703
Click here for a parking map
Email: [email protected]
FaceBook: Tergar Madison
SoundCloud: Tergar Meditation Community
Suggestions and Comments for Tergar Madison Leadership:
If you would like to offer input to the Tergar Madison Community Council, please follow this link.
Tergar Programs
Joy of Living Workshops and Retreats
The Joy of Living is a course of meditation training that is open to people of all religious and cultural backgrounds. Tergar Madison offers regular workshops and retreats related to the practices of mindfulness, compassion, and insight meditation.
Exploring Buddhism is a study program that covers the core teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. These teachings address the full spectrum of Buddhist thought and practice, starting with teachings on the Four Noble Truths and leading up to the philosophy of Vajrayana Buddhism.
The Path of Liberation builds on the foundational teachings of the Joy of Living, presenting a course of meditation practice rooted in the ancient teachings of Tibet. Tergar Madison holds regular activities for Path of Liberation practitioners.
If you have questions about Tergar Madison programs, please send an email to [email protected].