Namgyal Monastery Dü Khor Chö Ling
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Namgyal Monastery Dü Khor Chö Ling

5
·29 reviews·Ithaca, United States

A serene Tibetan Buddhist monastery offering peace, meditation, and cultural insights in Ithaca, NY.

Highlights

Highlights

Must-see attractions

Social content

Social

From TikTok & Reddit

Best Time

Monday evenings

Open meditation sessions

CrowdMedium
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Namgyal Monastery Dü Khor Chö Ling

Namgyal Monastery Dü Khor Chö Ling

Best Time

Monday evenings

Open meditation sessions

CrowdMedium
Highlights

Highlights

Must-see attractions

A serene Tibetan Buddhist monastery offering peace, meditation, and cultural insights in Ithaca, NY.

5
(29 reviews)

"A must-see in person, the temple interior is even more beautiful than you can imagine."

Vertical photo
TIP

🙏 Attend a Meditation Session

Join the Monday night public meditation for a deeply peaceful experience with resident monks.

💰 Donate Generously

Every donation helps support the monastery's mission and upkeep.

Third hero image

Quick Facts

Hours

Rating

5 · 29 reviews

Type

Place of Worship

🅿️ Accessible parking

Highlights

Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences

The Main Temple

The Main Temple

Inside the main building

A must-see interior, described as even more beautiful in person. Feel the peace and admire the sacred space.

Reddit
Dalai Lama Library & Learning Center

Dalai Lama Library & Learning Center

Adjacent to the main temple

Explore exhibits, including historical artifacts like HH the Dalai Lama's ride from the 1960s.

Instagram
Peaceful Gardens

Peaceful Gardens

Around the monastery grounds

Wander through serene gardens, offering a quiet space for reflection amidst the natural beauty of the area.

Reddit
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Planning Your Visit

Embrace the Serenity

Namgyal Monastery offers a tranquil escape. Visitors often praise the peaceful atmosphere and the kindness of the monks. Plan your visit to align with public meditation sessions for a truly immersive experience. Reddit+1

Construction & Access

While parts of the monastery are under construction, the site remains beautiful and accessible. Some areas may be closed, but the main temple and gardens are often explorable. Reddit+1

Best Times

When
Monday evenings
Why
Open meditation sessions
Crowd
Medium
When
Weekdays (daytime)
Why
Fewer crowds, more serene
Crowd
Low

Insider Tips

from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit

The best mental/physical/spritual reset #silentretreat #mediatation #buddhisttemple #namaste
@sophfei
46.7K likes • 533K views

🙏 Attend a Meditation Session

Join the Monday night public meditation for a deeply peaceful experience with resident monks. Reddit

💰 Donate Generously

Every donation helps support the monastery's mission and upkeep. Reddit

🕊️✨ Hidden rock history in Ithaca, NY! Did you know part of Kurt Cobain’s ashes were brought to the Namgyal Buddhist Monastery in Ithaca after his tragic passing in 1994? 🎸💔 The legendary Nirvana frontman, known for iconic hits like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are,” is forever linked to this peaceful Finger Lakes town. 🙏✨ Monks performed sacred rituals, blending Cobain’s ashes into ...
@goodnewsyork
6.4K likes • 45.7K views
This was HH the Dalai Lama’s ride in the 1960s in Dharamsala! It is displayed at the HH the Dalai Lama Library and Learning center at Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, New York. ཕྱི་ལོ་ ༡༩༦༠ ཡས་མན་ཙམ་ནས་ལོ་བཅོ་ལྔ་ལྷག་གི་རིང་༧ གོང་ས་༧སྐྱབས་མགོན་བཅུ་བཞི་པ་ཆེན་པོས་བེད་སྤྱོད་གནང་བའི་ཕེབ་ཊོལ་རྩ་ཆེན་འདི་དེང་སང་བྱང་ཨ་རི་ཨེ་ཐི་ཁ་ས་གནས་སུ་༧རྒྱལ་མཆོག་བཅུ་བཞི་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་དཔེ་མཛོད་དང་ཤེས་ཡོན་བསྟི་གནས་ཁང་དུ་བདག་ཉར་...
lobsang.sangay
2.1K likes • 0 views

🚶 Explore the Gardens

Enjoy the tranquil gardens for a moment of quiet reflection. Reddit

📚 Visit the Bookshop

Browse the small bookshop for spiritual and cultural literature. Reddit

Some bootylicious footage and photos from our trip up to Ithaca, NY the udder day. We went to check out dis pawsome temple before Summy’s appt at Cornell too. We had da whole place to ourselves. Mom will post more pics from da trip a@d her will share what happened at the appt when we do our TikTok Live. Date/time is still TBD. #rerls #tonkatushietuesday #summerssexyswagger #wigglebutts #tinyhiney...
tonkas_journey
494 likes • 2.6K views

Tips

from all over the internet

🙏 Attend a Meditation Session

Join the Monday night public meditation for a deeply peaceful experience with resident monks. Reddit

💰 Donate Generously

Every donation helps support the monastery's mission and upkeep. Reddit

🚶 Explore the Gardens

Enjoy the tranquil gardens for a moment of quiet reflection. Reddit

📚 Visit the Bookshop

Browse the small bookshop for spiritual and cultural literature. Reddit

📸 Respectful Photography

Capture the beauty, but be mindful of sacred spaces and ask permission when needed. Instagram

What Travellers Say

5
(29 reviews)

Reviews Summary

Visitors consistently praise Namgyal Monastery for its incredibly peaceful atmosphere and the welcoming nature of the monks. The beauty of the temple interior and the serene gardens are highlights, offering a tranquil escape. While some construction may be present, it doesn't detract significantly from the overall positive experience.

"Worth visiting. Very peaceful environment and filled with kind monks. The temple inside is even more beautiful, must see in person."

Sagar Sanjay Shenoy

"I attended the Monday night, open to public, meditation led by three in residence Tibetan Monks. I was very grateful to meditate with three devout Tibetan monks who led us in Tibetan prayers and chanting. This is the North American library location (under construction)for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Plans include a library for the Dalai Lama collection and expansion of the curriculum. Idyllic setting on the crest of South Hill and near Buttermilk Falls state park."

Paul Langan

"Very beautiful and you can feel quite even there is some construction on site. Very strange feeling."

Cong Liu (sixoneone)

What People Like

Peaceful and serene atmosphere
Kind and informative monks
Beautiful temple interior

What People Dislike

Ongoing construction

Frequently Asked Questions

🚇 🗺️ Getting There

Namgyal Monastery is located on the crest of South Hill in Ithaca, NY, near Buttermilk Falls State Park. While public transport options might be limited, driving is the most convenient way to reach it. Parking is usually available on-site. Reddit

Yes, the monastery is accessible by car. It's situated in an idyllic setting, and many visitors drive to reach the serene location. Reddit+1

Indeed! Namgyal Monastery is close to Buttermilk Falls State Park, offering a beautiful natural complement to your visit. Reddit

🎫 🎫 Tickets & Entry

Generally, no tickets are required for general visits. However, it's always a good idea to check their official website or contact them for any specific event ticketing or visiting hour changes. Reddit

Visiting hours can vary, especially with ongoing construction. It's best to confirm directly with the monastery. Some areas might be closed, but the grounds and temple are often accessible. Reddit+1

There is typically no entrance fee for general visits. However, donations are highly encouraged to support the monastery's operations and preservation efforts. Reddit

Yes, Namgyal Monastery often hosts public meditation sessions, particularly on Monday evenings, led by resident monks. This is a popular way to experience the monastery's spiritual practice. Reddit

Yes, the monastery is open to the public, though some parts may be under construction. Visitors are welcome to explore the grounds and the main temple. Reddit

🎫 🧭 Onsite Experience

Visitors consistently describe the atmosphere as incredibly peaceful and serene. The presence of kind monks contributes to a calming and spiritual environment. Reddit+1

Photography is generally allowed in designated areas, but it's crucial to be respectful of the sacred nature of the space. Always be mindful of monks and other visitors, and ask permission if unsure. Instagram

Yes, restrooms are available and are noted to be kept very clean by visitors. Reddit

This center serves as the North American library for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's collection, featuring exhibits and historical artifacts, including his former ride. Instagram+1

It's advisable to dress modestly out of respect for the religious nature of the site. Comfortable clothing and shoes are recommended, especially if you plan to explore the gardens. Instagram

🍽️ 🍽️ Food & Dining

There are no specific dining facilities mentioned for visitors at Namgyal Monastery. It's recommended to plan for meals before or after your visit in Ithaca. Reddit

While not explicitly stated, it's generally best practice to consume food and drinks outside of sacred spaces. Check with the monastery if you have specific questions. Reddit

📸 📸 Photography

The grand entrance gate, the serene gardens, and the interior of the main temple (where permitted) offer beautiful photographic opportunities. The Dalai Lama Library also has unique exhibits. InstagramReddit+1

While general photography is often allowed, it's essential to be respectful. Avoid flash photography inside the temple and always be mindful of the spiritual environment. Instagram

Similar to photography, filming may be permitted in certain areas. Be considerate of others and the sanctity of the place. Some TikTok creators have shared their experiences, so check their content for visual inspiration. TikTokInstagram

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