Nyingma Institute - Berkeley, California

Hernan Martinez

I don’t recommend that place. Pictures that you can see in the website are fake, not accurate. The place is having serious electrical and plumbing problems. These could be dangerous. These people are not Buddhist . They are not a Buddhist center despite the fact that they announce the place in this fashion. They are just making money and they are not concerned about you as a person. They are not social at all. Even they don’t say hello. I stayed for two moth, it was a nightmare. The place is also very dirty and I saw rats in the kitchen. When I tried to post a review in Airbnb they didn’t allow to post that. I think, they are a business without Buddhist values. I’ll provide more photos soon. I didn’t harassed anybody. I told this person: practice what you preach!
You are a business without Buddhist values.
You are not kind! The fact that you have many guests (more than 25 room) and have a tiny stove speak about your generosity. I payed around 1.900 each month for a place that has this tiny ridiculous stove. You are not kind. Another example was the day that you turned off the heating system when the weather was cold, or when the refrigerator was not working! Or the day that you closed the kitchen and you didn’t tell us in advance about it.
You are a business without Buddhist values. Don’t advertise the place also in Airbnb because you don’t post your rules there otherwise I didn’t book it.

John Crofts

A quiet little sanctuary on the hill. The folk at the Nyingma Institute provide a lovely spot to live/study and retreat from the urban matrix. It’s a short (uphill) cycle to labs on cyclotron road and walkable to downtown. Bonus if you like the downtempo Buddhist life!

Van Nguyen

This is a special place. The location is wonderful, just blocks away from the main campus. It is perched on top of a hillside which means your legs will get strong too! But the views of the bay are totally worth it. They just redid their plaza which provides a great space to walk around, enjoy the koi ponds, and prayer wheel.

The rooms are clean and spacious and appear to have been recently painted. Many rooms have bay views and the ones that don’t overlook the garden and plaza.

I think the best part about this place are the courses they offer on Buddhism and meditation. I took a beginner meditation course and it was quite good. The instructors are great and well practiced.

Sanjukta Krishnagopal

I can't comment on the classes but I rented one of their rooms and didn't have a great experience. While the views are great, the rooms can be awfully cold since the back rooms don't receive any sunlight, and they don't allow space heaters. The living situation is dorm style, without the social vibe of a dorm, with two shared bathrooms between 10-15 people which makes it very difficult to maintain sanitary conditions. The kitchen was quite small for 20+ people. The place was also undergoing constant restoration when I was there and there was constant noise from the drilling etc. but I expect that this will be fixed with time. The staff seemed very unhappy when I raised issue with things, and were unable to reduce rent to compensate for the many issues... On the plus side it is on a hill so has great views and is very close to campus.

Lilly Peterson

This is a very welcoming place where you can practice noble skills and learn life needed lessons that can make you more self-aware and more focused on what really matters, as well as help you broaden your education and your knowledge. This is by far in my opinion the most authentic place with wisdom lessons that are effective and practical and by all means actionable. It’s the real deal indeed! I’ve been taking classes at the institute over the years and I have taken different courses including skillful means, meditation, basic and advanced, psychology classes and Tibetan yoga. I found all of it very useful. All instructors that have been working with me are patient, very knowledgeable and amazing. There is something for everyone, all judgement-free!

Yingyin Shi

Beautiful serene place. Hosts lots of Buddhism/self improvement workshops. Saturdays are fee based whole day workshops, Sundays are short free classes in the evening. Facility is clean and spacious, staff super friendly and welcoming.

Andrea Duloc

Nourished and refreshed! That’s what I was hoping for and I got it in spades. I just finished a one-day workshop with Donna and Santosh, and stayed two nights here at the Nyingma Institute. Beauty is everywhere at this place and the workshop helped me to tap into this and get nourishment from it. I’ve been to retreats and workshops here before and I am sure to be back for more. This is a gem in Berkeley.

Amanda Hopkins

I love taking classes at the Nyingma Institute and their retreats are truly life changing! Their teachers have dedicated a lifetime to practice and share teachings that come from a depth of experience.