A very serene and beautiful place that is just a ten minute ride up the mountain from Woodstock's center. The peace and quiet were immediately noticeable upon walking up to the grounds. Flags hung from the trees, peaceful walking paths surrounded the grounds, and we were welcomed with open arms. A bookstore is available for you to purchase any and all information related to Tibetan Buddhism. The shrine was beautiful and breathtaking. A retreat was taking place, but we were given permission to visit the shrine as they were on break. We were so appreciative and grateful for that opportunity. We were immensely interested in learning what takes place at the shrine, as well as more about Buddhism in general. A very serene and fascinating experience! read more

Karma Triyana Dharmachakra - Buddhist Temples Near Me - Woodstock, New York

Nestled up in the Catskill Mountains houses Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD for short) Thank the good Lord for 3 letter acronyms. This is a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist monastery offering a peaceful retreat from daily life. The monastery is not huge as compared to others I have visited in the past, but the architecture and colorful interior designs make it a perfect place to find inner peace, meditation and self reflection. I can't comment on the teachings or programs they offer since I'm not a practitioner, but there is a book store where visitors can purchase books to educate in the monastery teachings and beliefs. They also sell T-shirts, hoodies and sculptures. I passed a kitchen with a huge dining area but these are reserved for people who are participating in spiritual retreats and other programs offered here. The resident monks walking around are quiet, and in their own silence give off a profound welcoming if that makes any sense. Remember, you don't need to be a believer or practitioner to enjoy the monastery. After leaving here you will feel a sense of calm and as silly as it may sound a sense of enlightening and empowerment. Definitely worth the visit when you're in the Woodstock area. read more

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A peaceful Tibetan Buddhist monastery at the top of a mountain. Follow the winding road up the mountain and you'll know that you've arrived when you see the colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind. This beautiful monastery welcomes everyone of all faiths and backgrounds - just remember to take off your shoes before you enter the shrine. If you're visiting Woodstock, this monastery is not to be missed. The bookstore (Namse Bangdzo) offers a wide selection of Buddhist books, fine Tibetan Buddhist art (statues and thangkas), and Dharma practice materials. Like other reviewers have said, this monastery is not designed as a tourist destination, but a functioning monastery and serves as the North American seat of the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) offers private retreats for those who wish deepen their understanding and m find peace through Tibetan Buddhist teachings. You can make a donation at write a dedication on a card which is taped to a lamp (at the time of this writing, the donation for a 3-day lamp starts at $12). It's a neat experience walking through the golden Buddha shrine and reading other people's lamps. read more

Truly a beautiful and tranquil temple. The surrounding area has great trails to wander about. Very scenic and beautiful

Found information online about a free tour of Dharmachakra Monastery a beautiful 15 minute ride up the mountainside outside of Woodstock, NY. We walked around the grounds before the tour and were told we could take as many pictures as we wanted. There is a bookstore located near the entrance which had many many books on the subject of meditation and learning about Tibetan Buddhism. Prayer flags hung from trees in the yard. It was a very quiet and peaceful place. We enjoyed listening and learning about this holy place. We probably spent about 2 1/2 hours there. A very enjoyable afternoon. read more

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Amazing place. 1) This is one of the best Buddhist temples I have visited. 2) The entire place is free. So you have nothing to lose. 3) They have restrooms, but they request 1 dollar donation. read more

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Beautiful peaceful monastery. I was engaged here today- forever embedded in my heart. The staff was kind to non buddhists. Great gift shop. Om! read more

Either some Yelpers have exceedingly poor reading comprehension or worse, they are horribly culturally ignorant. Zen Buddhism does NOT equal Tibetan Buddhism. This is a Tibetan monastery, temple and shrine. It is a place of peace and quiet reflection. It is very beautiful. The story of this place is equally beautiful. Actually attempt to spend time here, and not just to snap a picture and post it to Yelp. Time here will change your life. Not all Yelpers are mindless tourists, and not all mindless tourists are Yelpers. If a server crashes on Yelp and there is no one to complain, do I hear about it? read more

I expected a lot more. Shrine is beautiful, but not worth the drive up that mountain. Shrine is small, what you see in pics is all you'll see. Won't go back. read more

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There is a Zen monestary but it's past Bearsville I believe. This is a beautiful Buddhist Monestary. I've come here many times and it's beautifully serene and clean. The people are friendly and the bookstore is informative. Will come another time and try their tour to learn more. read more

Karma Triyana Dharmachakra - :) - Buddhist Temples Near Me - Woodstock, New York

Breathtaking shrine! I hope to return soon to learn more and take advantage of a tour or a service. The bookstore is packed full of everything and anything you need to know/learn about meditating and Buddhism! Keep driving up the mountain just outside of Woodstock and you'll get there! read more

Absolutely beautiful monastery in "upstate" NY! Who would've thought such a place existed there? It's located uphill so it's a trek to get up there unless you drive. The entrance is a pagoda and near it are hanging flags. You have to take your shoes off to enter to temple. It's okay to take pictures of the place and wear shorts. The main room is decorated from top to bottom. Only pictures can describe this place and you'll feel at peace while you're there. I'm not a religious person but I like learning and looking at these things. This place is opened to anyone for visit in Woodstock. read more

Wow, just wow! This place is so beautiful and peaceful. The decor is just stunning down to every tiny detail. The grounds and landscape are also very well maintained. We arrived at just the perfect time. An afternoon tour was about to begin. There were many people here at the time. In fact the parking lot closest to the Temple was full so we had to park in the second lot a little further down the road. There was a monk or lama (unsure how they prefer to be referred to as) playing the flute when we arrived. When he saw us looking around like we didn't know where to go he walked right up to us and said come inside. We walked up the stairs with him and he opened up the doors for us. We took off our shoes and thanked him for the welcome. There are so many beautiful statues to look at surrounded by offerings up to the gods. I'm not a religious person in general but of all the religions I really feel that they have the best values, morals, and perspective on life and how it should be. Sadly there was one thing that was really killing the vibe for me during our visit. Some loud ghetto idiot came to visit with a bunch of ill behaved kids and was making a spectacle of himself. To top it all off he brought a gigantic dog with him that did not look friendly at all. I won't take any stars away from the experience on yelp but I really just wanted to smack this dude upside his head and say STFU! This is a place of PEACE dammit but that would not have been very peaceful of me either so I refrained. He was basically screaming at the people he was with outside instead of walking up to them and speaking in a normal tone. His screaming echoed into the temple and was disrupting the tour guide that was educating us about the movies that the temple can be seen in and which actors filmed here. I gave him the stank eye. The monks were also too nice to say anything to the guy and it made me feel really bad for them as well as the other visitors who came here to just chill. So basically what I am trying to say is don't come up in here acting like this is the hood and ruin everyone else's time here and if you can't act properly just STAY AWAY! Back to the positive side of things, these are good people. I definitely want to come back and donate some jewelry to their offering stands and even bring some plants or flowers for them to place on the property to further contribute to it's beauty. read more

Karma Triyana Dharmachakra - Buddhist Temples Near Me - Woodstock, New York

I stayed here twice for several days--once in April 2014, and once in August 2015. I agree with Full C.---you have to spend time here beyond just rushing into the temple, grabbing a picture, and leaving. If you do that, you have no right to say "I expected a lot more." This is not intended as a tourist destination (although they are open to the public to stroll around), but rather is a functioning monastery and retreat center. You can come for a personal retreat or sign up for one of their many programs which includes topics like Healing from Trauma, Intro to Buddhism, Death and Dying, led by Lamas and laypeople alike. Every day, there are several chances to meditate (Green Tara prayers at 6AM for early risers, 8:30AM, and evenings). Simplle breakfast, lunch and dinner are vegetarian, buffet-style and shared in a communal setting after prayers. If you are on retreat here you are expected to join in on the chores like preparing breakfast or doing dishes, which actually give a sense of belonging. The retreat rooms themselves are sparse but clean, certainly a lot better than the nearby Omega retreat center which charges 4x as much per day. There is a great atmosphere here, very calm, and friendly--the lamas interact informally with the retreat participants. The shrine itself is quite beautiful, and the grounds are breathtaking--it is at the top of a mountain, after all, and is surrounded by trails. A fantastic experience for seekers who want more than a photo. read more

Beautiful, mystical mountain zen monastery....go for the transcendent chanting and steep in the peaceful energy of this treasure in the woods of Woodstock! read more

So beautiful!!! Worth the visit :) Very peaceful and welcoming!

it's a fine place in its own right; it's not Zen - go to Phoenicia (Mt. Tremper) for that