Within the Nyingma tradition, certain monasteries in Tibet have long been regarded as its principal institutional hearts. Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, stands out as a foundational seat where the early Nyingma teachings took root. Alongside Samye, Mindrolling and Dorje Drak in Central Tibet, together with Kathok, Palyul, Shechen, and Dzogchen in the Kham region, form the core constellation of great Nyingma centers. These monasteries are renowned for scriptural study, tantric ritual, and especially the preservation of Dzogchen, the “Great Perfection” teachings. Each of these seats developed distinctive emphases—such as Mindrolling’s scholastic and ritual excellence, or Dzogchen Monastery’s focus on contemplative practice—yet all serve the common purpose of sustaining the Ancient Translation tradition.

As historical circumstances changed, many of these lineages established major centers outside Tibet, ensuring that the Nyingma current continued to flow. Namdroling Monastery in India, founded within the Palyul tradition, has become a particularly prominent seat, with extensive facilities for monastic education and practice. Other important centers arose in various parts of the world, including monasteries and retreat places in Europe and the Americas, often connected with specific treasure (terma) lineages such as those of Dudjom Rinpoche or Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. These newer foundations, while geographically distant from Tibet, consciously model themselves on the great mother monasteries, transmitting the same cycles of study, ritual, and meditation.

Alongside these large institutions, a wide network of regional monasteries, hermitages, and retreat centers further embodies the Nyingma spirit. Zangdok Palri monasteries in regions such as Bhutan and Sikkim, as well as numerous Dzogchen and terma-based centers, serve as local focal points for practice and pilgrimage. In such places, the emphasis often falls on intensive meditation retreats and the living transmission of specific revelation lineages. Taken together, the great monasteries of Tibet, their re-established seats in exile, and the many affiliated centers worldwide form a single mandala of practice and learning, within which the Nyingma teachings continue to be studied, contemplated, and realized.