Insight Meditation Institute
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Insight Dharma Teacher Pathway
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Insight Dharma Teacher Training and Mentoring Program 
The Insight Dharma teacher training and mentoring program offers a 4 to 6 year pathway to deepen insight and awakening and to develop the skills and understanding for teaching the Buddha Dharma. 
The Dharma teacher training group will be a small, selected group of students with ten or more years background in meditation.  Primarily a trainee teacher is invited by a senior Insight Dharma teacher who refers the trainee teacher to the Institute via a letter of recommendation. Potential trainee teachers can self nominate and be interviewed by two teachers on the Institute's faculty to assess their eligibility. Students will be selected for the Dharma teacher training program based on their: depth and length of practice, Dharma insights, maturity, compassion, teaching ability, communication skills and commitment to teaching the Dharma.
 
The program comprises: systematic study of Buddhist texts, extensive training in meditation practices and techniques, working effectively with individuals and groups, ethical guidelines for teachers and understanding the teaching role.
It includes working closely with a senior Insight Teacher as their mentor, assisting on retreats, giving talks, instructions, leading days of mindfulness and supporting sanghas as preparation for assuming full Insight Meditation Dharma teacher status. 
 
Schedule for 2022
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-  Workshop/retreat will be on the 18 to 24 March 2022 in Wilton NSW
    - One day events during the year on line from 10am to 4pm on:
​       5 June, 28 August, 27 November 2022
   -  Dharma study groups with selected teachers
   -  Supporting retreats and/or training programs
   -  Individual mentoring with your nominated Senior teacher
 
Tuition Fee: Following in the tradition of the Buddha, all tuition provided in this Insight  Dharma teacher pathway both by the Institute and by our senior teachers/mentors is being offered on a Dana basis.

Program Content:
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The goal of the program is to support participants to develop the depth of understanding, realisation and confidence to become skilled Insight Meditation teachers in whichever Dharma Teaching stream they undertake. And to be acknowledged as an Insight teacher by their mentor, the insight meditation institute and by the wider community of Insight Dharma teachers in Australia and New Zealand.
 

Traditionally the label Insight teacher has mostly referred to an Insight Meditation Retreat teacher. We acknowledge and indeed support the reality that there are many ways that the Dharma can be taught and made relevant in different contexts other than the meditation retreat format.
In this program the emerging Dharma teacher is encouraged to follow their interest in their teaching and expression of the dharma. The various teaching streams we envisage include but are not limited to the following:​
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​The Program Focus Areas in Detail:
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Dharma Study
  1. Various Buddhist texts as well as selected suttas from Middle Length discourses, Sutta Nipata and Dharmapada
  2. Basic Dharma Principles and study of the: 4 Noble Truths, 4 Foundations of Mindfulness, 3 characteristics of existence, 4 Brahma Viharas, 8-Fold Path, 7 Factors of Enlightenment, 5 hinderances, Jhanas, Dependent Arising, Virtues & Paramitas, the Depth of the Middle Way teachings
  3. Enlightenment: What is awakening? Four Noble stages, Consciousness, Liberation and the unconditioned
  4. Buddhist Psychology - Mind/body experience (Nama/Rupa) 6 sense doors
  5. Teachings on karma, past lives, realms, Buddhist stories
  6. Comparative Buddhism - texts & practices – Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana
  7. Non-dual teaching in Theravada, Advaita/ Dzogchen/ Zen
  8. Contemporary Theravada - Masters/Lineages:    Achaan Chah, Achaan Buddha Dasa, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhikkhu Analayo, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Christopher Titmus
  9. Engaged Buddhist principles and teachings, Eco-dharma, Peace & Social activism

Teaching Techniques
  1. Instructions for Insight guided meditations: Working with breath, body, sound, sensations, feelings, mind and choiceless awareness
  2. Concentration practices - How to know which are best?
  3. Dharma talks - how to create, organize, draw from tradition and own experience.  Discussion on many styles. What is essential in creating a body of talks?
  4. Providing skilful guidance to individuals and leading small groups?
  5. Training of the Mind - Samadhi - Mindfulness of mind, it’s uses and misuses, ways to work and develop depth and focus
  6. Training in large group Dharma Inquiry
  7. The 4 Brahma Viharas – ways to teach heart practices and their relation to mindfulness
  8. Teaching and guiding visualisations
  9. Body centred practices - somatic practices
  10. Teaching Right effort, striving vs relaxation, Renunciation - the art of letting go
  11. The role of faith and devotion
  12. Uses of ritual/sacred container

The Teacher Role
  1. Coming into the teaching role – serving the Dharma, oneself and students
  2. Relating to the ‘students’
  3. Transference, boundaries ambition and accountability
  4. Relationship to lineage/elders/tradition
  5. Relationship to Buddha
  6. Finding one’s own voice, finding one’s place
  7. The role of becoming a ‘spiritual director’
  8. Dynamics of community/sangha in general
  9. Isolation / teacher colleagues and community
  10. Relationship with other teachers and co-teachers
  11. Receiving and giving feedback
  12. Diversity – race, class, different orientations
  13. Male/Female issues
  14. Monastic/lay issues
  15. Sexuality and Eros -- how to handle/address
  16. Vows, Precepts and ethics for teachers
  17. Engaged Buddhism - Justice, wars, politics, environmental issues
  18. Dana philosophy and the spirit of generosity in practice. Money, support issues, consumerism, donors, wealth
  19. Power issues/authority issues/shadow
  20. Scheduling – exhaustion/renewal

Working with Students
  1. Supporting students to deepen their practice on a pathway of awakening
  2. Supporting students in cycles of practice, integration, emotions and stuck places
  3. Supporting students in their personal work in a Dharmic way, with family history, body & health / emotions / livelihood / integration in Dharma community, etc.
  4. How to recognise and respond to trauma
  5. Working with difficult psychological history of meditation
  6. Dealing with spiritual Emergencies

Personal Inner Work
  1. Ongoing mentoring, supervision and accountability
  2. Deep sharing of: realisations, beliefs, doubts, past practices, values, problems, strengths and weaknesses and Dharma vision
  3. Inquiry into and transforming one's personal psychological patterns .
    ​- childhood/psychological issues/patterns
    - spiritual/personal goals
    - sexuality/relationship
    - family history - current family life
    - Buddhist superego
    - money/livelihood
    - shadow - positive/negative projections
    - narcissism and humility​

​Establishing Sangha
  1. Establishing and leading a sangha
  2. Principles of an insight meditation Sangha - egalitarian principles, lay and family practice, gender equality, inclusiveness, democratic processes, autonomy
  3. Understanding group formation and group dynamics
  4. Managing group dynamics
  5. Community administration
  6. Working with conflict/discord. Grievance procedure policies
To contact us by email click here

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  • Home
    • About Us
    • Faculty
    • Teacher Ethics
    • About Insight Meditation
  • Mindfulness & Compassion
  • Insight Dharma Teacher
  • Student Portal
    • Student Portal 23-24 >
      • 1. Pre Reading
      • 2. Recordings
      • 3. Dates for 2023
      • 4. Other Resources
      • 5. Reading List
    • Student Portal 21-22 >
      • 1. Pre Reading and Workshop Resources
      • 2. Module Recordings
      • 3. Webinar dates & Recordings
      • 4. Retreat Reflection & Booking a Session
      • 5. Other Resources
      • 6. Reading List
    • Student Portal 19-20 >
      • 1. Pre Reading and Workshop Resources
      • 2. Module Recordings
      • 3. Webinar Recordings
      • 4. Booking One on One session
      • 5. Other Resources
      • 6. Reading List
  • Retreat Dharma Talks