Dhamma Teacher Training

What this program is

Dhamma Teacher Training is run by Sati Center for Buddhist Studies as a teacher track in the Vipassana / Insight stream of contemplative training. Our perspective balances scholarly inquiry, personal practice and engagement in the world. We support the study of Buddhist teachings through: Courses on Study and Practice Daylong Meditation and Study Classes Sutta Study Courses Lectures from Scholars and Practitioners Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy Training UPCOMING EVENTS ( All Events ) Apr 19 9:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT Introduction to Buddhist Chaplaincy Apr 20 8:00 am - 10:30 am PDT The Buddhist Enneagram: Mapping Karma in Service of Awakening Apr 23 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm PDT Learning to Heal: A Six Week Mindful Healing Course for healthcare providers and caregivers of all backgrounds Apr 25 9:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT Coming Together for Connecting Speech with Liên Shutt Apr 26 9:00 am - 10:00 am PDT Steeping Sati: The Tea C It runs multi-phase in a in-person, online format, with delivery anchored at Redwood City, CA. The program sits inside the Theravada-derived insight tradition that came west via Mahasi, U Pandita, and later the IMS/Spirit Rock teachers. Practice work centers on anapanasati, body sweeping, noting practice, mettā, and silent retreat as the primary container for teacher development. Teacher development happens through long retreats, one-to-one interviews with senior teachers, dharma talks, mentorship over years, and supervised teaching, which is the standard vipassana / insight approach to building people who can hold a room. Sati Center for Buddhist Studies does not list third-party accreditation; authorization comes from the organization itself. Cost sits in the USD 400-900 per multi-month course band, which trainees should weigh against retreat fees and travel where the format calls for in-person components. OMP lists the program in its meditation teacher training directory so prospective students can compare it against sibling tracks before applying. What sets the program apart inside its tradition is the combination of in-person, online delivery, the multi-phase arc, and the specific lineage stance Sati Center for Buddhist Studies brings to teacher training. Prospective applicants should treat the listed cost and duration as starting points and confirm specifics with Sati Center for Buddhist Studies directly, since cohort dates, fees, and prerequisites change cohort to cohort. For people weighing whether the vipassana / insight path fits their goals, this listing is a starting point, not the full picture.

Curriculum and topics

Curriculum work in this program follows the vipassana / insight pattern. Trainees move through anapanasati, body sweeping, noting practice, mettā, and silent retreat as the primary container for teacher development. The overall arc gives time for repeated exposure to each practice form, with material layered so the simpler practices anchor the more demanding ones later in the track. Where the source describes specific modules or weeks, those map onto the standard structure Sati Center for Buddhist Studies uses for this curriculum. Trainees can expect didactic teaching paired with personal practice assignments, written reflection, and group inquiry. Reading lists tend to draw from the protocol's published manual where one exists, plus supplementary texts the lead teachers assign. Signature themes that run across the curriculum include the practice forms above, the ethics frame the lineage carries, and the question of how a teacher meets a student in difficulty. Most cohorts also work explicitly on group facilitation and on adjusting teaching for different student populations.

How it's taught

Delivery is in-person, online across the full program. Sati Center for Buddhist Studies runs the format the way most vipassana / insight teacher tracks do: long retreats, one-to-one interviews with senior teachers, dharma talks, mentorship over years, and supervised teaching. Contact hours include live sessions with lead teachers, peer practice in pairs or pods, and written work between meetings. Where a residential retreat is part of the track, that retreat acts as the container in which trainees deepen practice before they take on teaching roles. Supervision continues through and often past the formal end of the program, and most cohorts keep informal contact with their lead teachers during the early years of teaching. Trainees should expect a steady weekly load rather than a sprint, and should plan for the personal practice hours the program requires outside of contact time.

Who this program is for

Outcomes

Graduates finish the program qualified to teach inside the vipassana / insight frame Sati Center for Buddhist Studies represents. There is no third-party accreditation; recognition is internal to Sati Center for Buddhist Studies and the lineage. Common post-graduation paths include leading public courses, running workshops, embedding teaching inside healthcare or education settings, and offering individual mentorship to new practitioners. Scope of practice does not extend to clinical mental-health treatment unless the graduate already holds a relevant license; teachers should refer out when student needs cross that line.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites for vipassana / insight teacher tracks usually include a multi-year personal practice, significant retreat time, and a relationship with a recognized teacher in the lineage. Prospective applicants without that base should expect to do that groundwork before applying. Confirm specifics with the program directly.

How this compares

Inside the vipassana / insight field, Dhamma Teacher Training sits among IMS/Spirit Rock-style insight teacher tracks, Goenka-lineage assistant teacher paths, and Burmese monastic training. On cost, the program sits in the mid-range price band for teacher tracks at this length. Applicants weighing this against sibling programs should compare cohort size, contact hours, retreat structure, and the specific teachers leading the cohort, not just the headline price. The right fit usually comes down to which lineage frame matches the applicant's existing practice and teaching aims.

Frequently asked questions