Tibetan · Online
This teacher training program will teach you the skills, knowledge and experience to become a successful mindfulness meditation teacher. Gain an in-depth understanding of meditation and an overview of the Buddhist path while learning how to guide others in these profound and transformative practices
Dharma Moon's 100-Hour Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training is an online program co-certified by Tibet House US, the cultural and educational organization founded by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetan-American advocates in 1987. Dharma Moon was founded by David Nichtern, a senior student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, longtime Buddhist teacher, and music industry veteran, and the training reflects Nichtern's blend of authentic Tibetan Buddhist lineage exposure with accessible Western presentation. The 100 hours are delivered across five weekend intensives over several months, fully online via Zoom. The format is designed for working professionals who can't attend long residential trainings but want more than a weekend mindfulness certificate. Cohort size is moderate, allowing direct interaction with the teaching faculty including David Nichtern and senior co-teachers drawn from his Buddhist teaching network. What distinguishes Dharma Moon from secular MBSR training is the explicit dharma context. Students learn meditation instruction informed by classical Buddhist lineage rather than purely clinical framing. Topics cover the Four Noble Truths, dependent origination, the Three Marks of Existence, and foundational meditation forms (shamatha, vipassana, metta) alongside pedagogy: how to teach a sitting, give a dharma talk, hold inquiry, and structure ongoing meditation classes. The Tibet House US co-certification adds institutional weight. Graduates emerge with both Dharma Moon certification and Tibet House US recognition, qualifying them to teach mindfulness meditation in clinical, educational, corporate, and community settings. The program is positioned in the upper-mid tier of online Buddhist-rooted teacher trainings (longer and more substantive than weekend formats, shorter and more accessible than IMS or Spirit Rock multi-year paths). Pricing at USD 1,995 to 2,495 sits in the same range, accessible to professionals on continuing-education budgets.
Five weekend intensives across the program. Foundational Buddhist content: the Four Noble Truths, dependent origination, the Three Marks of Existence (impermanence, suffering, non-self), refuge and bodhicitta, and the relationship between Buddhist teaching and Western therapeutic culture. Meditation instruction: shamatha (calm abiding) practice, vipassana (insight) introduction, metta (loving-kindness), and Tibetan Buddhist meditation forms drawn from David Nichtern's Trungpa-lineage training. Pedagogy: how to give meditation instruction, structure a sitting, give an introductory dharma talk, hold inquiry with participants, and design ongoing meditation classes. Practicum teaching is part of the program, with trainees leading segments under observation and receiving feedback. Reading draws on contemporary mindfulness and Buddhist literature alongside classical sources.
Delivery is fully online via Zoom. Five weekend intensives spread across several months provide the 100 hours of contact time, with assigned personal practice and reading between weekends. Cohort size is moderate, designed to support direct interaction with teaching faculty. David Nichtern leads core sessions; senior co-teachers from his Buddhist teaching network contribute. Practicum teaching happens within the cohort, with trainees observed and given feedback on their own teaching.
Graduates earn a 100-Hour Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training certificate co-certified by Dharma Moon and Tibet House US. The credential is recognized within the contemplative training community and qualifies graduates to teach mindfulness meditation in clinical, educational, corporate, and community contexts. Common post-graduation paths include teaching workshops, leading ongoing meditation groups, integrating mindfulness into existing clinical or coaching practice, and continuing toward more advanced Buddhist study within David Nichtern's broader teaching network.
Open to practitioners with at least some prior meditation experience. No specific Buddhist commitment is required, though students should be open to engaging with Buddhist content in a non-secular framing. No formal application gate; cohort size is moderate.
Compared with weekend mindfulness certificates, the 100-hour format is meaningfully more substantive. Compared with primary MBSR teacher training (300+ hours, multi-year, silent retreat requirements), Dharma Moon is shorter and online-accessible, without retreat or supervised-teaching requirements at the MBSR level. Compared with IMS or Spirit Rock multi-year teacher training, this is a different category: foundational rather than fully authorizing for residential retreat teaching. The Tibet House US co-certification is its institutional differentiator within the field.
| Location | Online |
| Tradition | Tibetan |
| Format | Online |
| Training hours | 100 |
| Duration | 5 weekends |
| Estimated cost | $1,995–$2,495 |
| Accreditation | Tibet House US Co-Certified |