Rigpa International Tibetan Buddhism Teacher Training

What this program is

Rigpa International Tibetan Buddhism Teacher Training is run by Rigpa International as a teacher track in the Tibetan stream of contemplative training. Rigpa International is a worldwide network of Tibetan Buddhist study and practice groups founded by Sogyal Rinpoche and centred in France (Lerab Ling, near Montpellier). The Shedra programme is a multi-year structured study of Tibetan Buddhist teachings leading to teacher authorisation in the Nyingma Dzogchen lineage. Major centres in Ireland, UK, Germany, France, Australia, and the US. For dedicated students seeking to teach Buddhist meditation. It runs multi-year in a in-person, online format, with delivery anchored at Lerab Ling, France / Worldwide. The program sits inside the Tibetan Buddhist tradition where teacher authorization is grounded in lineage transmission, ngöndro, and study of root texts. Practice work centers on shamatha, analytical meditation, deity practice where appropriate, ngöndro, and study of Madhyamaka, Lamrim, or Mahamudra/Dzogchen texts. Teacher development happens through multi-year residential or modular study, retreat, oral transmission, and supervised teaching under a recognized teacher, which is the standard tibetan approach to building people who can hold a room. Rigpa International does not list third-party accreditation; authorization comes from the organization itself. Cost sits in the EUR 80-150/day retreats; Dzogchen path multi-year 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-year arc, and the specific lineage stance Rigpa International brings to teacher training. Prospective applicants should treat the listed cost and duration as starting points and confirm specifics with Rigpa International directly, since cohort dates, fees, and prerequisites change cohort to cohort. For people weighing whether the tibetan path fits their goals, this listing is a starting point, not the full picture.

Curriculum and topics

Curriculum work in this program follows the tibetan pattern. Trainees move through shamatha, analytical meditation, deity practice where appropriate, ngöndro, and study of Madhyamaka, Lamrim, or Mahamudra/Dzogchen texts. The multi-year 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. The source material does not list explicit modules, so prospective applicants should read the curriculum as the standard form for tibetan teacher training at this length. That typically means a sitting curriculum, a teaching curriculum, and a supervised practicum, in that rough order. Reading and written work scale with the program's length and contact hours. 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 multi-year. Rigpa International runs the format the way most tibetan teacher tracks do: multi-year residential or modular study, retreat, oral transmission, and supervised teaching under a recognized teacher. 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 tibetan frame Rigpa International represents. There is no third-party accreditation; recognition is internal to Rigpa International 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 tibetan 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 tibetan field, Rigpa International Tibetan Buddhism Teacher Training sits among Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Sakya teacher tracks; authorization is lineage-internal. 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