Teacher Training Program

 

Teacher Training Program (TTP) is designed for people who wish to train as authentic Dharma Teachers. In addition to completing the study of Kadampa texts of Sutra and Tantra, the student is required to observe certain commitments with regard to behavior and way of life, and to complete a number of meditation retreats.

Through a deep and continuing commitment to the program of study, meditation, discussion and retreat, we can gain deep experience of Buddha’s teachings, establish a strong meditation practice, and become a qualified teacher in our own right.

Everyone can experience great benefits from being a part of this regular study program. The program is based on the study of 14 Kadampa Buddhist texts written by the Founder of the New Kadampa Tradition, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.


All the study programs are based on a clear structure that includes guided meditation, teaching, student commitments, discussion, and teacher support. One of the main benefits for everyone is the building of a spiritual community within the class, which in turn fosters meaningful class discussion as well as mutual support among the class members.

Prior to class, students study an assigned portion of the text, usually a few pages long, and memorize the essential points. The class begins with chanted prayers and a guided meditation. The teacher then reads the assigned portion from the book while giving commentary to the text. Afterwards the students divide into pairs to discuss the section. The teacher and students then conclude with suggestions for what to meditate on in the next class and how to practice during the week.

Students sign up to complete all the books in the program and undertake to attend every class, to learn the material, and to take tests at various intervals throughout the study of each book.

Pre-registration is required. For more info or to apply, email: epc@meditateinsanfrancisco 

Schedule:

Sundays | 2:30 pm – 5:45 pm | with Gen Kelsang Choma

SEMESTERS: February – June | September – December

(Attendance online via ZOOM is available for students who live far from KMC SF)

 

CLASSES INCLUDE:

  • Guided meditations and prayers
  • Commentary to the text by the teacher
  • Paired and group discussion
  • Question & answer opportunities
  • The community of fellow students
  • Teaching Skills sessions with class and teacher feedback
  • Opportunities to teach classes at KMC SF

COMMITMENTS INCLUDE:

  • Study of assigned portion of the text(usually a few pages)
  • Attending all classes and taking part in class discussions.
  • If you have to miss a class, listening to class recording and completing a study summary
  • Taking an exam at the conclusion of a section
  • Attending at least one group prayer session weekly
  • Attending four Great Preliminary Guide Retreats per year

COST: 

Teacher Training Program Membership | $100 per month

Includes all General Program benefits, plus additional discounts on select events. See membership page for more details and to enroll.

 

Current Book

 MAHAMUDRA TANTRA

Mahamudra is a Sanskrit term that means the union of great bliss and emptiness: the most subtle mind that experiences great bliss and realizes ultimate truth, or emptiness, the way things actually exist. Based on his deep knowledge and practical experience, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains clearly and succinctly how to prepare our mind for Mahamudra meditation, how to remove obstacles to successful practice, and how we can experience progressively subtler states of mind.

By revealing how to uncover and purify the deepest level of our mind, and then use this very subtle blissful mind to meditate on ultimate truth, he shows how we can destroy all our negative minds at their very root and quickly reach the state of full enlightenment.

 

—Learn more about study programs