Dharma Teacher/Sangha Leader Training
March 5, 2025 All day
Begins March, 2025
This training is for you if:
You would like to integrate the valuable Buddhist teachings and practices into your daily life.
You would like to increase your understanding of the Buddhist Dharma teachings, and/or
You are already teaching mindfulness and you would like to include some foundational Buddhist teachings to your repertoire, and/or
You would like to start your own meditation Sangha and would like to receive the structure and support needed to build it skillfully, and/or
You are already teaching and you would like to hone your teaching/leadership skills, and/or
You would like to benefit from connecting to and collaborating with other Dharma teachers, and/or
You are committed to ongoing personal and professional development, and/or
You would like to deepen your own personal meditation practice
What is it?
The “Dharma Teacher/Sangha Leader Training Program“, sponsored by Asheville Insight Meditation and led by Buddhist teacher, Ronya Banks is a comprehensive 12-month program, which will provide you with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to be a Dharma Teacher, and to lead weekly or occasional sangha sessions, and weekend meditation retreats. Time commitment will include two in-person, online 90-minute training sessions per month on a specified day/time.
The training will include topics, like: creating a welcoming in-person, virtual, or hybrid space for sangha meetings, the logistics of starting and leading an ongoing Buddhist Dharma group, giving dharma talks, guiding Vipassana-related mindfulness practices, and leading mindfulness practices consistent with the Buddha’s teachings presented in the Theravada Buddhist/Insight tradition.
This course is designed to deepen your personal practice, help you develop teaching skills, and steeps you in the Buddhist teachings, thus increasing your ability to communicate the teachings to people who come to you either for individual or group sessions guidance.
This training to be a Dharma Teacher curriculum is extensive and intensive, where you will not only learn the competencies needed to be an effective dharma teacher, but it will also provide you with a framework to walk the path of a contemporary Buddha.
The course includes experiential practice, didactic teaching, and skills training directly addressing these learning objectives:
- Develop teaching skills in presenting Buddhist-related practices and talks
- Deepen your personal Dharma practice
- Develop your professional dharma teacher competencies
- Integrate the dharmic path into your life, lead inquiry, and “be present” as a Dharma Teacher
- Learn marketing and business skills needed to develop and sustain a sangha
- Introduce Buddha-Dharma into your teaching curriculums in an embodied way
- Lead effective sangha-related discussion and Q & A periods
- Understand theoretical, empirical, and ethical foundations of the course
- And teach while honoring the diversity and complexities of everyone in the room, in a non-harming manner.
What are the Prerequisites?
- You are at least 18 years of age or older.
- You’ve attended a minimum two silent Vipassana/Mindfulness meditation retreat of 5 days or more.
- You have a regular personal mindfulness practice, ideally for at least 2-3 years.
- You have access to suitable technology/internet capacity, space, privacy and the technical ability to participate via Zoom with your video and microphone on.
What will you Obtain?
Besides the knowledge, practice, and skills in teaching the dharma, you will also receive an official Dharma Teacher/Sangha Leader certificate provided by Asheville Insight Meditation.
Cost?
$2,298 in one payment, or $215/month for 12 months. (If you do not have the funds and would still like to attend this course, please contact Ronya Banks as some scholarships funds are available.
About Teacher – Ronya Fakhoury Banks
Ronya is the founding teacher of Asheville Insight Meditation group, in Asheville, NC, which she has led since 2010. She has maintained a daily Vipassana meditation practice since 1985, spent two years sitting on Vipassana meditation retreats, as well as having had valuable experience as a Theravada Buddhist nun. In addition to being a retreat teacher, she is presently in the joint IMS/Spirit Rock teachers training program, a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program, and served eight years as a mentor for Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. Although she has sat with over 30 different teachers, she considers Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Chanmyay Sayadaw her primary teachers. Ronya has led and co-led several residential and online meditation retreats since 2014.
I am interested and want to sign-up or receive more information?
Please follow the steps below:
1. Read the course requirements
Course Requirements
Thank you for your interest in this official DTTP.
Overview of this Dharma Teacher/Sangha Leader Training?
This curriculum presented lasts for 12 months and your attendance and participation is required in:
Two 90-minute zoom sessions per month
- One 90-minute zoom session per month will focus on skills training and acquiring
daily business knowledge - One 90-minute zoom session per month will focus on learning foundational Buddha
Dharma teachings - Different day/time options will be provided Eastern time – (Wednesdays at 5pm or
7pm or Saturdays at 4pm)
Teaching Requirements
To obtain certification, attendees need to
- Attend a preliminary 15-minute interview with teacher Ronya Banks
- Lead both one Buddhist guided meditation (minimum 15 minutes) and provide
one Dharma Talk (minimum 15 minutes) during monthly zoom training sessions
and receive feedback - Lead a minimum of TWO (60-minute minimum) dharma groups, wherein you
guide a minimum of 20 minutes meditation in one of the approved Buddhist
meditations, a minimum of 20-minutes giving a dharma talk, and a minimum of
10 minutes leading a Q&A/Discussion session - Provide an Audio sample of at least one of these sessions for teacher review
- Attend a final one-on-one supervision session with teacher, Ronya Banks for
45 minutes where you will receive feedback for your teaching, and support for
moving forward
Attendance Requirement
- It is expected that you attend the majority of the twice-monthly 90-minute
sessions If you miss more than 15-minutes of a session, that will be counted as
one absence - Obviously, you would benefit most by being present for all of the DTTP sessions,
however since attending retreats and other life circumstances arise, you are
allowed 4 absences of the 24 sessions. - If you miss 5 or more absences, you will not be eligible to receive certification,
unless agreed upon otherwise
2. Fill out the registration form
Registration Form
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3. Schedule a 15-minute interview with Ronya
Use the following link to schedule a 15-minute interview with Ronya. After successfully completing the interview you can proceed to pay for the course to reserve your spot.
4. Pay
Pay by purchasing a ticket below or filling out the Finance form and upload below or reply to the registration form confirmation email with it attached.
Note: If you cannot afford the amounts specified for the course, please contact Ronya Banks by using the Contact form to work out a payment registration amount that works for you.
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