Shambhala Europe Meditation Instructor and Teacher Training

View of the MI / Teacher Training

The teachers of this program would like us to examine our understanding of the term “authorisation”, and would rather suggest the term “affirmation” – which supports a view where feelings of trust, self-responsibility, invitation and encouragement can find more resonance.

Being a meditation instructor or a Shambhala teacher is a never-ending lifelong process of becoming fully human and of communicating our good human heart to others. 

The means to help us experience who we truly are is self-awareness (through meditation) and the exercise of giving and hearing feedback. We learn about our shortcomings and our strengths through the compassion and clarity of others. In this way we trust that we will learn and grow together as a community of teachers and meditation instructors: the path of community empowerment and deepening.

If you are willing to join this process you are at once teacher and student and the real empowerment happens along the way. The training changes the view of how we can learn together at eye level and in a continuous way. 

The training will provide community empowerment on various levels:

• It is the entrance to the path of being a meditation instructor as well as a deepening of your experience as an MI. 
• It will also be a training for new Shambhala Teachers and will, for some, bring them to the next level of teaching within Shambhala Training. 
• We will also present essential Buddhist teachings so you can enter the path of becoming a local Buddhist teacher.

This programme marksthe beginning of continual training and learning. Once participants go back to their local community, we strongly emphasise the need to participate, in person or online, in regular training groups that will meet during the year to deepen their training in listening and giving feedback in the Shambhala & Buddhist teachings. 

Throughout our mandala there is a picture of challenges to the emergence of our MI/teaching community:

Firstly, our existing teaching community is ageing and we have no younger generation of teachers (under 40) who can grow into experienced teachers in the future. If we don’t cultivate this generation now our community will simply die out.

Secondly, in many places in Europe, there are people with many years of practice and MI experience who would be willing and able to take on a teaching role, however feel not empowered to take on teaching responsibilities because they have no authorisation to do so.

Thirdly, there is a small group of “middlefield” teachers with experience, but whose “authorisations” are very limited and are thus not presented with teaching opportunities that would promote their further development.

The invitation is for local centres and groups to identify their needs from their own point of view and for the community to engage in a process of readjustment to our reality, so that we can unleash our potential.

The former, pre-existing requisites for authorisations are not necessarily relevant for considering who would be of benefit for this training, so please ask rather, “What is the need?”, “Who is able and willing to hold this seat?”, “In whom do we invest for our future and how can we support them?”

Pre-requisites

As in the past, we ask all potential participants to discuss the level of affirmation that would be fitting for them to receive with their Mi or Mentor and to then submit a short letter (or video) of motivation together with a letter of support from their MI or Mentor. This is an important process, in which we check our own intention and make this step in connection with and the support of others in our community.

See the application form HERE.

Registration

You may register at any time, however in order to participate, we ask that all accompanying letters and or videos must be submitted by April 1, 2024.

If you have problems meeting this deadline, or have questions please contact: Mattia Hofmann [email protected]

We wish to support the development of our community and have set a very low standard programme fee. In addition, we offer financial assistance to those unable to afford the standard fee for the program. If you need further financial assistance, please contact [email protected] to make arrangements.

Practical details

Arrival day: Tuesday, 25 June.
You are invited to arrive at 4pm to check in and settle into your room. Dinner is served at 7pm.

Start of programme: Morning of Wednesday, 26 June.

End of programme: Sunday, 30 June.
Closing circle in the evening.

Departure day: Monday, 1 July.
No programme. You are welcome to stay for breakfast.

---