Basic training 2026 - 2028
Certification in Contemplative Psychology
Now Offered In Two Phases:
Phase 1
September 13, 2026 - July 29, 2027
Phase 2
September 11, 2027 - September 22, 2028
About The Basic Training
Highlights
Karuna Training uses time-tested skillful means to unlock our innate health.
Karuna Training
is a comprehensive training in Contemplative Psychology. The training combines deep study of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist principles with meditation and contemplative practices, embodiment training, skills development, and ongoing, community support.
Karuna Basic Training
centers on the view that we are all fundamentally good, awake and healthy. Through this view of intrinsic health, we learn how to work skillfully with ourselves and others, transforming everyday life challenges into opportunities for openness and wisdom.
The Basic Training
is now offered in sequence, and each phase must be attended consecutively to receive a certificate in Contemplative Psychology. Each phase begins with a retreat in person and the rest of the coursework occurs online. Phase two starts and ends with retreats spread out over 13 months. A more detailed description of the training can be found below.
CE Credits: Karuna Training (license #137058)
is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for mental health professionals.
103 CE Credits are available in the 2026 Basic Training :
- Phase 1: 41 CE’s through CAMFT
- Phase 2: 62 CE’s through CAMFT
Training Elements introduced in the Karuna Basic
Details
Phase 1
September 2026 - August 2027
56 hours of In-Person Retreat
36 hours of Online Training
41 CEs through CAMFT
KTB Seminar 1:1
Foundations in Contemplative Psychology (In-Person)
In this residential retreat, participants are introduced to the view of intrinsic health and offered instruction and practice in sitting meditation, foundational methods, and elemental work. This retreat is an introduction to the Mandala of the Five Buddha Families and working with the elements of space, water, earth, fire, air, with emphasis on the ritual invocation of the elements and the inner experience of the skandhas and realms. In addition, instruction and practice of Speaking from the Heart and Body, Speech and Mind practice are introduced. The cohort community is formed, and monthly continuity (small groups) are established.
KTB Seminar 1:2
Karuna Foundations One: Embracing The Energy of Emotions
Participants study ego and egolessness, the development of the six realms, and how to work with difficult emotions. The Four Step Practice for staying with emotional energies and gleaning their innate wisdom is introduced.
KTB Seminar 1:3
Karuna Foundations Two: Embodying Compassion Through Radical Honesty
The cohort begins practices of opening the heart and skillful ways of working with others by learning Tonglen: Sending and Taking practice of rousing "bodhicitta", the awakened heart. We explore the transformative power of nondual Compassionate Exchange practice and learn the Four Bones in Space: the four phases of working with others in compassionate exchange. We also learn Shining the Jewel, an approach to offering honest, kind, and helpful reflections to bring out the brilliant sanity of others.
KTB Seminar 1:4
Karuna Foundations Three: Four Grounds of Mindful Presence
Drawing on the principles of Buddhist psychology, this seven-session course introduces the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthāna)—the Buddha’s original teaching on cultivating awareness of body, feelings, mind, and phenomena. One can think of it as exposure therapy for space: learning to relax into the openness of the present moment rather than contracting into old control-oriented habits. This practice lays the groundwork for deeper explorations, such as Maitri Space Awareness, by gently guiding us into direct encounter with experience as it unfolds.
We will work with the five skandhas (aggregates)—the “handles” by which the mind creates a sense of safety and control—and learn how they shape our sense of self. Through study, meditation, and dialogue, you’ll discover how these patterns can soften into transparency, revealing a more fluid and grounded relationship with reality. Rather than avoiding thought, this training cultivates clear seeing (vipassanā): recognizing thoughts, perceptions, and emotions as temporary and workable. As presence deepens, you may begin to feel less driven by the narratives of “me and mine,” and more like a mountain—steady, grounded, and open to the vast environment around you.
Details
Phase 2
September 2027 - September 2028
112 hours of In-Person Retreat
53 hours of Online Training
62 CEs through CAMFT
*Finishing Phase 1 is a prerequisite to joining Phase 2
KTB Seminar 2:1
Maitri and Compassionate Exchange (In-Person)
In this residential retreat, participants are introduced to the practice of Maitri Space Awareness. Using colored glasses and specific body postures, participants undertake practice to become aware of their habitual patterns of mind and unconscious biases. The cohort continues Compassionate Exchange practice in small groups. After the retreat, Continuity meetings led by mentors continue bi-monthly.
KTB Seminar 2:2
Maitri in Everyday Life (Online)
Maitri Space Awareness will be practiced at home in seven sessions. Participants will be given a set of colored glasses at the retreat. The maitri glasses will allow participants to practice at home and integrate their experience of the Five Buddha Families Mandala into their everyday life. Online practice sessions will occur bi-monthly with presentations on the families in everyday life. Questions and discussion of MSA experiences will be prompted in a private cohort channel on Circle, Karuna's online community platform.
KTB Seminar 2:3
Compassionate Exchange Project (Online)
Nine months of online mentoring for participants to complete a Compassionate Exchange Project that is incorporated into their everyday lives. Each participant will design a 25-hour project approved by their continuity group mentor. Monthly continuity group meetings will continue throughout. Participants will also receive 3 hours of independent mentoring.
KTB Seminar 2:4
Entering the Bardo (Online)
In this online course, the Bardo series will be presented to bind the cohort and guide participants toward a centered, peaceful closure. The Bardo teachings illustrate the importance of opening to impermanence, death, and dying.
KTB Seminar 2:5
Maitri Celebration and Culmination Program (In-Person)
In the final Residential Retreat, participants continue Maitri Space Awareness practice. Each participant makes a creative offering on their 25-hour Compassionate Exchange project and the impact of Karuna Training on their lives. This is a celebratory retreat that ends with a graduation ceremony and certificate in Contemplative Psychology.
Course summary
Phase One
56 hours of In-Person Retreat
36 hours of Online Training
41 CEs through CAMFT
Phase Two
112 hours of In-Person Retreat
53 hours of Online Training
62 CEs through CAMFT
Smaller continuity groups meet monthly for 1.5 hours
Participation on Circle, Karuna's private Online Membership
One on one mediation and mentoring in Phase two for community project.
All Course Details & Dates
| Program | Course | Place & Time | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Training Phase 1 | |||
| Karuna 1.1 | Foundations in Contemplative Psychology | Ari Bhöd, Tehachapi, CA | Sun, September 13 – Fri, September 18, 2026 |
| Karuna 1.2 | Karuna Foundations One: Embracing the Energy of Emotions | Online · 2nd Saturdays 10 AM – 1 PM MT (3 hrs) |
Sat, October 10, 2026 Sat, November 14, 2026 Sat, December 12, 2026 |
| Karuna 1.3 | Karuna Foundations Two: Embodying Compassion Through Radical Honesty | Online · 2nd Saturdays 10 AM – 1 PM MT (3 hrs) |
Sat, January 9, 2027 Sat, February 13, 2027 Sat, March 13, 2027 Sat, April 10, 2027 |
| Karuna 1.4 | Karuna Foundations Three: Four Grounds of Mindful Presence | Online · 2nd Saturdays 10 AM – 12:30 PM MT (2.5 hrs) 10 AM – 1 PM MT (3 hrs) |
Sat, May 8, 2027 Sat, June 12, 2027 Sat, July 10, 2027 Sat, August 14, 2027 |
| Basic Training Phase 2 — Compassionate Exchange in the World | |||
| Karuna 2.1 | Maitri and Compassionate Exchange | Ari Bhöd, Tehachapi, CA | September 11 – 17, 2027 |
| Karuna 2.2 | Maitri in Everyday Life Online course · 6 sessions |
Online · Every other Saturday 10 AM – 12 PM MT (2 hours) Last Class is 10 AM - 1 PM MT (3 hours) | Sat, October 2, 2027 Sat, October 16, 2027 Sat, October 30, 2027 Sat, November 13, 2027 Sat, November 27, 2027 Sat, December 11, 2027 |
| Karuna 2.3 | Karuna Compassionate Exchange Project | Online · TBD by continuity groups and mentor | Ongoing monthly meetings (1.5 hrs) plus 3 hours of individual mentoring — dates and times set by participant and mentor |
| Karuna 2.4 | Entering the Bardo Online course · 8 sessions |
Online · 2nd Saturday monthly 10 AM – 1 PM MT (3 hrs) |
Sat, January 8, 2028 Sat, February 12, 2028 Sat, March 11, 2028 Sat, April 8, 2028 Sat, May 13, 2028 Sat, June 10, 2028 Sat, July 8, 2028 Sat, August 12, 2028 |
| Karuna 2.5 | Maitri Celebration and Culmination Program | Ari Bhöd, Tehachapi, CA | September 16 – 22, 2028 |
Cost & Lodging
| Tuition | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | $2,750 |
| Phase 2 | $4,950 |
| Both phases (paid by July 30, 2026) | $7,000 |
| Both phases (after July 30, 2026) | $7,700 |
| Retreat Lodging | |
|---|---|
| Camping (Own Tent) | $630 |
| Glamping (Tent provided) | $705 |
| Dormitory | $780 |
| Single room | $930 |
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Margot Geist - Student
I feel like Karuna has really has opened the door for me to different ways of experiencing the world. And it’s constantly refining my sense perceptions. And there’s a mystery of life that Karuna touches into and allows me to be closer to myself and to other people and the phenomenal world.
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Candace
Through Karuna, I have both gained new, and, strengthened familiar ways of navigating human experience, developed more skill balancing emotional energies as well as capacity to regain a state of open heart and mind.
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Michelle Morris
Karuna marked a turning point in my spiritual journey. It gave me, first and foremost, a community of practitioners that I love and trust, and who share my deep desire for spiritual growth.
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Amy Kemp
Karuna marked a turning point in my spiritual journey. It gave me, first and foremost, a community of practitioners that I love and trust, and who share my deep desire for spiritual growth.
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Byron Blum
Karuna Training helped me develop and learn an unspoken language below the surface within myself and the world around me that feels sacred and connected to everything.
