Learning Objectives
- Learn mindfulness-awareness in the context of working with oneself and how it applies to working with others
- Learn when and how to offer mindfulness as a healing discipline
- Explore compassion in terms of developing confidence in basic sanity
- Work with emotions in terms of confusion and sanity
- Learn the skillful means of Body, Speech and Mind group, both in application to personal process, as well as to be able to offer BSM groups to others
- Introduction to Maitri Space Awareness practice as an exploration of elemental energies, emotional energies and as a gateway to understanding how confusion transforms into wisdom
- Participate as members of a therapeutic community
Karuna Training Phase 1—Personal Process
Seminar 1: Confidence in Basic Sanity | 4 days
Seminar 2: Ego from the Perspective of Contemplative Psychology | weekend
Seminar 3: Working with Emotions | weekend
Seminar 4: Exploration of Energy in Contemplative Psychology | 6 days
Plus regional continuity groups
108 hours total training
Karuna Training Phase 2—Working Skillfully with Others
Seminar 5: Development of Compassionate Presence | weekend
Seminar 6: Exploration of Energy in Communication | 1 full day on weekends and 5 week evening class
Seminar 7: Therapeutic Process | weekend
Plus regional continuity groups
66 hours total training
Karuna Training Phase 3—Karuna Project with Supervision
Seminar 8: Exploration of Energy in Working with others | 6 days
Seminar 9: Supervision | 1 day
Seminar 10: Karuna Project | 5 hours of working in compassionate exchange with another person
Seminar 11: Graduation/Certification | 3 day weekend
Plus regional continuity groups
94 hours total training
Teaching and Study Themes
- Basic Sanity as a birthright
- The Three Marks of Existence
- Impermanence and interconnectedness
- Recognizing ego as referential security
- Trusting confusion as path
- Learning what emotions are and how to work with emotions
- The Six Realms as temporary displays of confusion
- Understanding burn out
- Whatever is in the room—that’s your mind
- Exploring outer, inner and secret container
- The Five Buddha Families
- The power of the heart, Absolute and Relative Bodhicitta
- Exchanging self with others as experience of mutual recovery
- Maitri as path to deepening trust in emotions
- Compassionate Exchange in 4 steps: Engagement, Discriminating, Mutual Agreement & Transition
- Celebration
- Commitment to offer ourselves as vehicles of intrinsic sanity
Skillful Means
- Shamatha Meditation
- Mindfulness as a 4 step process
- Body Speech Mind groups
- Compassionate Exchange
- Process groups – learning to speak the microscopic truth
- Founding of regional groups
- Forming the community through experiential exercises and rituals
- Skandha exercises
- Meetings with a Karuna Meditation Instruction
- Realm Explorations
- Exercises distinguishing Klesha from wisdom
- Journaling and creative process and activities
- Maitri Space Awareness practice
- Giving feedback to cultivate brilliant sanity in others
- Bodhichitta Exercises—e.g. the Four Immeasurables
- The Four Bones in Space
- Tonglen Practice
- Practicum and presentations