Teacher Training Program
The Teachers Training Program (TTP) is the third level of systematic study program that we offer to students in our tradition. The TTP is designed for people who wish to train as authentic Dharma Teachers of Kadampa Buddhism or simply engage with Buddha’s teachings in the deepest possible manner.
Joining the TTP Program
Those who are interested in joining TTP are asked to do the following:
Attend our meditation classes and other programs for a period of time, usually for several months, to be sure that they are comfortable with our teachings and tradition.
Join the Foundation Program (FP), which is a systematic study of commentaries to Buddha’s Sutra teachings. This requires a brief meeting with the Teacher prior to attending and meets on Sunday evenings.
Participate in the Foundation Program consistently for a period of time (typically a year or more). Students on FP can speak to the Teacher about changing to Teachers Training Program. TTP requires extensive study of even more commentaries to Buddha’s Sutra and Tantra teachings. TTP students are required to observe certain commitments with regard to behavior and way of life, to complete a number of meditation retreats, and to receive the Highest Yoga Tantra Empowerments through our tradition. The books studied in Foundation Program are part of the preparation for the Teacher Training Program.
The Teacher
The Teacher Training Program is taught by Gen Kelsang Chogden, the Resident Teacher at the Kadampa Meditation Center Maryland.
What is the structure?
Students sign up to complete all the books and undertake to attend every class, to learn the material, and to take a test at the conclusion of each book. Class meets twice each week (see event calendar for schedule).
If for a suitable reason a student is not able to attend the class in person, he or she is expected to listen to the class recording and submit a summary. There is also a commitment to participate in at least one chanted prayer session at the Center per week.
Generally, the students take turns putting up the shrine offerings, setting up the meditation room, etc. on the day of their class. In this way, we learn about the rituals associated with Buddhist practice.
What happens in a class?
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 guided meditation. The teacher then reads from the book while giving commentary to the text. Afterward, the students divide into pairs to discuss the section. The teacher and students then conclude what to meditate on in the next class and how to practice during the week.
How much will it cost?
The cost is $75 a month to become a supporting member which also includes weekly meditation classes at the center and branches, weekend events, and retreats at the center.
We are studying the book, Mahamudra Tantra, by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche.
Mahamudra is the union of the most subtle mind that experiences great bliss and realizes ultimate truth - the way things actually exist. From his practical experience, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains 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 explaining how to uncover and purify the deepest level of our mind and to 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.