Aims of the programme
- 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 skilful means of Body, Speech and Mind, both in application to personal process and in offering this 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
Overview of modules
Karuna Training Phase 1—Personal Process
Module 1: Confidence in Basic Sanity | 3 days
Module 2: Ego from the Perspective of Contemplative Psychology | weekend
Module 3: Working with Emotions | weekend
Module 4: Exploration of Energy in Contemplative Psychology | 6 days
Plus local continuity groups
100 hours total training
Karuna Training Phase 2—Working Skilfully with Others
Module 5: Development of Compassionate Presence | weekend
Module 6: Exploration of Energy in Communication | 1 full day on weekends and 5 week evening class
Module 7: Therapeutic Process | weekend
Plus local continuity groups
66 hours total training
Karuna Training Phase 3—Karuna Project with Supervision
Module 8: Exploration of Energy in Working with others | 6 days
Module 9: Supervision | 1 day
Module 10: Karuna Project | 5 hours of working in compassionate exchange with another person
Module 11: Graduation/Certification | 4 days
Plus local continuity groups
102 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
Skilful 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 local 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