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About the Program

The Meditation Teacher Program (MTP) originates from Mingyur Rinpoche’s vision to share the fundamentals of meditation broadly in these troubled times.

In the MTP, you will learn about the core aspects of awareness, compassion, and wisdom from traditional perspectives to modern scientific findings. You will explore teaching skills founded on these core aspects, with the ultimate goal of sharing these skills beyond the classroom in diverse contexts. Mingyur Rinpoche will bring the teachings to life, highlighting Tergar’s unique approach to teaching meditation.

The program includes weekly live classes and training sessions with Mingyur Rinpoche, guest speakers, as well as six trainers.

Program Curriculum

This program consists of ten modules, each focusing on a different competency that is essential to teaching meditation.

Introduction and Orientation

Mingyur Rinpoche and six trainers welcome you to the program and invite you to clarify your aspirations for becoming a meditation teacher.

Pillar 1: Meditation

This pillar is focused on the core principles of teaching awareness, love and compassion, and wisdom. You will explore common misunderstandings that students often have in these areas, and learn techniques and strategies to help clarify confusion. Additionally, you will establish or maintain your own meditation practice and practice guiding others using techniques found in the Joy of Living programs.

Each of the modules in this section follows the same cadence:

Week 1: Mingyur Rinpoche’s approach to teaching the topic
Week 2: Traditional Perspectives
Week 3: Scientific Perspectives
Week 4: Deepening Understanding and Guiding Meditation

In this module, you will maintain your personal meditation practice and learn about the traditional perspectives and scientific understandings of awareness. While exploring different ways of clarifying misunderstandings that others might have, you will experiment with guiding meditation practices on awareness, beginning to develop the skills to help others cultivate a deeper connection with awareness.

During the module, you will cultivate love and compassion through practice and inner reflection and contemplate how to guide others on their own paths of self-discovery. In addition, you will learn about traditional viewpoints and scientific insights related to different dimensions of these qualities. You will also experiment with guiding meditation practice on love and compassion.

This module focuses on Mingyur Rinpoche’s approach to teaching wisdom, the roots of his teaching, and insights from scientific research on meditation on wisdom. Our trainers will address common misunderstandings about wisdom teachings and meditation. To balance theoretical understanding with practical experiences, you will conclude this module by guiding meditation for other cohorts.

Pillar 2: Teaching

This pillar is dedicated to practicing and exploring skills related to teaching meditation.

During this module, you will learn about Mingyur Rinpoche’s approach to teaching meditation, explore skills to communicate clearly and gain greater insight into creating safe and inclusive learning environments. To deepen understanding, you will conclude this module by practicing the skills covered throughout the module, while gaining feedback from mentors and peers.

Throughout this module, you will explore different methods to support your students as they learn to meditate. This includes guiding meditations from your own experience, leading awareness yoga, and facilitating practice interviews. To deepen understanding, you will conclude this module by practicing the skills covered throughout the module, while gaining feedback from mentors and peers.

This module focuses on facilitation skills, encompassing topics such as planning introductory meditation sessions, the fundamentals of working with groups, teaching in different learning environments, and effectively facilitating question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions.

Pillar 3: Enterprise

In this pillar you will delve into discovering your individual pathway to create a meaningful and sustainable approach to teaching meditation in the world. You will learn to work with the Tergar MTP Enterprise Impact Canvas, an interactive tool to help you decide how you want to share your unique gifts in creative ways.

During this module, you will clarify your heart-felt motivation and the essence of the treasure you have to share. You will craft a vision and mission statement to help maintain a clear and well-defined sense of direction. As well as being committed to making a positive impact, you will know what steps are needed to make it happen.

In this module, you will research and test how you can connect with the audience you hope to serve. You will conclude this module by preparing and delivering a short presentation to introduce the courses you plan to offer.

This module is all about turning your compassionate aspirations into practical action. You will consider not only the programs you will teach but also the resources that you will need to have in place. This is a review of your intentions and a reality check to make sure your ideas for achieving them are sustainable; taking account of well-being while making sure your plans are financially viable.

Having completed Pillar 3, you will be able to present an overview of what you want to achieve, who you want to serve, and how you plan to take action using your Tergar MTP Enterprise Impact Canvas.

MTP Capstone Module

This capstone project is the culmination of everything that you have learned throughout the year. You will create and offer a final presentation that includes your TER Talk, your reflections on personal growth and application, and your plans for continued learning. This is an opportunity to showcase everything that you have learned throughout the year, focusing on the most impactful and relevant aspects of your learning experience.

Program Information

The MTP comprises approximately 240 hours of training. Each month participants are responsible for 20–25 hours of commitment, with 30–40% being synchronous or live components, and 60–70% asynchronous. This works out to 4–5 hours of study and engagement per week. In addition, it is expected that participants maintain a daily personal meditation practice. It is expected that MTP participants attend 80% of the synchronous sessions.

Please ensure that you can attend:

a) LIVE: The Anytime Anywhere Meditation program for MTP participants on the September 30–October 1 weekend, scheduled 9 am–3 pm EDT (New York). World Clock.
We will be recording this weekend for those who cannot attend.

b) LIVE: Classes every Wednesday. The first class is on Wednesday, September 20.

9–11:30 am Eastern (New York)
3–5:30 pm CET (Berlin)
5–7:30 pm MSK (Moscow)
7:45 pm–10:15 pm (Kathmandu)

c) LIVE: Office Hours with an MTP Trainer every Thursday, 9–10 am EST (New York). The first office hour is on Thursday, September 21. Attendance is optional.

d) LIVE: Learning Platform support for navigating LearnWorlds.
Thursday, September 21, 10–11 am EST (New York)
Friday, September 22, 9–11 am EST (New York)

e) LIVE: 40-minute mandatory mentoring sessions each module (every four weeks) + 15-minute check-in meeting in the first two weeks of the program.

The attendance policy for the MTP requires you to attend at least 80% of the classes in order to successfully complete the course. This policy aligns with Mingyur Rinpoche’s approach to meditation and reflects the importance he places on active participation, contemplation, and sharing in the learning process.

Weekly discussions with trainers and classmates play a crucial role in the training program, allowing you to clarify your understanding of key principles and receive valuable feedback on your skills while engaging in various learning activities. By attending these sessions regularly, you can fully participate in the learning process and get the most out of the training.

Accountability to your trainers and fellow participants is considered important. Please notify the MTP staff at mtp@tergar.org and your trainer as soon as you can, preferably with at least 24 hours' notice, in case you need to miss a session.

In total, you may miss up to 7 sessions – 2 live sessions per pillar plus an additional one as needed – in the 2023-2024 year. If additional sessions are missed, a Certificate of Completion will not be granted. We keep track of attendance during the mentor-mentee part of each section.

The weekly assignments policy for the MTP allows you to miss a maximum
of 2 weekly assignments Per Pillar, or a maximum of 3 late assignments Per
Pillar. Late assignments won’t receive feedback from the mentors.

You are allowed a maximum of 2 no-shows for mentor check-in during the
entire Program. Cancellations of mentor check-in will only be accepted if
requested within 24 hours of advance. After cancellation within those 24
hours, students are requested to reach out to their mentor to re-schedule
the mentor check-in.

To prioritize the well-being of our entire community. If a student is
experiencing illness that prevents them from attending the scheduled
check-in mentoring session, they are kindly requested to inform their
mentor as soon as possible. In such cases, the 24 hours cancellation policy
will be waived, and the session can be rescheduled at a later date, subject to
availability of the mentor and there will be no impact on the student's
assessment.
Students may not cancel more than two (2) check-in sessions due to illness
within a certification cycle. Any additional cancellations due to illness will
require the submission of an appeal through the established Appeal Process
to avoid interruption in their certification progress.

If students experience extenuating circumstances that might affect their
attendance and assessment, participants can submit a written appeal to the
Program Coordinator (mtp@tergar.org), outlining the details of their
situation and the reason for the appeal.
The appeal will be reviewed by our mentor group within 7 business days. A
final decision will be communicated to the participant, along with guidance
and wisdom to navigate the situation with mindfulness.
We strive to handle all appeals with empathy, objectivity, and a deep
understanding of the human experience.

Full refunds will be granted for any cancellations made prior to or on August
21, 2023.
No refunds will be made after this date. Students are responsible for the full
tuition payment as outlined in the payment options above, regardless of how
long they have participated in the program.

If you are paying in installments, here is the payment schedule for the 2023/24 academic year:

In order for students to receive the Certificate for completing the Meditation
Teacher program, participants must complete Awakening Wisdom: Joy of
Living 3 by the end of the program, August 2024. Please see below:

Prerequisites & Completion of JOL 1, 2, 3

Option 1: You are required to have completed Tergar Joy of Living Levels 1 and 2 and their corresponding homework before you begin the MTP program and should be committed to completing Level 3 and its corresponding homework by the end of the MTP program if you haven’t already. Please note that the Certificate of Completion will only be awarded upon completion of Joy of Living Levels 1, 2, and 3 and their corresponding homework.
Option 2: If you have had a minimum of three years of established meditation practice and have not taken Joy of Living Levels 1, 2, and 3, you are required to complete Tergar Joy of Living Levels 1 and 2 without their corresponding homework before the MTP program begins and should be committed to completing Level 3 without its corresponding homework by the end of the MTP program. Please note that the Certificate of Completion will only be awarded upon completion of Joy of Living Levels 1, 2, and 3.

MTP participants are expected to uphold the principles as outlined in the TI Code of Conduct. Instances where breaches of the Code of Conduct come to light may lead to potential expulsion from the program, without entitlement to a refund.

Student disciplinary matters are overseen by the MTP Advisory Council.

This is an online program that requires that you have access to and some familiarity with modern software like Zoom, which you will use to access our learning platform.

Technical support questions can be directed to mtpsupport@tergar.org.