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The Awareness Training Institute and the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley present
The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program
A Two-Year Online Training in Awareness and Compassion-Based
Practices with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach
A Two-Year Online Training in Awareness and Compassion-Based Practices with
Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach
This program happens only once every two years
Now more than ever, the world needs mindfulness
We created The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program to give people the training they need to share this life-changing practice with the world.
As a student of the program, you will:
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Learn to teach mindfulness meditation with tools for body, heart, mind, and community -
Acquire skills that apply mindfulness and self-compassion to relationships, conflict, trauma, organizational wisdom, and societal change
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Develop skills for leading groups and teaching a wide range of mindfulness practitioners with cultural sensitivity
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Grow and deepen your spiritual path
A Personal Letter From
Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield
Dear friends,
We are excited to share our two-year online Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with you. Our Teacher Certification Program has been in the making for over 30 years. And today, especially given the need for qualified mindfulness meditation teachers, training to teach is more compelling than ever. By joining this training, you will become part of a worldwide movement of people dedicated to bringing mindfulness meditation to local and global communities—people from all walks of life who are committed to mindful living and compassion, evolving consciousness, and personal and social transformation.
In this time of global challenges, the pandemic, climate crisis, and continuing racism and divisiveness, people are longing for wise ways to navigate, heal trauma, find resilience, and foster well-being. The teaching of mindfulness and compassion offers a powerful transformative medicine. The first three cohorts filled to capacity, so we encourage those interested not to miss this chance to enroll for the cohort beginning in 2025.
The program has both psychological and spiritual depth. It combines our powerful online curriculum with teachings led by guest faculty including Eckhart Tolle, Dan Siegel, George Mumford, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, Kristin Neff, and many more. Our program will begin and end with live virtual events. These online events will include small breakout sessions, live Q&A sessions, and opportunities for one-to-one connections to virtually meet other students from around the world.
As you journey through the curriculum, you’ll meet regularly with fellow students and 24 times in your small mentoring group with one of our highly trained teachers, who will serve as your Mentor, to practice and refine your skills. Many graduates report that the mentoring groups were a highlight of the training, providing community, guidance, and support for the entire two years. We’ve also added a new cultural sensitivity and racial awareness training, offering a unique and powerful opportunity for students to apply their deepening mindfulness practice to promote community building across the social chasms of race, ethnicity, and other divides.
Upon completion of the program, you will be certified by both the Awareness Training Institute and the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. Continuing Education credits will also be available.
This is an extraordinary learning experience. We will lovingly support and challenge you to do your own internal work to strengthen your practices of mindfulness and compassion, while honing your skills to bring this greater awareness to others. In this way, we invite you into a transformational journey to bring healing and connection to our suffering world.
We hope you can join us!
Tara & Jack
How Is the Program Organized?
During the program, you will engage in:
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Two special live virtual weekend eventsFeaturing Jack, Tara, and many of our Mentors and guest faculty. These online events will include small breakout sessions, live Q&A sessions, and opportunities for one-to-one connections to virtually meet other students from around the globe. You can participate from anywhere in the world. All sessions will be recorded and available for playback if you need to watch some sessions at a later time.
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Online video and audio learningAn in-depth curriculum with new teachings every month, designed and taught by Tara and Jack.
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Individual and group mentorshipMentorship sessions with highly qualified instructors to help support your learning, address your personal questions, and inspire growth areas.
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Group practice sessionsOpportunities to connect with your peers for feedback and support.
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Cultural sensitivity trainingAn innovative introductory racial and cultural awareness training with both recorded lessons and racial affinity group discussions that support deep introspection. These teachings are woven throughout the curriculum to serve your own awakening in this domain, and to support your capacity to teach a wide range of meditation practitioners with respect, understanding, and attunement.
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Additional live sessionsWith Jack, Tara, and special guest faculty. Presented throughout the program, these additional online teachings will offer you the opportunity to go deeper into various topics with time for Q&A.
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PracticumDuring your second year, you will engage in a Practicum where you initiate mindfulness classes in your local area to share and demonstrate your growing skill set. During this time, you will be supported by monthly teachings and broadcasts, monthly mentoring, and Peer Group meetings.
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Exclusive podcast seriesDive deeper and enhance your training with the exclusive MMTCP Podcast series featuring many of our guest teachers.
Who Is The Program For?
If you’re someone who engages in mindfulness personally or professionally, and values this practice as an important means for helping others, we encourage you to apply.
Therapists & Counselors
Social Workers
Healthcare Professionals
Spiritual Mentors
Healing Practitioners
Yoga Teachers
Why Become A Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher?
Teaching as a Gateway to Inner-Realization and Freedom
If you really want to learn something, teach it. Learning to share these practices and teachings with others will profoundly deepen your understanding, awareness, compassion, and well-being.
Supporting Others in Healing and Awakening
There is genuine gratification in being able to support others in their healing, personal growth, and spiritual awakening. Through the program you will become trained in a wide variety of skills and have the joy of teaching them to benefit others wherever you are.
Serving the Healing of Our World
Teaching mindfulness and compassion directly contributes to the evolution of global consciousness and the healing of our world. Your deepened understanding of systemic racism and other divisive societal conditioning that causes suffering will help inspire justice and compassion in our communities and a heightened caring for our earth.
Serving the Healing of Our World
Teaching mindfulness and compassion directly contributes to the evolution of global consciousness and the healing of our world. Your deepened understanding of systemic racism and other divisive societal conditioning that causes suffering will help inspire justice and compassion in our communities and a heightened caring for our earth.
Right Livelihood
Many of us wish to align our way of earning a living with our deepest values. Teaching mindfulness and compassion has the potential to contribute in a wholesome way to your own livelihood. The demand for meditation instruction is increasing not only among the general public, but also for those involved in EDUCATION, BUSINESS, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, HEALTH, PRISONS, MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION COUNSELING, COACHING, AND INDIVIDUAL AND PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION.
Right Livelihood
Many of us wish to align our way of earning a living with our deepest values. Teaching mindfulness and compassion has the potential to contribute in a wholesome way to your own livelihood. The demand for meditation instruction is increasing not only among the general public, but also for those involved in EDUCATION, BUSINESS, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, HEALTH, PRISONS, MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION COUNSELING, COACHING, AND INDIVIDUAL AND PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION.
The Blessings of Community
Participation in this teacher training program will give you the opportunity to learn and grow spiritually in an international community of practitioners dedicated to breaking down the barriers to connection. In addition, the intimacy of your small mentoring group allows for a gratifying depth in relationships. Your emerging local and virtual network will give you enormous support in your personal and professional growth.
Certification
With successful completion of this teacher training program, you will receive a certificate from the Awareness Training Institute and our partner, the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. This credential will support you in establishing meditation classes, workshops, and trainings in communities, organizations, and institutions throughout the world. You will also have access to an MMTCP Alumni Association to continue a rich, nourishing engagement with our global community.
Meet Your Teachers
Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack cofounded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein, and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. Jack has taught in centers and universities from Harvard to Stanford, mentored corporate and social change leaders, led International Buddhist Teacher meetings, and worked with many of the great teachers of our time. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is a grandfather, husband, and activist committed to racial equity and inclusivity, and to ecological and economic justice. His many books have been translated into 22 languages and sold more than 1.5 million copies. They include The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology; A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; and No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are.
Tara Brach
Tara Brach is an internationally known meditation teacher, has a PhD in clinical psychology, and is author of several books including international bestselling Radical Acceptance, Radical Compassion, and Trusting the Gold. Her popular weekly podcast on emotional healing and spiritual awakening is downloaded about 3 million times a month. She has offered presentations at a range of venues including the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, the American Psychological Association, Harvard Medical School, Washington DC Superior Court, Smithsonian, the New York Times, and Salesforce. Tara is founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) and has been active in bringing meditation into schools and prisons, to those struggling with addiction, and to other marginalized communities. Tara has taken numerous trainings in understanding and undoing systemic racism, and has worked with her colleagues at IMCW to apply these insights to their own community. As a cofounder and teacher of MMTCP, she is deeply engaged with the leadership team in promoting equity and inclusivity in all facets of MMTCP.
Guest Teachers
During the training, we will invite a number of colleagues to join as guest teachers for live teachings followed by Q&A. You will also have the opportunity to learn from a range of renowned senior meditation teachers through the exclusive MMTCP Podcast series.
These guest teachers include:
Christiane Wolf
Dan Siegel
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle
George Mumford
George Mumford
Joanna Hardy
Joanna Macy
Jonathan Foust
Judson Brewer
Konda Mason
Konda Mason
Kristin Neff
Kristin Neff
Peter Levine
Rick Hanson
Sebene Selassie
Thomas Hübl
Trudy Goodman
Trudy Goodman
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
Kate Johnson
Mentorship Program
The mentorship program is a critical and fulfilling part of your journey in The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. Small Mentor Groups facilitated by a highly qualified Mentor provide you the opportunity for creating lasting connections with your peers while you refine your skills with a seasoned and experienced guide. Our Mentors were hand-selected by Tara and Jack, and most have trained directly with them to become meditation teachers. You will have an opportunity to select your Mentor Group from a list of Mentors and their available group dates and times before the program begins.
Throughout the program, your Mentor will:
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Facilitate monthly mentoring group calls with a small group of up to 6 students -
Hold individual Mentor calls to support your specific needs as a teacher in training (3 over the course of the program)
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Follow a set Mentor program curriculum carefully designed by Jack and Tara to build your teaching skills
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Guide you in using practices for inclusive teaching and supporting “difficult conversations”
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Provide feedback as you exercise your skill building in these sessions
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Wholeheartedly encourage and support the aspiration and intention of each student
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Guide and support you to become a certified teacher of awareness
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Serve as a role model in leading compassion-based practices for you to share in your own communities
Mentor Program Leaders
The mentorship program is led by our Mentor Director, Anne Cushman, and a team of Mentor leaders who regularly meet with Tara and Jack to help shape the Mentor Group curriculum and guide Mentors in delivering the highest-quality experience to their students.
Anne Cushman (she/her), Director of Mentoring
The mentorship program is led by Anne Cushman. Anne has been integrating mindfulness, embodiment practices, and creative expression for over 35 years. She is a member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where she founded a multiyear dharma training for yoga teachers. She is the author of the memoir The Mama Sutra, the novel Enlightenment for Idiots, the mindful yoga book Moving Into Meditation, and the India pilgrimage guide From Here to Nirvana, and her essays on spiritual practice in daily life have appeared in the New York Times, Yoga Journal, O: The Oprah Magazine, Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, and many other publications. She is currently deeply engaged with the MMTCP Mentor Leadership Team in building personal and organizational practices that promote equity and inclusion. She mentors meditation students and writers worldwide and leads retreats and courses with a focus on creativity, embodiment, and daily life practice.
Dalila Bothwell (she/her)
Dalila Bothwell embraces a dharma-meditation practice centered on love for community, land, justice, and 12-step recovery. Dalila is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders program, formally educated in nutritional science and food studies, and was a director for New York Insight Meditation Center for nearly a decade. She has also served with the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and Insight Meditation Society.
Solwazi Johnson (he/his)
Solwazi Johnson has been teaching for over 20 years with a focus on vipassana. He has studied in Thailand, Burma, India, and South Africa. He is certified as a Community Dharma Leader by Jack Kornfield and Spirit Rock Meditation Center and is a graduate of the four-year Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program. Solwazi is also the guiding teacher for a Buddhist ministry program in a US federal prison.
Debra Kerr (she/her)
Debra Kerr is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders program. She is a Core Teacher at East Bay Meditation Center, where she also guides the Every Body Every Mind Sangha for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Her meditation practice is influenced by both Theravadan and Dzogchen teachings, and she is dedicated to using the tools of Buddhist practice to dismantle racism and other forms of oppression and exclusion.
What Will I Learn?
The mindfulness teacher training curriculum aims to imbue learners with the transformational principles underlying meditation and guide them in skillfully offering these powerful practices to others. Trainees will learn the application of meditation to relationships and societal change, explore the interface of meditation with Western psychology and cutting-edge science, and develop teaching skills and receive guidance on how to establish classes and workshops.
Specific Content Includes:
Core practices
Develop your practice with mindfulness, body scans, movement, concentration, inquiry, open awareness, and meditations that awaken a compassionate heart.
Training in the domains of mindfulness
Practice awareness as it relates to your body and your feelings, emotions, mind states, and awareness itself. Learn how to expand the field of mindfulness to include wise relationships with others and the entire living world.
Skill-building lessons
Become skilled and confident in giving talks, conducting individual and small group sessions, guiding meditations, and responding to questions.
Transformational applications
Use meditation to address physical pain, emotional challenges, trauma, relational difficulties, interpersonal conflict, and domains of collective, societal suffering.
The ethics of teaching
Understand and learn to handle ethical issues that arise in teaching and in the student-teacher relationship, including awareness of, and taking responsibility for, the teacher’s impact on students from diverse backgrounds.
Mindful movement
Complement sitting practices by learning mindful movement, teaching embodied awareness in movement, and engaging students with a rich, grounded, somatic experience of meditation.
Cultural sensitivity
Build the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that will enhance your capacity to teach a wide range of mindfulness practitioners across culture, race, gender, ability, and other societally conditioned divides.
Engaged spirituality
Transform consciousness by actively engaging mindfulness and compassion to end social injustice, racism, violence, ecological harm, and other expressions of suffering.
Cultivating community
Learn to design and promote classes and workshops with inclusive facilitation skills in order to create a nurturing and caring community of dedicated learners who learn with and from one another.
“The spiritual path is not a solo endeavor. We are in it together, and the company of spiritual friends helps us realize our interconnectedness.”
TARA BRACH
Praise for Tara and Jack
“Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience as well as ten more years of personal experience on the path of awakening, Tara Brach’s superb second book brings readers ever more deeply in touch with our true nature. This book is a precious gift, filled with insight, shared from heart to heart.”
“What an extraordinary mind is Jack Kornfield’s. Curious by nature and brightly shining from birth, tempered by suffering, both personal and worldly …”
“Tara Brach writes and teaches with an open and loving heart. She reminds us that we each have the capacity to connect to ourselves and others in a deep and lasting way.”
“Tara shows us an awakened intelligence and kindness that are a radical freedom in themselves.”
“[Jack] brings to life a way to understand and cultivate mindfulness, compassion, lovingkindness, and true wisdom …”
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“To begin to meditate is to look into our lives with interest and kindness and discover how to be wakeful and free.”
JACK KORNFIELD
Certificate of Completion
Upon graduation, you will receive a certificate of completion from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Sounds True, and the Awareness Training Institute.
The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being, and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society. Based at the University of California, Berkeley, the GGSC is unique in its commitment to both science and practice: it not only sponsors groundbreaking scientific research but also helps people apply this research to their personal and professional lives.
While The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program does offer a certificate of completion and Continuing Education credits, please note that it does not offer any credits or a degree from the University of California.
Questions? We are here for you!
Please see the Admissions page & FAQ page for answers to the most common questions.
“If every 8-year-old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.”
Dalai Lama
Affiliated With
For more information, contact admissions-mmtcp@soundstrue.com.
© 2023 SOUNDS TRUE · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED · PRIVACY POLICY
© 2022 SOUNDS TRUE · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED · PRIVACY POLICY
