Welcome to the members of the 2025-2028 IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program. Read their bios here.
In January 2025, the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock launched the first joint Teacher Training Program (TTP) we have run together since 2016. Run sometimes separately and other times jointly by IMS and Spirit Rock for decades, the four-year TTP is the primary means by which lay meditation teachers become qualified to teach retreats at insight meditation centers and communities across the country and abroad. Many of the established teachers who guide IMS and Spirit Rock retreats—teachers you know and love—are graduates of the TTP.
For the 2025-2028 training, 44 candidates were nominated between July and December of 2023, 30 from that group were invited to apply, and in June of 2024, 23 people were notified of their acceptance into the program. The six lead teachers for this Teacher Training Program are DaRa Williams, Rebecca Bradshaw, and Shelly Graf, on behalf of IMS; and Tuere Sala, Tempel Smith, and John Martin from Spirit Rock.
The IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program (TTP) has long been a source of mystery to those who are new to our respective communities, and even to those who’ve been around for some time. We often get asked about the application process, how cohorts are formed, and what trainees experience over the course of the four-year training.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Teacher Training Program
How does the selection process work?
Rather than applying, candidates for the TTP must be nominated by established IMS or Spirit Rock teachers. This approach helps maintain the clarity of the transmission of the Dharma within the Theravada tradition, as well as upholding the integrity of the IMS and Spirit Rock retreat experiences…read more
What are the criteria for assessing TTP nominees?
The teaching team looks for candidates who have a deep faith in the Buddhadhamma, a demonstrated depth of practice, and impeccable sila (morality, or right conduct). A well-qualified candidate will be interested in teaching silent retreats rooted in the Pali canon/early Buddhist teachings, have demonstrated leadership skills, and have the capacity for self-sufficiency and empathy… read more
Does the teaching team consider diversity when forming a TTP cohort?
The group of trainees for the upcoming program is extremely diverse—across ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, geography, and socioeconomic background. Creating such a cohort was easy this year, because the pool of nominated candidates was already so diverse, says program lead teacher Tuere Sala. “How naturally we pulled this group together is a testament to how much effort has been put into diversity in prior years,” Tuere says…read more
Do nominating teachers stay involved throughout the training?
By submitting a name for consideration, teachers are making a considerable commitment to their nominee. For the 2025–2028 iteration, teachers who nominated a student agreed to be their candidate’s mentoring teacher throughout the program... read more
Where and how often does the group meet during the TTP?
The program includes three weeklong retreats each year: one at Spirit Rock in Woodacre, California; another at IMS, at the nearby Barre Center for Buddhist Studies; and a third online…read more
What is included in the program?
Over the next four years, a robust curriculum, mentoring, and retreat teaching experience will deepen the trainees’ ability to transmit the Buddha’s teachings of liberation. The TTP includes a training component and an apprenticeship component, which function like theory and practice. The training component covers four areas: the cultivation of the students’ Dharma knowledge; the deepening of their Dharma practice, largely through sitting retreats during the program; the development of their teaching skills; and the deepening of their personal growth and maturity…read more
How much does the TTP cost?
“We’re not charging the students anything for retreat time,” says Inger Forland, IMS Executive Director. “The responsibility of training Dharma teachers is really one of the most important things we can hold as a major center in our tradition–and I know our friends at Spirit Rock feel the same. Everything that we can offer, we’re both offering for free”…read more
What does the TTP cost IMS and Spirit Rock, and how can I donate?
The total cost to the centers for the upcoming TTP is $720,000, and Spirit Rock and IMS are each responsible for half that amount. The price tag is $160,000 higher than the last iteration of the TTP, as this time around, lead teachers will receive a modest monthly stipend for the program, rather than relying entirely on dana as in the past… read more
If you would like to support the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program, click here.
