Community Dharma Leader 5 Program (CDL5)

NOTE: THE NEXT ITERATION OF THIS PROGRAM IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING FORMULATED AND DEVELOPED. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT DATES, LOCATIONS, AND APPLICATION PROCESSES.

In these extremely demanding times that require the optimum ethical, wise and compassionate responses to deep suffering from spiritual, economic, socio-political and environmental ills, we believe that the teachings and practices of Buddhism help bring forth such responses. Leaders who are ethical, who understand the principles of dharma practice and who can elicit clarity, kindness and patience within their communities are urgently needed as the Dharma begins to sink deeper into the Western experience and as opportunities increasingly arise for creating access to practice in diverse, multicultural communities.

In support of this and in response to growing interest in the Dharma, Spirit Rock is delighted to offer a continuation of its Community Dharma Leadership Program in the form of CDL5. This program is offered as a training and support for those who are committed to and rooted in Dharma practice with the ability to develop leadership skills. This training, while embedded in the ancient lineage of Theravada, also is designed to encourage creative, intuitive and innovative responses enabling these timeless teachings to be applied to our contemporary lives, offering us a Path through the complex difficulties of our World in spiritual, social, political, cultural, interpersonal, and personal contexts.

Over the past 15 years, the Community Dharma Leadership program has established an invaluable foundation and accumulated experience in preparing and training leadership skills in service of sharing the Buddhadharma in our relationships- interpersonal, local sanghas, organizations, and various communities. Building on this vision of CDL, we invite you to join with us to inspire, motivate, and cultivate the next generation of Dharma Leaders who will support the Teachings in an increasingly diverse, multicultural, and expansive communities of practitioners.

The Community Dharma Leaders Program (CDL5) will support Dharma leadership on the non-residential community level and in lay practice. The program will include comprehensive training and competencies needed to:

1. Bring dharma values and sensibilities into leadership within lay practice, professional, secular, and community venues;
2. Lead sitting groups;
3. Teach beginning classes and daylong retreats;
4. Develop community-based sanghas and dharma organizations;
5. Expand access to the teachings beyond previously served populations;
6. Embody the skills needed for attunement, empathy and sensitivity to the role of teacher, the communities being taught and within the context of team teaching.
7. Facilitate rites of passage and develop competency with Buddhist ritual; and
8. Explore community outreach to people and communities heretofore underrepresented.

For More Information

Over the next few months, Spirit Rock will continue designing the program, the application process, and determining program pre-requisites. Please check back to this page for further updates. We respectfully request that the Spirit Rock Front Office not be called for more information.

Please bookmark this page. In the future, more information will be posted here as it’s available.

Thank you.