January 2017 – After some years of discussion and planning, IMS is set to begin a new Teacher Training Program in 2017, designed to train participants to become insight meditation retreat teachers. The majority of the trainees will be people of color.
The program’s core faculty is Joseph Goldstein, DaRa Williams, Kamala Masters, Rebecca Bradshaw, Bonnie Duran and Gil Fronsdal, with Guy Armstrong and Carol Wilson also contributing to the curriculum development and program implementation. Together with other visiting teachers, including Sharon Salzberg, all will offer guidance over the course of the four-year training.
Both this program, and a separate one to be offered by Spirit Rock (led by Gina Sharpe, Larry Yang and Lila Kate Wheeler), reflect our shared visions of greater diversity, equity and inclusion in our sanghas. When the trainings end in 2021, they will result in a significant increase in the number of people of color teachers and leaders, in turn benefiting the many insight meditation communities across the country.
An invitation and application process is currently underway, with the first gathering of IMS trainees scheduled for August 2017 at our Retreat Center.
