Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation
October 8 - December 10, 2022
An online study and practice course
guided by Bhikkhu Anālayo
with facilitating teachers
9 Weeks of practice and focused study on the liberating teachings of the Satipaṭṭhāna sutta, a foundational early Buddhist teaching
Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation is an interactive and comprehensive online program modeled on in-person courses offered by Venerable Bhikkhu Anālayo on the foundational mindfulness text the Satipaṭṭhāna-sutta. While based on scholarly research, the emphasis throughout this online course is on what is relevant to actual meditation practice. In order to promote accessibility and support individual learning styles, students are offered a variety of tools to make this text personally relevant and to integrate it into daily living.
The core text for this course is Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation: A Practice Guide by Bhikkhu Anālayo. The student experience is enriched by a variety of learning modalities and practice experiences, including interactive group study meetings facilitated by guiding teachers, recorded guided meditations and video lectures by Bhikkhu Analayo, moderated forum-based discussions, and practical exercises. Each week students will investigate one aspect of the four foundations of mindfulness by contemplating a particular aspect of body, mind, feeling, or the dhammas.
From previous students of this course:
"The curriculum was incredibly well-designed, the teachings were well-paced and clear, and the sangha discussions were wonderful!"
"Shook me to my core and reawakened the kind of passion for the Dharma I first had in my teens."
"The online sangha was and is wonderful. I learned so much from my fellow travelers."
"You have taken online teaching to a new level."
Course Overview
 | Application time frame | August 1st - September 2nd |
 | Course dates | October 8th - December 10th, 2022 (Orientation week Oct. 3-8) |
 | Duration | 9 Weeks |
 | Time commitment | 7-10 hours per week |
 | Participation expectation | Intensive |
 | Prerequisite | Establishment in a basic mindfulness practice |
 | Self-Paced components: | • Video lectures • Audio guided meditations • Reading assignments • Sutta study • Contributing to discussion forums • Non-graded review questions |
 | Interactive components | • Weekly 90 minute live group meetings including: • Break-out practice and sutta study discussions • Moderated weekly written discussion forums |
Certification Track
This online course offers an optional certification track, which would qualify students to meet the prerequisites for Bhikkhu Anālayo's advanced online and residential courses (Mindfulness of Breathing and Brahmavihāra & Emptiness). The optional certification track requires the completion of a final reflection and review of participation.
Timeline
Applications Open: July 25th
Applications Close: September 2nd
Initial Accepted Applicants Notified: September 6th
Registration: September 6th-30th
Orientation Week: October 3rd-8th
Fall 2022 Course Dates: October 8th-December 10th
Guiding Teacher
Bhikkhu Anālayo is a scholar-monk and the author of numerous books on meditation and early Buddhism, such as Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, Perspectives on Satipatthāna, and Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide. He is a Faculty Member at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, having retired from being a professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg. His main area of academic research is early Buddhism, with a special interest in the topics of meditation and women in Buddhism. At the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies he regularly teaches residential study & practice courses, participates in online programs and undertakes research into meditation-related themes.
Bhikkhu Anālayo has designed the course curriculum and program structure, and is supporting the facilitating teacher team. There will be no live contact with Bhikkhu Anālayo during the program.
Facilitating Teachers
Tuere Sala
Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS). She is a retired prosecuting attorney who has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 25 years and has been a practicing member of SIMS since 2001. She is also the founding teacher of the Capitol Hill Meditation Group. Tuere has a long history of assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice. Her teachings reflect an approach to Dharma that is both easy to follow and understand – making it accessible to everyone.
Rachel Lewis
Rachel Lewis began practicing insight meditation in 2003, while completing her physics PhD at Yale. Since 2011, she has taught dharma and meditation classes and retreats in British Columbia and beyond. She completed the IMS/IRC 4-year teacher training in 2021, and is a guiding teacher of the British Columbia Insight Meditation Society. Her dharma teaching interests include the power of music, humour, and creativity to increase our capacity for learning, as well as the way that practice supports and is supported by social justice work.
Walt Opie
Walt Opie was first introduced to insight meditation in 1993 and began sitting retreats in 2005. Currently, his most influential teachers include Bhikkhu Anālayo, Joseph Goldstein, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, and Gil Fronsdal. Walt is a graduate of the 2017-2021 IMS Teacher Training Program, as well as Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders program. He has led sitting groups for people in recovery and served as a volunteer teacher in several California prisons.
Jeanne Corrigal
Jeanne Corrigal is the guiding teacher for the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community, and a graduate of the 2017-2021 IMS teacher training program. She deeply appreciates metta and nature based practices. She is certified with Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy, is a certified MBSR teacher, and has trained with Mindful Schools and Somatic Experiencing. She is Métis, and one of her first teachers in loving presence was Cree Elder Jim Settee.
Nakawe Cuebas Berrios
For over 20 years, Nakawe Cuebas has immersed herself in the teachings of the early Buddhist schools, mainly Theravada and Thai Forest. She studied in the Dedicated Practitioners Program and Community Dharma Leaders Program affiliated with Spirit Rock. She teaches Meditation through the Buddha Dharma. She is a graduate of the 2017-2021 IMS Teacher Training program, and she shares the Dharma by assisting and teaching on retreats. For 10 years she has served as a mentor with the BAUS Prisoner Correspondence course.
Course Curriculum
| Pre-launch week | Orientation |
| Week 1 | Mindfulness, Satipaṭṭhāna |
| Week 2 | First Satipaṭṭhāna (Body): Contemplation of Anatomical Parts |
| Week 3 | First Satipaṭṭhāna (Body): Contemplation of Elements |
| Week 4 | First Satipaṭṭhāna (Body): Contemplation of Death |
| Week 5 | Second Satipaṭṭhāna (Feeling): Contemplation of Feelings |
| Week 6 | Third Satipaṭṭhāna (Mind): Contemplation of Mind |
| Week 7 | Fourth Satipaṭṭhāna (Dhammas): Contemplation of the Hindrances |
| Week 8 | Fourth Satipaṭṭhāna (Dhammas): Contemplation of the Awakening Factors |
| Week 9 | Conclusion and Integration |
Course Participation
This course requires considerable commitment from participants. We require attendance at weekly virtual meetings, as well as completion of writing prompts and course assessments throughout the program. The required time commitment is roughly 7-10 hours per week.
Each week includes:
- 1 hour of reading
- 90 minutes of a small group video meeting**
- 20-30 minutes of video lectures
- 30 minutes of daily practice with guided meditations
- Contribution to written discussion boards
- Additional time for personal study and completion of course assignments
**The small group meeting is the only course component which happens at a fixed time, and meetings will occur at same day/time every week. A list of the Fall 2022 meeting times will be available by July 1st. Applicants will select the times that they are available for on the application. Attendance is mandatory.
Ethical Commitment
In early Buddhist thought, tranquility and insight are complementary dimensions of meditative cultivation, traditionally based on a solid foundation in moral conduct and part of a gradual process of training. This online course will follow the Buddha's principle of ethics as the foundation for Satipaṭṭhāna practice. Participation in this course is supported by group commitment to respect and non-harming, applying to both communication with others and also to one's personal relationship with the practice.
Program Fee, Teacher Dāna and Scholarships
The course fee is $450. This does not include financial support for the facilitating teachers. As is customary at BCBS, there will be an opportunity to offer dāna to the teachers at the end of the program.
We are committed to making this program accessible to all. Financial assistance is available to help supplement the course fee. Requests for financial assistance may be made in the registration process. If accepted into the course, a 30%, 40% or 50% scholarship can be selected on the registration page, and it will be applied directly. If the financial assistance need is over 50% of the course fee, there is a space to indicate what amount of the course fee would be affordable, and we will offer what we can to accommodate the request. We generally only offer financial assistance one time per person per year so as to make this support available to as many students as possible.
Application Process and Criteria for Selection
In order to maintain weekly study groups to support the intimate nature of the program, space in the course is limited by the number of small groups we can offer. For those who meet the prerequisite experience of having a basic mindfulness practice, applications are processed on a lottery basis, with some spaces reserved for people of color and young adults.
Establishment in a basic mindfulness practice is the prerequisite experience for this course.
As we work to become a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse community, we invite feedback/suggestions you may have regarding ways that we can make participation in the program more accessible and welcoming; please email us at contact@buddhistinquiry.org.
Participants in the Early Buddhist Meditation Path Program are not eligible for this course while the Path program is in session.
