Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation
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
Fall 2021
Applications open August 1st
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 - August 30th |
 | Course dates | October 10th - December 11th |
 | Duration | 9 Weeks |
 | Time commitment | 7-10 hours per week |
 | Participation expectation | Intensive |
 | Prerequisite | Establishment in a basic mindfulness practice |
 | Self-Paced components: | • Weekly lectures • reading assignments • sutta study • guided meditation • optional quizzes |
 | Interactive components | • Weekly 90 minute live small group discussions • sutta study meetings • 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: August 1st
Applications Close: August 30th
Initial Accepted Applicants Notified: Sept 4th - 6th
Registration: September 6th-30th
Fall 2021 Course Dates: October 10th - December 11th
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
Rachel Lewis
Rachel Lewis is a participant in the 2017-2021 IMS Teacher Training Program, as well as a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Program and Community Dharma Leaders training. She began practicing meditation while completing her physics PhD at Yale. She developed a songbook of Buddhist music including her own choral arrangements of traditional chants. She has taught classes and retreats in British Columbia since 2010.
Jill Shepherd
Jill Shepherd began practicing insight meditation in Thailand in 1999, and since that time has lived and worked at several meditation centers and monasteries in the US, Australia, England, and Thailand. She is a graduate of the IMS / Spirit Rock teacher training program in the US, under the guidance of Joseph Goldstein and Gil Fronsdal. Jill has recently facilitated BCBS's online Entering the Path course for three iterations.
Mary Aubry
Mary Aubry leads meditation retreats on insight, the jhānas, abiding in emptiness, and the brahmavihārās. In addition, she has taught for programs that support mindfully meeting aging, illness, and dying, as well as training meditation companions for the aging, ill, and dying and those who love and care for them. Prior to becoming a full-time meditation teacher, Mary worked as a lawyer at the U.S. Justice Department for 24 years.
Walt Opie
Walt Opie has practiced insight meditation with various teachers since 1993. He leads sitting groups for people in recovery and serves as a volunteer teacher with Buddhist Pathways Prison Project. A graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders program, he is a participant in the 2017-2021 IMS Teacher Training Program.
Jeanne Corrigal
Jeanne Corrigal has been practicing since 1999, is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader Program, and the guiding teacher for theSaskatoon Insight Meditation Community. Jeanne is a member of the mixed heritage Métis Nation, one of three Indigenous communities recognized in Canada. One of her first teachers in loving presence was Cree Elder Jim Settee. She is a graduate of the 2017-2021 IMS teacher training program.
Course Curriculum
| Week 1 | Orientation; 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 2021 meeting times can be found here. 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.
