MahaSati National Training 2024-2025 (2 years starting January 2024) for up to 25 participants
** There will be an option for continuing a 2 Year MahaSati Advanced Training in 2026 – 2027
Registration Window Open for Applications and NonRefundable Deposit Information
- February 15 – November 20, 2023
- Please contact Heather to receive an Application at heather<at>heathersundberg.com.
- Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the program fills at 20 – 25 participants. You are encouraged to apply early.
- Applications received after the program is full or after the application window closes (whichever comes first) will automatically be considered for the waitlist.
- If you are accepted to the Training, a $700 nonrefundable online payment Deposit will be due within 7 days. The remainder nonrefundable donation for the Training will be due in January 2024. See below for financial details of the Training.
- Please only apply if you are committed to the Training, not just if you are interested/undecided and want to find out if you would get in.
Pre-Requisites for the Training
- 5 Years of Buddhist practice (in any Buddhist tradition) and 35+ Nights of Retreat (preferably all residential retreat)
- You must have a prior connection with Heather, either through sitting a retreat with her (online or in person), or some other event. There may be still time to ‘make this connection’ by choosing a retreat with Heather in the period of time before the Application period closes, or setting up some Individual Sessions with Heather.
- Feeling drawn to Awareness Emptiness teachings and practice in any tradition and/or to the Thai Forest tradition style of teachings.
- A deep commitment to the Dharma, and open mindedness when meeting new teachings and practices.
- A commitment to the ethical precepts of non-harming, including not currently struggling with active addiction to recreational drugs or alcohol (12 steppers with more than 5 years recovery are most welcome).
- The training will support you best if you are not currently struggling with active trauma or in the middle of ongoing active trauma related therapy. The recommendation would be to apply for MahaSati Training after you attend to the currently arising trauma with appropriate professional support.
- Commitment to the financial requirements. Limited scholarship money will be available, but the ability to contribute financially is expected. If you have a financial need, please indicate that when applying.
- Participants will be accepted into the Training mainly based on their meditative experience and commitment to practice, connection with Heather and the teachings of the Training, and their psychological/spiritual maturity.
Training Will Include
1. Eight Self-Paced Modules per year for 2 years (16 total) including:
• At Home Study and Practice Materials
• Password Protected Recordings of the teachings and guided meditations for participants only, during your training
period
• MahaSati Training Manual available only to Training participants
2. Six Optional Attendance Whole Group Gatherings on Zoom during the Two-Year Training.
You will have access to the Recordings of each event.
Year 1
• Orientation and Initial Teachings – January 2024
• First Transmission into MahaSati Doorways – May 2024
• Deeper Dive into MahaSati Transmission – October 2024
Year 2
• Orientation to Year 2, plus teachings on the 3 Subtle Characteristics – January 2025
• Deeper Dive into MahaSati Cutting Through practices – Early Summer 2025
• Conclusion to Year 2, plus teachings on the Suttas in relation to MahaSati – Late Fall 2025
** Exact dates will be provided after you are accepted into the training.
3. A Commitment to Ten Individual Sessions with Heather per year to support and deepen meditation and daily life MahaSati practice. Sessions are on the Phone or Zoom.
4. One Mandatory ONLINE MahaSati Retreat per year, to deepen Mahasati practice.
• These Online Retreat will be tailored specially to our Training group and what we will learn and practice with in Year 1 and Year 2 Curriculum.
• You can attend this retreat from your home, a local rented accommodation, or gather with a few other MahaSati trainees and rent a place together so you have retreat friends practicing together in person during your online retreat. Heather can offer guidance and support for all these options.
• Three Different Sets of Dates for the 2024 MahaSati Online Retreat will be offered in the Application for you to choose from, and Heather will decide which retreat dates based on which dates the most people can attend.
• May 4 – 12; July 13 – 20; October 6 – 13th
• As an alternative, an Audit Retreat Recordings with Individual Teacher Support in Self-Retreat option for those who cannot make the dates Heather chooses according to the application preferences. Please note, both the online retreat and audit retreat recordings with teacher support options have the same requested donation sliding scale.
** If having an annual in person retreat is important to you, consider attending a second annual retreat in person with another teacher.
Optional Online Weekend Retreats: Heather often offers one MahaSati weekend retreat per year, which serves as a deeper dive into relevant MahaSati teachings and practices for your training group. These weekend retreats are optional and donations for them are offered separately from the MahaSati Training.
5. Monthly Small Peer Group Zooms to discuss practice, study and develop community support.
Joining a Small Group is optional. Having an individual Dharma Buddy is another option.
Financial Support Commitments for the Teacher & the Training **
Participants are asked to offer as high on the sliding scales as they can comfortably afford.
1. The Two Year Training will be offered on a Donation Sliding Scale between $1350 – $2500. This includes the Six Zoom Events, all Recordings, At Home Study and Practice materials, and the MahaSati Training Manual. It also includes Application and Registration processing, and Administration support for the ongoing Training for the entire 2 years.
• Deposit of $675 (non-refundable) due 7 days after acceptance into the Training.
• Remainder of the Sliding Scale Donation (also non-refundable) due in January 2024.
• Monthly donations available upon request for those on fixed income.
• Partial Scholarships available upon request, first-come basis.
Committing Level: An offering of $1350 is a basic support offering for Heather for the two year training.
Sustaining Level: An offering of $1850 or Above is an offering of support which allows Heather increased sustainability to continue and deepen the MahaSati teachings and offerings – Thank you!
Benefactor Level: ** An offering of above $2400 up to whatever amount you choose (can be above $2500) will be put into a fund for Heather to use to offer Scholarships to be offered to other participants who need financial support – Thank you!
Benefactee Level: ** Please ask if you need financial support and Heather can tell you how much Scholarship money is available from gifts from the wider MahaSati Training community.
2. The Commitment to Ten Annual Individual Sessions per year with Heather are also offered on a Sliding ScaleTeacher Support Model.
55 minute sessions: $110-$175; 30 minute sessions: $60-$100
For those in financial need, we can set up a Benefactor/Benefactee system in which you are anonymously supported by another person in the training who offers ‘above’ the low end of the sliding scale for their sessions. The support is available, please ask.
3. The Annual MahaSati Retreat is signed up for and paid for separately.
Cost of retreat and Donation Sliding Scale will vary by retreat. Below are estimates of the cost of the retreat and donation sliding scales.
• 2024 Online Retreat Estimate Cost: $500 – $1000
Covers the Sliding Scale for the whole retreat (registration, preparation, managing/zoom hosting and teaching)
** There is limited financial assistance available for the MahaSati Training, based on the generosity of those who offer above $2400 on the sliding scale for the Training, as well as MahaSati Trainees in other groups who have offered Heather a small financial offering to support those who want to join this training who are in financial need. There is no organization sponsoring this training, all scholarship financial support comes directly from Heather and the other students in the Training.
“Heather is an inspiring, skilled, and eloquent teacher. Her warmth and generosity shine in her sessions. I have a feeling of “coming home” as I practice her Mahasati curriculum that highlights the body (with lots of practical nervous system practices), samadhi, and awareness. Because of her personal biography, I deeply trust her interpretation of the Dharma. She has a delightful sense of humor and uses her varied life experiences as teaching examples. I am so glad I took the plunge and committed myself to her 2-year program.” ~ Karen, VT