MahaSati

MahaSati Training Years 7 – 8 (2026 – 2027)

This training is only for those who have completed Years 5 – 6 MahaSati Training.

Year 7 Curriculum

• In Year 7 of MahaSati Training, each of the 6 At Home Practices explores different suttas from a MahaSati perspective and then weaves them with new practical yet esoteric teachings from Ajahn Jumnien to help us further stabilize MahaSati access in daily life.
• There will also be a ‘core study text’ for the year, Heather is currently deciding between two options.
• Ajahn Jumnien’s Teachings include
  
  • Using MahaSati to Make Decisions and Relate with Others
• • Using MahaSati to Untangle the Defilements through using Chakra Practices
• • Using Mantra and Chanting infused with Emptiness-Pure Awareness to Bless Something
• • Using Emptiness and Metta to Help Us Sleep
  • Teachings on Communicating with the Unseen Beings, Calling in Spiritual Support
    

Year 8 Curriculum

• In Year 8 of MahaSati Training, for each of the 6 At Home Practices, the emphasis will be the ‘verses of awakening’ from different masters, plus Ajahn Jumnien’s explorations on awakening, and the ways we can use these inspiring teachings to support our own awakening journey and integration of insights on the path.

• Verses of Awakening from the Masters includes:
  • The Buddha
  • Ajahn Mun
  • Awakened Nuns at the time of the Buddha
  • Upasika Kee
  • Mae Chee Kaew
  • Ajahn Buddhadasa
• Teachings of awakening from Ajahn Jumnien include:
  • Pivotal teaching story from Luang Por’s practice: 3x he doubted he was an Arahat
  • Deeper dive into MahaSati Breaking Apart the Aggregates
  • Unique Stages of Enlightenment teaching
  • The Stages of Stream Entry
• Other topics include,
  • Another deep dive into Integrating Insights themes and practices, testing awareness – it never ends folks, it’s how we learn to trust what is awake through us…
  • A sutta which teaches us to ‘test for awakening’
  • Creative opportunities for writing, art, movement, or personal reading on the topic of awakening
  • Reflections on our longer arcs of practice and what is needed now to continue to ‘familiarize and stabilize’ with the deeper refuge of Awareness
• Please note, the themes in Year 8 naturally overflowed into Year 9, which is our next cycle of MahaSati Training (Years 9 – 10), assuming we still have ‘critical mass’ of participation from MahaSati 2020 Training participants.

Years 7 – 8 Training Will Include

1.  Six Self-Paced Modules for Year 7 and Six Self-Paced Modules for Year 8 (12 total) including:

• At Home Study & Practice Materials
• Password Protected Recordings of the teachings and guided meditations for participants only

2.  Four Optional Attendance Whole Group Gatherings on Zoom during the Two-Year Training

Year 7, 2026:  Two Optional Attendance Whole Group Gatherings on Zoom and recorded:

• Intro to Years 7- 8, plus Introductions to Core Study Text and Ajahn Jumnien’s practical yet esoteric teachings for this year
• Deep dive into Ajahn Jumnien’s practical yet esoteric practices for MahaSati in daily life

Year 8, 2027:  Two Optional Attendance Whole Group Gatherings on Zoom and recorded:

• Introduction to Verses of Awakening from different masters and Ajahn Jumnien’s direct teachings on awakening
• Conclusion to Year 8, includes deep dive into Year 8 themes

3.  A Commitment to Ten Individual Sessions with Heather per year to support and deepen meditation and daily life MahaSati practice.  

4.  One Mandatory MahaSati Residential Retreat per year, to deepen Mahasati practice.

• Two Possible Options
  • Online with MS 2022 and (CSP) Group 1:
    • 2026:  ‘Deep dive’ into MahaSati Mind in Movement themes as well as Year 5 curriculum themes.
    • 2027: ‘Deep dive’ into MahaSati Mind in Movement themes as well as Year 6 curriculum themes.
    • As usual you can sit this retreat from home or with one or more other folks from our Training in rented accommodations in different geographical areas.
  • In person San Diego B&B retreat, if the in person crew wants to keep holding them, June 2026.
    • 2027 TBD (there might be a in person retreat at a retreat center in 2027).

5.  NEW One Optional Additional Online ‘Deep Dive’ Long Weekend Retreat in January 2026 on ‘The MahaSati Perspective on Transcendent Dependent Origination’.

• This is the first time Heather will teach on this topic to any of the MahaSati Training groups, and all more experienced training groups will be invited to attend.
• Registration for these weekends will be separate from the Training donation. You can also choose to ‘audit retreat recordings’ instead of attend live.

6.  NEW One Optional Attendance Annual Online ‘Deep Dive’ Weekend Retreat per year on MahaSati Subtle Near Misses (Fall 2026) and MahaSati Mind in Movement (2027) teachings and practices.

• Registration for these weekends will be separate from the Training donation. You can also choose to ‘audit retreat recordings’ instead of attend live.
• These events will be attended by those in the MahaSati 2020, Group 1, 2022, and 2024, Training groups.

7. Monthly Small Group to discuss practice, study and continue community support.  
– If you would like to try to be placed into a new small group, or you would prefer to only have one person as a Dharma Buddy for Years 7 – 8, please let Heather know that.

Other types of totally optional ‘emergent’ opportunities for those in the MahaSati Trainings

• Basically, when people in the MahaSati Trainings have ideas about what supports their practice needs, it sometimes leads to new forms of events and community support.  The training is alive and unfolding around the main container parts of the training, listed above.
• For example, two of the four current MahaSati Trainings have optional weekday silent peer zoom meditations, which people enjoy.
• One of the current Mahasati Trainings has an additional optional peer led monthly study small group on the main text of the year.
• One of the current MahaSati Trainings has an extra peer led small group after each MahaSati online event, to be able to discuss what was taught and practiced.
• In November 2024 a group of 6 people from multiple MahaSati Trainings participanted in a highly successful jhana and MahaSati self-retreat, supported by regular interviews with Heather, a couple of live online teachings, a daily silent peer sit online, and personalized recording selections for each person’s retreat.  We plan to do this again in November 2025.
• Heather supports numerous personalized MahaSati self-retreats with individuals from different MahaSati Trainings, whether it’s extending the time of the annual 7 night online MahaSati retreat, or finding other dates/time periods.  Heather works with each person to design the components of each retreat, and then offers individual support of various forms during the retreat.

Lastly a ‘promise’ to those who attend MahaSati Training in 2026 – 2027, which I may come to regret, but I am going to make anyway……I have long long felt the calling to create the “MahaSati Manual” for the teachings and practices of Years 2, 3, and 4. Conditions willing, I am promising you the next widely expanded iteration of the MahaSati Manual by the close of 2027 Year 4. Let’s see if I can actually pull it off with limited time/energy conditions. I also promise to ask you for your totally optional support for the financial resources I may need to carve out the time to do this project. 🙂

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 Advanced Training will be offered on a Donation Sliding Scale between $1400 – $2500.  This includes the 4 Zoom Events, all 12 Modules of Recordings, At Home Study and Practice materials, plus Administration support for the ongoing Training.

•  Deposit (nonrefundable) of $500 due between May 5 – 15, 2025; along with a commitment to offer the Remainder Donation whether you attend Years 7 – 8 or not. Heather is saving you a spot and depending on your support!
  Remainder Donation Due between January 15 – 30, 2026
•  Monthly donations available upon request for those on fixed income.

Committing Level:  An offering of $1400 is a basic support offering for Heather for the two-year advanced training.
Sustaining Level:  An offering of $1900 or Above is an supportive offering which allows Heather increased sustainability to continue and deepen the MahaSati teachings and offerings – Thank you!
Benefactor Level:  ** An offering of above $2400 will directly support Heather 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 rest of the MahaSati Training community.

2.  The Commitment to Ten Annual Individual Sessions per year with Heather are also offered on a Sliding Scale Teacher Support Model.   Updated Sliding Scale, thank you for your ongoing support.
** 55 minute sessions:  $120 – $185;      30 minute sessions:  $70 – $115
     For those in financial need, we can set up a Benefactor/Benefactee anonymous system to have another person in the training offer more financial support to help support your sessions with Heather.

3.  The 2026 and 2027 Annual MahaSati Online Retreats are signed up for and paid for separately.
Approximate Donation: $600 – $1000 per annual retreat to support all registration, managing, hosting, recordings work, teaching preparation and teaching of the retreat.