Yearlong Buddhist Studies 2027
A Deep Overview of the Buddhist Path
Live Class Sessions Tuesdays 7-9pm ET
January 26 - December 7, 2027
The full yearlong program is comprised of five 6-week online courses. Courses can be taken individually and are suited for students of all experience levels. Registering for individual courses excludes participation in working groups (micro-sanghas that can meet individually throughout the year to support each other’s practice and study) and other benefits indicated above, but students who choose this option will still have access to live talks and recordings.
Five 6-Week Course Modules
with Live Class Sessions on Tuesdays, 7-9pm ET
MODULE 1 : Entering The Path
January 26 - March 2, 2027
This course focuses on The Buddhist Path, The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, Buddhist Teachings on the Self, and the Path of Conduct and Ethics.
We begin at the beginning, by establishing a daily mindfulness meditation practice. We will explore and transform our way of looking at meditation as more than just a stress-reducing practice, and into an entire life path of study, practice and ACTION where we explore our sense of self, our confusion, and begin to transform our entire understanding of reality.
MODULE 2 : Understanding Karma and The Six Realms
March 23 - April 27, 2027
This course covers the all-important transition from a view of awakening that is internal and personal to one that is shared and interpersonal. Our daily meditation practice will focus on the technique of Metta, or lovingkindness meditation, to begin to build a bridge.
On the philosophical/psychological level, we dive into the teachings of Karma and The Twelve Nidanas, which describes how consciousness functions and falls prey to habitual beliefs, patterns, and stuck behaviors. Why do we keep doing the same things again and again, and how can we break the habitual chains?
MODULE 3 : The Bodhisattva Path - Emptiness and Compassion
May 18 - June 22, 2027
This course focuses on the Bodhisattva Path. How do we fully prepare our hearts and minds for the compassion to be truly of benefit to others? How can we take care of ourselves in the process of opening up to the world? We will focus on the meditative technique of tonglen, or “sending and taking” compassion meditation, which has been demonstrated by Eastern students and Western psychologists alike to be deeply transformative to the hearts of everyone who practices.
MODULE 4 : Introduction to Tantra - Wisdom is Already Present
September 7 - October 12, 2027
The Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhist path contains practices and frameworks that are incredibly useful in understanding and working with our human emotions.
The tantric path also has many interesting teachings about visualization, sacredness, viewing the world as an inherently beautiful and amazing place, and dealing with death as a practice of awakening.
While Tantra has a very liberated approach in discussing the interconnection between wisdom and neurosis, sanity and confusion, it is actually a very grounded, rigorous, and compassionate path all about how to be a decent human.
This six-week course begins with a theoretical introduction to Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism, along with an experiential exploration of some of the fundamental practices associated with Buddhist Tantra.
MODULE 5 : Warrior in The World - The Path of Complete Engagement
November 2 - December 7, 2027
This course will survey modern topics applying Buddhist thought to a wide variety of issues. Topics include: The Mandala Principle in Everyday Life, Dharma Art, Buddhism and Western Psychology, Buddhism and Economics, Buddhism and Politics, Buddhism and Environmentalism, Buddhism and Racial Justice and more.
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL OFFER
Register by November 15, 2026 and receive FOUR FREE GIFTS:
Signed copy of the The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path by Ethan Nichtern
Signed copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds by Ethan Nichtern
A Mindful World insulated mug
Free ticket to our New Year’s Eve Intention-Setting Gathering on December 31st.
Offer only available for standard or sponsor tier support levels
Ethan Nichtern is a Buddhist teacher and the author of The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path (Farrar Straus and Giroux, North Point Press), recognized as one of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2015 and featured on Tech Insider’s “9 Books That Define 2015.” His most recent book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds (New World Library), was released in June 2024 to critical acclaim.
In addition to his writing, Ethan hosts The Road Home podcast, which has been exploring modern Buddhism and meditation since its launch in 2018. Since 2002, Ethan has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops around New York City and North America and Europe, along with working with students privately. Ethan’s insights on Buddhism and meditation have been featured by CNN, NPR, ABC/Yahoo News, The New York Times, Vogue.com, Ten Percent Happier, Business Insider, Nautilus, and Vice.
Jackie Stewart teaches meditation and Buddhist Studies while nurturing her two young sons in NYC. She is a student of Mingyur Rinpoche, and serves as a practice leader in his international community, Tergar. Jackie received a MA from NYU in Media, Culture, and Communication, with a professional background in the film and TV industries. She co-founded Cōv Pregnancy, a supportive program guiding women through the transformation into motherhood and beyond. Her work has been featured in Shape, Cosmopolitan, and TimeOut New York. She has guest lectured at universities across the country, and has taught for companies including Microsoft, Reebok, Live Nation, Ralph Lauren, and others.
Heather Shaw has been teaching yoga and other embodied contemplative practices since 2001. A student of Tibetan Buddhist and Vipassana meditation, as well as contemplative psychology, Heather’s path began in the Shambhala lineage through her work at OM yoga center, where she met her longtime friend and meditation teacher, Buddhist author Ethan Nichtern.
In 2018, Heather completed a certificate in Nalanda Institute’s Contemplative Psychotherapy Program, with a capstone focus on creating mindfulness-based curriculum for grades K-12. She is also a certified meditation instructor through Dharma Moon. In addition to teaching yoga, she works with people of all ages as a meditation instructor, contemplative coach and mentor.
Lou Sharma is a mindfulness meditation teacher based in Charlotte, NC and co-founder of A Mindful World. She has practiced meditation for over 15 years, as part of her ongoing studies of Buddhism within various Tibetan Buddhist traditions, including Lama Tsultrim Allione’s Magyu community. In 2021, she completed Dharma Moon’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training. Lou is interested in the ways mindfulness can empower more compassionate cultures of work, inspired by 15+ years of experience working in marketing insights & strategy.
Eric Gerard has been practicing mindfulness for over a decade and graduated from Dharma Moon's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training in 2024 after many years of private study with Ethan Nichtern. Originally from Chicago, Eric is an actor and also serves as the Co-Owner and Artistic Director at Blackbox Acting, a school that aims to prepare artists for their careers through a holistic approach. Eric is passionate about helping artists foster genuine connections with themselves and their work while encouraging vulnerability and bravery. He hopes to support others in developing a mindful and healthy relationship with their craft, whether that craft is art or the complex journey of existence.
April Kaiserlian is a psychotherapist and meditation teacher based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. April stepped onto the dharma path in 2008 after completing the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program. After studying with Jon Kabat-Zinn, she co-founded the Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness in 2010 and has taught Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindful Self-Compassion for 15 years.
April maintains a full-time psychotherapy practice focused on offering contemplative and body-centered practices to individuals and couples with a psychodynamic foundation. April considers relationships to be her most important dharma practice.
Led by Senior Buddhist teacher and acclaimed author, Ethan Nichtern, this yearlong program offers a deep overview of the Buddhist path, exploring multiple perspectives on teachings and contemplative practices from the Buddhist tradition with a focus on life in the 21st century. Designed to be geeky-yet- practical, this program focuses on how students can understand multiple techniques and establish a lasting meditation practice, as well as bring these transformative teachings off the meditation cushion and into every aspect of our daily lives.
You don’t need any previous experience with meditation or Buddhism to take this course. All levels of experience will gain a lot from this immersive community format of practice and study.
Looking for the Advanced Buddhist Studies program? Click here!
Meet the Teaching Team
FAQs
-
The topics in this course are primarily presented from the perspective of tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism, as well as Mahayana Buddhism.
-
Live class sessions take place Wednesday evenings, 7-9pm ET (New York City time), starting January 26.
Each course module contains 6 live class sessions. There is a 2 week break in live class sessions between each module, and a longer summer break between modules 3 and 4.
-
Each live class session includes guided meditation practice, lectures, small group discussions, and Q&A with the teachers.
-
That’s perfectly fine! Recordings for each class session will be available the next day, and you can still interact with your classmates and teachers using the discussion board.
-
There are 3-4 main books we will read over the course of the year. We suggest purchasing these, if possible.
-
There are no tests or evaluations, but you will have the opportunity to submit optional reflections on your learning. Optional reflections are not graded; instead, they provide an opportunity to clarify your understanding with the support of your faculty advisor.
-
Each week includes about 15-60 min. of suggested reading and/or audio/video content to review.
-
Class sessions are 2 hours each week while class is in session. Readings can take about 15-60 min. a week or more, depending on how deeply you want to engage!
-
There are several opportunities to interact with your classmates:
During live class sessions in small discussion groups
On the course discussion board
Via micro-sanghas, which are self-organized groups of 4-5 students who meet periodically or keep in touch via email over the course of the year
-
Yes, each student will be assigned a faculty advisor who will serve as that student’s point-person for questions or support during the course of the year.
-
Yes, you may request a scholarship by completing this form.
-
Yes, individual modules will be available for purchase over the course of the year; signing up for the full year program provides the best value.
-
We allow full refunds through the first class session on January 26, 2027. After that, we do not provide refunds. This helps us ensure we have enough funds to pay our teaching staff for the full year.
This includes full course access for all five course modules, running from January - December 2027. This includes access to live sessions, class recordings, and the community discussion board. You will also be assigned to a faculty member to help support your learning journey.
We offer several rates to help make this program financially accessible to as many people as possible:
Standard: This rate reflects the cost of offering the program, including support for teachers and staff, as well as overhead costs. This rate is suggested for those who are able to consistently meet their basic financial needs.
Sponsor: This rate is suggested for those who are able to comfortably meet their basic financial needs and have enough space in their budget to help make this program available to others.
Subsidized: This rate is suggested for those who struggle to meet their basic financial needs are or are experiencing financial hardship.
We are committed to making programs accessible to those with genuine interest in participating. If you are not able to afford the subsidized rate or installment plan, please submit a request for assistance here: https://forms.gle/GEa7aRmeVmuEdCAHA
PLEASE SELECT “Pay Deposit” BELOW TO ACTIVATE THE INSTALLMENT PLAN.
This 4-part installment plan includes full course access for all five course modules, running from January - December 2027. This includes access to live sessions, class recordings, and the community discussion board. You will also be assigned to a faculty member to help support your learning journey.
We offer several rates to help make this program financially accessible to as many people as possible:
Standard: This rate reflects the cost of offering the program, including support for teachers and staff, as well as overhead costs. This rate is suggested for those who are able to consistently meet their basic financial needs.
Sponsor: This rate is suggested for those who are able to comfortably meet their basic financial needs and have enough space in their budget to help make this program available to others.
Subsidized: This rate is suggested for those who struggle to meet their basic financial needs are or are experiencing financial hardship.
We are committed to making programs accessible to those with genuine interest in participating. If you are not able to afford the subsidized rate or installment plan, please submit a request for assistance here: https://forms.gle/GEa7aRmeVmuEdCAHA