Written by Rebecca D'Onofrio

A common misconception is that once someone completes a training and becomes a meditation teacher, they cross some sort of threshold from student to expert. But that is not really how it works.

Teaching itself is a practice. It has its own path qualities that are distinct from being a meditation practitioner, but are also completely interwoven with it.

It is essential to keep your practice strong on the teacher’s path. This includes maintaining a consistent practice, working with a qualified teacher yourself, along with engaging in regular retreat practice. Meditative knowledge is passed down from teacher to student and it becomes internalized wisdom as the student mixes that knowledge with their own direct experience.

Completing a teacher training is an important step on this journey; just like in constructing a building, we need to first create a strong foundation on which we can continue to build the many different “floors” of our teaching journey. But the teaching journey doesn’t end with just a foundation. This is only the start!

After gaining some experience with teaching, we begin to open to the many nuances and complexities of the meditation path, including practices that illuminate the heart, mind, body, and our livelihood.

We also need personal experience that can only come with time in order to access the full depth of the teachings. Like with any craft, our ability to teach develops gradually over years of practice and experience.

So the path of being a meditation teacher involves maintaining our own meditation practice, continuing to work with a teacher, teaching regularly, taking part in retreat practice, and continuing our education over time to develop and refine our understanding. When these aspects are held in balance, our teaching naturally becomes an expression of genuine service to others.