Nomon Tim and the Red Cedar Zen Practice Leaders are happy to invite a new round of mentorship. This program is available to all Members of Red Cedar Zen Community.
In this simple program sangha members are paired with a mentor. The mentors are our Practice Leaders: Lay Teachers and Priests who have completed the shuso (head monk) training. Our Guiding Teacher, Nomon Tim Burnett, will not serve as a mentor, rather he will be directing the program and consulting regularly with the teachers. You are always welcome to consult with Nomon Tim one on one in dokusan (private interview).
The process is simple: simply sign up and indicate a 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of whom you would like to serve as your mentor.
You will hear back from Tim in a few weeks on which mentor was assigned. Know that the teachers do not see your preferences. They simply get an inquiry from Tim to see if they are available. Simply pick whom you feel affinity with and we will do the rest.
Those currently in the mentorship program are encouraged to discuss with their mentor whether it's skillful to continue, apply again for a new mentor, or take a pause.
Once paired, we encourage you to meet in person and decide how often you would like to make contact. And how. We recommend touching base once or twice a month as a general guideline but the program is flexible according to individual needs and the currents in our busy lives.
There is no registration fee or charge but you might consider an offering of dana (generosity) to your mentor in any form that feels appropriate.
What will the conversations be about? Anything related to the practice. Which is to say, anything related to living our lives with more awareness and kindness. You might choose to both read an article or study a text and talk about it; you might choose to make a commitment about daily practice and have someone to check-in on how that's going; you might simply relax together over a cup of tea and feel the deep benefits of spiritual companionship.
We hope sangha members will take advantage of this opportunity. And remember that it helps our sangha's teachers to grow and develop when they have an opportunity to take on these roles. The Sangha Mentors program is a wonderful way to strengthen our individual and collective practice and inter-connection as a sangha.
Not yet a member? Please sign up on the Membership Page. A current membership is required to participate in the Sangha Mentors program.
