The Dharma Facilitators' Program is a unique project led by Christopher Titmuss, a respected Dharma teacher of international renown. The program has branches in different countries across the world; in Israel, Christopher leads the program with the assistance of Steven Folder. In each cycle of the program, around thirty experienced practitioners meet once every two to three months over the course of two years. In these meetings, participants practice group meditation, learn important sutras of the Buddha, and hold discussions about different topics related to practice and to the Dharma. The intimacy built within the group through working together is the heart of the program.

Vipassana is a method of Buddhist Meditation which has been practiced for 2,500 years in East Asia and which arrived in the West in the last century. Vipassana means "clear-seeing" or insight into (the nature of phenomena). Within the body of teachings taught by the Buddha (the "Dharma") is illuminated the "unsatisfactoriness" of existence and the way to freedom. This way, which includes the practice of meditation and Vipassana, enables the release from thought patterns and behaviors which imprison us in a cycle of reactivity and its painful consequences.

This course consists of eight weekly two-hour meetings in which the participants will gradually acquire the skills needed to practice mindfulness and basic concentration. Each session includes meditation, study, and discussion. The purpose of the course is to gradually build a foundation for personal practice, with an emphasis on supporting and helping participants to gradually introduce meditation into their daily routine.

Living the Dharma in daily life – a semester course for deepening and integrating the Dharma in daily life.

The idea for this course stems from attention to the needs of the community for an in-depth, ongoing course of learning and shared experience whose goal is to deepen the practice in daily life.

In this course we'll learn and explore together how to live an awakened and meaningful spiritual life. We'll look at ways that enable us to infuse more of the  Dharma into our lives so that our work, relationships and our hobbies will become a space to practice and internalize the Dharma.

Meditation groups meet once a week in different locations across the country.

There are groups led by Tovana teachers as well as independent groups that are organized and led by experienced practitioners.

Meetings begin with group meditation sitting.  Afterwards, depending on the wishes of the group, participants study a text, hear a Dharma talk, or discuss Dharma in everyday life and share ideas, questions, and answers.

Shabbat for Families takes place once every few months and is a wonderful opportunity for the families among us to meet over the course of the year, keep in touch with friends from the Course for Families, practice together, and spend a weekend in nature with family and friends.

 

The Course for Families was started in order to make going to a meditation retreat possible for practitioners with children.  This course, which takes place every year in the spring, offers a rare opportunity for the whole family to practice together and to meet other practicing families.  In order to allow the parents the free time to meditate, there are activities held for children in the style of "Language of Listening," an educational program that helps children improve their ability to pay attention and listen . 

In addition, there are family activities that encourage the development of attentiveness to one another, listening, and openness between family members. The Dharma talks in the course address the unique challenges of being a parent, and the ways in which Dharma can contribute to family life.

Our Sangha, or community of practitioners, holds periodical Sangha meetings over the course of a day or weekend.  Their purpose is for members of the community to meet up for group practice and mutual inspiration.  Participants come to share, learn together, and discuss their personal understandings of the Dharma with one another.  There is always room for fresh ideas and initiatives from members of the community-- for suggestions and ideas, please contact us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it