Certification

The Silent Meditation Program offers a certification program that acknowledge time and effort put into the meditation practice and the studies of workbook materials.

Levels of Certification

There different levels of certification and classifications in the Silent Meditation Program.

First, we differentiate between student and teacher certification. A student moving on to the teacher certification will have completed all student certifications. The following is focussed on the student certification program.

Second, we differentiate between attitudes and techniques, the tools used to practice Silent Meditation. Attitudes are taught in weekly classes, techniques are taught on weekends and retreats. The following is focussed on the student certification program with attitudes.

There are three steps of progress in the Silent Meditation Program.

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

The certificates are aligned with these steps:

• Beginner I: Lessons 1 to 5
• Beginner 2: Lessons 6 to 13
• Beginner 3: Lessons 14 to 27

• Intermediate 1: Lessons 28 to 54
• Intermediate 2: Lessons 55 to 81

• Advanced: Lessons 82 to 108

Although ideal, there is no need for anyone to wait to join a class that starts at the very beginning. In Silent Meditation we welcome anyone at anytime regardless of previous experiences.

Requirements

In order to successfully complete any level of certification, a student needs to provide evidence of completing the following:

1. Meditate every day for at least 5 minutes in closed-eye meditation: The recommended minimum throughout the meditation community is 20 minutes for two or three times a day. However, in Silent Meditation we focus on establishing a regular practice first before we worry about the amount of time spent in closed-eye meditation.
2. Complete the assignments on the worksheets of every lesson required for the level of certification: With every lesson there is a worksheet that is sent to participating students. Only students that come to class will receive the worksheet to the lesson. On the worksheet are one or more assignments that help process the information presented in class and actively ask the student to reflect and contemplate on it.
3. Participate in class and share your experience: Participation and sharing your experience are an important part of Silent Meditation. It allows us to express what we know within. It is also a vital step to learning the universal principles around reality perception and progress reflection.
4. Attend classes from beginning to end: Every class starts with an opening meditation and ends with a closing meditation. Students interested in certification are to be present for both.
5. Keep a meditation journal: Keeping a meditation journal is part of constant self-reflection on your experience. It is helpful in many ways, if only to remind ourselves why we meditate. Because of its private nature, evidence of keeping the meditation journal will only be necessary in form of a formal confirmation that a journal has been kept.
6. Put an effort in open-eye meditation: Open-eye meditation is a key component of Silent Meditation. Students are asked to practice open-eye meditation throughout their lives, ideally in every moment. For evidence purposes, students are to formally confirm that they have been practicing open-eye meditation.
7. Complete a final assignment within two weeks after conclusion of the last lesson in accordance with the level of certification: The final assignment concludes any level of certification. It is an opportunity for students to reflect their experience with Silent Meditation and their personal progress over a longer period, be it weeks or months.

Make Up Classes

Generally, there are no make up classes. Since there is more than one class a week to go to, usually you'll be offered several opportunities to get the same lesson. Sometimes, students even choose to come to a lesson more than once.

However, over time and on a per need basis, we'll be looking at the missed lessons of individual students that would like to get their certification and we'll be able to put together a class covering the lessons required.

Electronic Certification Evaluation and Support System (ECESS)

We are working hard on finishing the Silent Meditation Student Website, which acts as a backend reserved for students regardless if they are enrolling into the certification program.

Currently, we are no longer accepting paper or electronic assignments but will go online with the student website very soon, where assignment and reflection process is simultaneously standardized for both teachers and students.

This will allow teachers to be more effective in the valuable reflection process and allow students to engage in an active conversation and contemplation of their own progress.

Support

Teachers of Silent Meditation are trained to provide counseling and support throughout the certification process. Assignments are reviewed, if desired, and teachers provide feedback in the form of comments with the goal to guide students on their path to learn more about their progress in meditation.