Aro gTér Mentorship

The essence of the Aro gTér Mentorship programme is personal instruction from an ordained Aro mentor.

The rôle of a mentor is rather like that of a piano teacher or ski instructor. You can learn to play the piano, to ski, or to meditate working alone from books and recordings. However, you will make more rapid progress with a tutor who:

• answers your questions about meditation and Buddhism as they arise
• helps diagnose problems and suggest solutions
• helps you decide when you have enough experience with a particular meditation technique to move forward, and can suggest possible next steps
• provides encouragement when you feel stuck
• may occasionally suggest that you go just slightly deeper into practice than you had been expecting.

Your mentor can answer meditation questions like these:

• My left foot keeps falling asleep. Should I just let it? Or should I switch position when it does? I don't want to be twisting around every three minutes to get comfortable.
• I was half way through my meditation session and then suddenly found myself in the kitchen writing a shopping list. I didn't mean to stop - I think I must have been on autopilot! What happened? Is this normal?
• It seems lately that whenever I try to meditate I feel really guilty about minor bad things I did long ago and had mostly forgotten. Why does this keep coming up now?
• Some days I'd rather just practice yogic song instead of shi-neacute;. Is that all right?

These questions don't have generic answers. It depends on the individual. Your mentor can work with you to find answers based on your specific experience, body, mind, and energy.

Your mentor can also answer questions about Buddhism generally and Aro specifically:

• I read in one book that you don't have to believe in reincarnation to be a Buddhist. Another book says you do. I'm confused - which is right? Do I have to believe the Aro gTér Lamas are reincarnations? How could anyone know, anyhow?
• How is it significant that Aro gTér is a Nyingma lineage?
• I think I'd like to become an Aro gTérapprentice, but I can't see myself as a Buddhist. What to do?

Useful questions are those that relate to your current experience of meditation and to where you are headed in the near-term. Aro gTér mentors have studied Buddhism in depth and can answer a wide range of questions, but encourage a focus on practical matters.

It is also important to understand that Aro gTér mentoring is not similar to - or useful as a substitute for - counselling or psychotherapy.

The Aro gTér mentors

The mentors are ordained practitioners. They have undergone rigorous training in Buddhism and meditation practice over many years - see our ordination page for details. They have made a life-long commitment to make the tradition available to those who ask for guidance.

Since all the Aro gTér mentors are thoroughly qualified, the best mentor for you is one with whom you feel a connection. If you feel that the relationship with your mentor is not working for you, you can switch to a different one at any time.

Mechanics

Mentorship costs $20, 20€, or £20 per month, and you can try out the first month for free. If your personal circumstances mean that you can't afford this amount, please let us know and we may be able to make special arrangements. The Aro gTér Lineage charities are non-profit organisations, and mentors are not paid for their role. Your fees go to supporting the development of new courses, websites, publication of books and making the tradition available to those who are interested.

To enrol, please follow one of these links:

• I live in the Eurozone, or wish to pay in Euros
• I live in the U.K., or wish to pay in Pounds Sterling
• I live in the U.S., or wish to pay in US dollars

If you have any questions about the Mentorship programme, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .