PROGRAM
Overview
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The Middle Way Institute offers various programs based on The Middle Way Education (MWE) which is systematic, simplified and result-oriented. There are 3 levels of education in MWE: Wellness Education, Kindness Education and Wholeness Education. Our programs include classes, courses, retreats and special events. Most programs are offered free of charge to all learners with generous donations from kind patrons in The Middle Way Community. Some programs are offered to participants with at cost registration fees.
On a daily, weekly and monthly basis, we offer free classes on different media platforms. Any individual can drop in to learn and improve the quality of life by themselves. But if anyone would like to benefit more from learning in a group, they could register to join our standardized 7-Day Wellness course or 14-Day Wellness course. Anyone who would like to practice deeper, could join retreats organized at Samui, Thailand. The retreats have various durations from 1 day, 3 days and 7 days.
Annually, The Middle Way Institute organizes a special event called “Global Light of Peace” to connect all The Middle Way friends from around the world. Global Light of Peace happens in September. It coincides with International Day of Peace of UN.
House System
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Our learning system is structured to offer not only a program for people to practice individually but also to build a supporting community. We learn from the ancient wisdom in Buddha’s time that the way to learn Buddha’s Teachings fully is to learn in a group. When Buddha gave his first teaching to the first group of learners, the five disciples, they worked together as a great team. They attained the preliminary state of enlightenment called “Stream Enterer” (Sotapanna) on different days, but they supported each other to attain the full state of enlightenment called “Enlightened One” (Arahant) on the same day.
So, in the MWE program, we provide the balance of self-learning (Yoniso-mana-sikara) and a good friend (Kalyanamitta) to wholly support the complete experience of transformative Buddhism. For self-learning, we use a unique method called “The Middle Way Method” consisting of 4 factors: (1) Timeless Wisdom (2) Logical Explanation (3) Simple Practice and (4) Inspiring Example. For a good friend, we have a group of dedicated volunteers who will be “The Middle Way Mentors” to support your practice.
According to the ancient system in Buddha’s time, Buddha mentioned “The Four Assemblies of Buddha’s Teachings” as inclusive assemblies that strengthened his Teachings to heal sufferings in the world. They were Bhikkhu (Monks), Bhikkhuni (Nuns), Upasaka (Layman practitioners) and Upasika (Laywoman practitioners). We organize our supporting community into a house system called, “The Middle Way Kalyanamitta House” There are 4 houses to support the practice in the community. Each house is named after a great leader in each assembly. They are Sariputta House, Uppalavanna House, Anathapindika House and Visakha House. Sariputta was an enlightened monk, foremost in wisdom. He represents Bhikkhu assembly. Uppalavanna was an enlightened nun, foremost in psychic power. She represents Bhikkhuni assembly. Anathapindika was an enlightened layman practitioner, foremost as a chief patron. He represents Upasaka assembly. Visakha was an enlightened laywoman practitioner, foremost as a chief patroness. She represents Upasika assembly. In joining MWE standardized courses, participants will join one of these 4 houses in order to get a good support from the community and fully benefit from learning MWE.
Classes
There are 3 open classes that anyone can join.
Daily Mind Shower (DMS)
DMS is a daily program covering Daily Meditation (20-25 minutes meditation), Daily Wisdom (10-15 minutes wisdom talk) and Daily Sharing (5-10 minutes sharing session). The program happens every day via Youtube Live from 08.00 - 09.00 am New York Local Time.
Weekly Wisdom Training (WWT)
WWT is a weekly interactive program via Zoom. The program occurs every Saturday morning from 09.30 - 11.00 am New York Local Time. The program starts with guided meditation (30 minutes), followed by a wisdom talk (30 minutes) and Q&A session (10 minutes). After the main program, anyone who is interested to stay on for a small group discussion (around 5 people for 1 group), is warmly welcome.
Monthly The Middle Way Family (MMF)
MMF is a monthly community program to practice meditation together. This program happens on YouTube live. The program occurs every first Sunday morning from 09.30 - 11.00 am New York Local Time. It starts with a guided meditation. Then the teaching monk will lead all to review the 5 caring ethics. After that, all will join in offering ceremony to support the sharing of The Middle Way Education to the world. The program will close with a special wisdom talk by the teaching monk.
Courses
Currently, there are 2 standardized courses offered. 7-Day Wellness Course for MDW Friends and 7-Day Wellness Course for MDW Changemakers.
7-Day Wellness Course for MDW Friends is designed for any learner who is interested in applying the knowledge of The Middle Way Education to create “The Middle Way Lifestyle”. We will use The Middle Way Method to learn and practice Wellness Education with the support of The Middle Way Mentors. After registering to join the course, all participants will be asked to take a short quiz. This pre-test will be used to check your happiness quotient (HQ) based on Buddha’s Teachings. The 7-Day Wellness Course is combined with 2 main elements. The first element is a meeting with The Middle Way Instructor and The Middle Way Mentor. There will be 2 meetings at the beginning of the course and after the end of the course. Both meetings occur on Saturday morning between 09.30 - 11.00 local time in each country. The second element is a daily practice sent to you by e-mail. In each e-mail, there will be a guided meditation and wisdom talk relating to Wellness Education. After the completion of the 7-Day Wellness Course, you are given another quiz (post-test) to check the progress of your practice. If your score exceeds 75%, you will receive an e-certificate from The Middle Way Institute. This certificate will be a reminder of your good time of self-development and a guarantee to join higher training courses in The Middle Way Education.
7-Day Wellness Course for MDW Changemakers is designed for any individual who would like to take part in building “The Middle Way Community of Transformative Buddhism.” After registration, there will be a test relating to self-development. The format of this course is similar to the 7-Day Wellness Course. The few differences are instead of meeting 2 times, we will meet 4 times throughout the course. And the daily practices via e-mail will be more advanced. After the completion of 14-Day Wellness Course, you can do another quiz (post-test) to check the progress of your practice. If your score exceeds 75%, you will receive an e-certificate from The Middle Way Institute as “The Middle Way Changemaker.” There will be various opportunities to volunteer as The Middle Way Mentor, The Middle Way Facilitator, The Middle Way Supporter and/or The Middle Way Creator.
Retreats
There are 3 choices for the retreats.
1-Day Retreat, 3-Day Retreat and 7-Day Retreat.
At Samui International Meditation Center in Thailand, 1-Day Retreat is offered on a monthly basis on third Saturday of every month. 7-Day Retreat is offered around 6 retreats per year.
Special Event
Global Light of Peace is a special event to gather spiritual leaders, thinkers, scholars and practitioners from around the world to practice goodness together. The event happens in September around the time of International Day of Peace recognized by United Nations. In the event, there are various programs to celebrate the four qualities of a great life which are Healthy Body (PQ), Caring Heart (EQ), Intelligent Mind (IQ) and Enlightened Spirit (SQ). The programs are Inner Peace Movement, Inner Peace Song, Inner Peace Talk and Meditation for World Peace.
