Beginning Fall 2026: Cedar Cohort
Planetary Dharma - Two Year Flagship Program
Awaken the Bodhisattva Within - Applications Now Open!
Join us for a transformative journey taking place over two academic years:
Fall & Spring Semesters 2026-2027
Fall & Spring Semesters 2027-2028
This course is designed to support the awakening of the Bodhisattva within you. In a world marked by profound challenges and unprecedented opportunities, the Fourth Turning of the Dharma calls for a renewed commitment to sacred humanism through psycho-education and spiritual practice that meets the needs of our time.
This immersive training in the 4th Turning Planetary Dharma offers a path of transformation for spiritual practitioners, healers, and integral leaders who seek to anchor personal awakening within the context of global evolution. Rooted in the insights of the Fourth Turning and informed by both ancient wisdom and modern developmental frameworks, the program bridges meditative depth, psychological insight, and planetary service.
In Academic Year 1, students are guided through foundational teachings that reorient spiritual growth within an integral, planetary framework, one that recognizes the interdependence of personal healing and collective awakening. Through contemplative practices, psychological inquiry, and integrative developmental models, participants cultivate a grounded, embodied sense of wholeness.
In Academic Year 2, students deepen their commitment through the Bodhisattva Training, focusing on essence meditation, Lojong (mind training), and compassionate action. This advanced curriculum builds upon the inner foundations established in Year 1 to empower practitioners to embody awakened presence and offer it in service to others.
Tuition & Program Length
While this training is a two-year program, the tuition listed below applies to one academic year only. Students are billed separately for each academic year. Tuition pricing will remain the same for both years.
Program Structure
The Cedar Cohort’s rite of passage unfolds across two academic years, an intentional journey paced with the steady rhythm of practice, community, and retreat. Like the slow growth of a cedar tree, the training is designed to cultivate depth over time, allowing the teachings to take root, strengthen, and rise within you.
From September to May each academic year, you move through a living mandala of study, meditation, embodiment, and relational practice, held in a container of collective awakening.
Academic Year 1
Each academic year follows a sacred rhythm:
8 Practice Modules
A progressive arc of teachings and practices that open inner territory, deepen embodiment, and build the foundations of your path.1 Four-Day Virtual Retreat
A dedicated immersion: four days set apart from ordinary time, where the teachings settle more deeply into the body and psyche.Monthly Community Weavings
Practice Circles
Small-group sanctuaries for shared practice, reflection, and intimate human connection.Maha Sangha
A larger gathering where your cohort joins advanced students (Years 3 & 4) in a shared field of transmission and collective practice.
All elements of the Cedar Cohort are held entirely online, a modern monastery without walls, so that the training remains accessible and continuous, wherever you reside
Academic Year 2
The second year deepens the spiral:
8 Practice Modules
1 Four-Day Virtual Retreat
Alternating Practice Circles & Maha Sangha gatherings
The cadence becomes more familiar, the teachings more embodied, and the community more woven into your life. Through repetition and return, the path opens in surprising and transformative ways.
Beyond the Curriculum
Peer-led Summer School (no cost)
During the summer months, the community sustains the rhythm of practice through peer-led gatherings, spaces to stay connected, tend the teachings, and keep the practice field alive between academic years.
Optional In-Person Festival (additional cost, in-person only)
Each summer, the entire Planetary Dharma school converges in Boulder, Colorado for an optional in-person retreat, a vibrant gathering where all cohorts meet in one shared field. The retreat has the feel of a spiritual festival: dharma talks, meditation, music, movement, outdoor adventures, embodied practices, and heart-centered community engagement woven into a sacred container. This retreat is offered separately from tuition and provides a rare opportunity to experience extended practice, deep connection, and the living transmission of the teachings within a joyful, embodied, all-school celebration.
Tuition & Program Length
Important Note on Tuition
While this training is a two-year program, the tuition listed below applies to one academic year only. Students are billed separately for each academic year. Tuition pricing will remain the same for both years.
Cedar Cohort: Payment Options
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We offer an incentive for students to pay in full at the time of registration to receive a $400 reduction off the standard tuition price. This discount reflects the reduced financial and administrative burden associated with single payments, as payment plans incur added processing fees, often require additional follow-up due to failed transactions, expired cards, or insufficient funds. Paying in full supports the forecasting of operations and allows our team to focus more energy on delivering a high-quality training experience.
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If you choose a payment plan, you are responsible for:
Ensuring that sufficient funds are available for each scheduled installment.
Keeping your payment method valid and up to date throughout the duration of the plan.
Our system (powered by Squarespace) will notify you by email if a payment fails. If the issue is not resolved within 10 days, your access to the membership area will be automatically revoked by Squarespace’ automated system. Planetary Dharma does not have control over this aspect of the system.
If access is revoked due to non-payment, you will be required to pay the remaining balance in full in order to continue participating in the program.
Payment Security & Scheduling
Please note that Planetary Dharma does not have access to your credit card information. All payments are securely processed through Squarespace’s automated billing system. We are unable to view, edit, or manipulate your payment details, including the date of your scheduled charges.
If you choose a payment plan, your card will be charged automatically on the same day each month, based on the original date of your registration. For example, if you register on the 10th, your subsequent payments will process on the 10th of each following month.
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Withdrawal Policy
We understand that life circumstances can shift. If you need to withdraw from the program, you must notify us in writing before the published withdrawal deadline (clearly communicated in the registration window). In these cases, we will apply our refund policy to determine the appropriate fees owed.
After the withdrawal deadline, tuition becomes non-refundable, and the full balance remains due—regardless of whether you paid in full or enrolled in a payment plan. At that point, course access has been granted, resources have been allocated, and the training container is fully underway.
Important: By enrolling, you agree to honor the full terms of the payment option you choose. Initiating a chargeback or payment dispute after the withdrawal deadline is a direct violation of your enrollment agreement.
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As part of your tuition, you’ll receive complimentary access to the Bodhisattva’s Compass series as well as discounts to the Spring 2026 offering of Introduction to Planetary Dharma online course. Together, this bonus content is valued at $800 per year, and is included at no additional cost to support and deepen your journey.
Tuition payment is for year 1 only. $580 of your payment is a non-refundable deposit. Our cancellation policy is firm - no exceptions: cancellations on or before 8/15/26 forfeit the deposit; all other funds are refunded. Cancellations after 8/15/26 forfeit ALL payments made, regardless of withdrawal or completion of course. Session recordings remain in the membership library until 5/31/27. By enrolling, you confirm you've read our policies and agree to honor the full terms of your payment.
Academic Year 1: 2026-2027 Dates
Dates are subject to minor adjustments.
September
Maha Sangha: 10th
Module 1: 13th
Practice Circle: 17th
Maha Sangha: 24th
October
Practice Circle: 1st
Module 2: 11th
Maha Sangha: 15th
Practice Circle: 29th
November
Maha Sanga: 5th
Module 3: 8th
Practice Circle: 12th
Thanksgiving: 26th (no class)
December
Maha Sanga: 3rd
Practice Circle: 10th
Module 4: 13th
Maha Sangha: 17th
Winter Holy Days: 24th & 31st (no class)
January
Winter Holy Days: 7th (no class)
Module 5: 10th
Maha Sangha: 14th
Practice Circle: 21st
Maha Sanga: 28th
February
Practice Circle: 4th
Module 6: 7th
Maha Sangha: 11th
Practice Circle: 18th
Maha Sangha: 25th
March
Practice Circle: 4th
Module 7: 7th
Maha Sangha: 11th
Practice Circle: 18th
Maha Sangha: 25th
April
Practice Circle: 1st
Maha Sangha: 8th
Practice Circle: 15th
Module 8: 18th
Practice Circle: 29th
May
Maha Sangha: 6th
Practice Circle: 13th
Cedar Online Retreat: 14th - 17th
Maha Sangha: 20th
Practice Circle: 27th
Typical Schedule
Day Long Learning Modules & Online Retreat
The schedule below is offered as a guide to the flow of each of the day-long modules or our 4-day online retreat. Each session balances lectures, practice, Q & A, and connection with community, allowing the learning to unfold at a human pace.
Morning Session1
7:00 - 8:30am
Morning Break
8:30 - 8:45 am
Morning Session 2
8:45 - 10:30 am
Meal Break
10:30 - 11:40 am
Afternoon Session 1
11:40 am - 1:20 pm
1:20 - 1:40 pm
1:40 - 2:55 pm
2:55 - 3:00 pm
Afternoon Break
Afternoon Session 2
Closing Ritual
Year 1: Fall 2026
Foundations of Planetary Dharma
(Fall 2026)
In the Fall Semester, we will be working on the Foundations of Planetary Dharma. This includes the following core modules:
Fourth Turning of the Dharma
Explore the emergence of a planetary dharma rooted in sacred humanism, where timeless wisdom meets the evolutionary challenges of our time.Wheel of Life & The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination
Study traditional Buddhist models of human suffering and liberation, reframed through a contemplative psychology lens to support healing across generations.Psychological Attachment
Understand how secure attachment forms the basis for emotional resilience, healthy relationships, and deeper spiritual practice.Developmental Maps
Engage with integrative frameworks:Growing & Organizing (developmental maturity),
Integrating (shadow integration),
Expanding (somatic and subtle energetic awakening), and
Relating (embodied presence and service in the world).
Waking (nondual realization),
These maps provide multidimensional guidance for whole-person transformation and spiritual evolution.
Year 1: Spring 2027
Calm Abiding – The Nine Stages of Maitreya
(Spring 2027)
Now with the foundational teachings under your belt, you are ready to enter the heart of meditative training through the Nine Stages of Calm Abiding, rooted in Maitreya’s Path of Calm/Staying (shamatha).
This semester centers on cultivating steady attention, emotional resilience, and deep inner stillness. The journey unfolds through The Five Paths, each corresponding to specific stages of the meditative process:
Path of Learning – Stage 1: Placing the mind
Path of Reflection – Stage 2: Continuous placement
Path of Mindfulness – Stages 3 & 4: Repeated placement and close placement
Path of Metacognition – Stages 5 & 6: Taming and pacifying the mind
Path of Enthusiastic Perseverance – Stages 7, 8 & 9: Fully pacified mind, single-pointed attention, and balanced equanimity
Through progressive training, students move from distracted and scattered attention toward effortless presence. This classical meditative arc—supported by breath, posture, somatic awareness, and insight—forms the contemplative bedrock for the insight, compassion, and service practices that follow in Year 2.
Year 2: Fall 2027
Bodhisattva Training: Essence Practice, Cultivating Absolute & Relative Bodhichitta
(Fall 2027)
With the foundational practices of Year 1 integrated into your body, mind, and daily rhythm, you now step into the deeper arc of the Bodhisattva path. This second year begins with essence and insight practices that reveal the empty, luminous nature of awareness—supporting direct realization beyond concepts and strengthening your capacity to rest in what is.
From this ground of clarity, we deepen into the path of Absolute Bodhicitta, cultivating boundless openness and the experience of interbeing. Simultaneously, we step onto the path of Relative Bodhicitta, or Heroic Altruism, where we learn to meet the suffering of the world not as a burden, but as an invitation into courageous, compassionate service.
Core Areas of Learning and Practice:
Train in Mahamudra-style insight and emptiness practices to realize the nature of mind.
Deepen your embodiment of Absolute & Relative Bodhichitta, cultivating spacious awareness in body, field, and soul.
Practice Heroic Altruism through the time-tested wisdom of Lojong, transforming hardship into awakened presence.
Year 2: Spring 2028
Mind Training (Lojong Practice)
(Spring 2028)
Alongside this inner opening, you’ll cultivate Relative Bodhicitta through training in Lojong (Mind Training). These powerful, contemplative teachings offer practical tools for transforming adversity into compassion and turning everyday life into the path of awakening. You’ll work with classic slogans and practices that strengthen your ability to meet suffering with loving presence, and to act with courage in service to others.
This advanced year of training also supports your maturation into soul-guided leadership. You’ll be invited to clarify your vows, refine your life conditions, and begin shaping the next chapter of your incarnational path. As a Bodhisattva-in-training, you are called to bridge inner awakening with outer action—embodying wisdom, resilience, and sacred responsibility in a time of planetary transition.
Core Areas of Learning and Practice:
Through Lojong, learn to alchemize confusion, pain, and resistance into insight and boundless care—awakening the heroic heart that responds to the world with fierce compassion.
Strengthen your capacity to meet adversity as a path to insight and compassionate action.
Explore the fuels of motivation that sustain long-term practice and service.
Begin shaping your multi-incarnational narrative self, aligning with your evolutionary purpose.
Recommit to your vow to create a Sacred World through awakened participation and ethical integrity.