Dhamma Teacher (Dhammachariya) Qualifications

Dhamma Teacher Accreditation Committee

Dhamma Teachers have a very important role to play in American Buddhism. Monastics are also important in spreading the Dhamma but often their interest is solitude, meditation, and personal enlightenment. The Dhamma Teacher can play almost the same role as the pastor or minister in the Christian religion... that person who is out among the people, visiting, counseling, and most importantly, explaining or “preaching” the scriptures and helping to provide guidance for daily life in formal services.

In light of this important role, it is essential that Dhamma Teachers be well trained in the Dhamma and have achieved a certain minimal standard of expertise in the Tripitaka and later suttas, have some training in counseling, some basic knowledge of teaching, and are of high moral character.

We want to help establish a reasonable, minimal criteria for accrediting Dhamma Teachers and to establish a training program to help them achieve that standard. We hope to achieve broad consensus in this and to enhance the status of Dhamma Teachers.

The title of Dhamma Teacher is being ‘awarded’ by many temples thoughout the country. Some are given this title simply for past service to the temple; others are given the status based on strict criteria. The Dhamma Teacher Accreditation committee requests that any temple or Buddhist organization that has already established a set of qualifications for this status share them with us so that we may work together to develop a standard that will be nationally recognized and can be used by all temples in awarding this status.

The correct interpretation and teaching of the Dhamma is too important to be in the hands of those well-meaning, sincere individuals who have simply been generous contributors to temples. As the role of Dhamma Teacher is increasingly viewed as having importance in spreading and explaining the Dhamma, we must ensure a uniform high standard for this position so that it will also become a position to which intelligent, dedicated, devoted Buddhists actually aspire and be a position in which those who are not yet ready to renounce secular life can find a full life of service to the Dhamma.

A nationally recognized accreditation standard will help the credibility of Dhamma Teachers, deepen the trust placed in them by the faithful and give them greater confidence in explaining the Dhamma and in providing pastoral services the faithful.
Even if your organization does not have a formally delineated standard at this time, please send your suggestions so that we may consider all pertinent criteria. We will share the assembled information in succeeding editions of the Journal.