Becoming a student

Becoming a formal student marks a deepening of one’s connection to the teacher and the Rochester lineage of the Centre.

Once you have been a member for a year you may ask to become a student. You can ask to become a student of either Amala-roshi or Richard-sensei. Usually this is done in dokusan. A simple private ceremony will then be arranged, in which new students are accepted by their teacher, marking the commitment (on both sides) that the formal student-teacher relationship implies. There’s no pressure to become a student, and non-students have the same access to the teaching.