Core Dharma or Teacher Dharma?

Adapted from Krishna Gauci’s response to a student.

Trillium core dharma

Trillium Awakening teachers offer “core dharma” that encompasses the most basic foundation teachings of our path, much like the roots and trunk of a large tree. These principles operate in synergy to foster profound spiritual awakening, and have proven remarkably effective over time.

Our core dharma is informed by principles from the Waking Down teachings, which are part of the lineage of the Trillium path.  Principles such as Unraveling of Fixing and Seeking Strategies, Core Paradox (i.e. Core Wound), Gazing, Whole Being Realization, Restorative Mutuality, Awakened Life, and other distinctions have been collectively honored and elaborated by Trillium Awakening teachers since 2005, when the Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle (first incorporated as the Waking Down Teachers Association) was founded.

Trillium Awakening teachers offer and embody this core dharma, while expressing it in their unique voices.

Teacher dharma

“Teacher dharma” reflects the authentic revelations that emerge as teachers embody the core dharma over time. Individuation is natural and inevitable when we are radically awake, and a variety of perspectives spontaneously arise on the awakening process as it is practiced and taught. These supplementary teachings enhance and shine light upon the core dharma.

Dharma Supporting Your Embodied Awakening Journey

Trunk and branches

It can be helpful to think of the core dharma as the trunk of a tree, and teacher dharma as its individual branches. While the core dharma (trunk) is always part of the Trillium path, not every teacher’s dharma (branch) will necessarily speak to you or be relevant to your unique journey.

Many people comfortably awaken through the strong support of the trunk of the Trillium tree (core dharma). They awaken to dimensions they never knew were possible, and go through tremendously enriching transformations. Their relationships move to new depths of intimacy. And they are thankful.

Others are drawn to explore and discriminate additional aspects of awakening than those found in our core dharma. For them, we offer a diverse wealth of cultural wisdom in the form of teacher dharma (branches), developed by those who have lived this process most intensively.

How teacher dharma differs from core dharma

What is important to one teacher is not necessarily meaningful to another, or to each participant on this path. Devotion, tantra, business, shamanism, somatics, meditation, rituals, interpersonal explorations of mutuality, and other applications of core dharma are welcome areas of focus, yet are by no means essential investigations to reap the benefits of Trillium Awakening services.

The Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle might choose to incorporate aspects of teacher dharma into our core dharma. Such additions are likely to come gradually, once a teacher’s dharma has stood the test of time and proven useful in supporting stable embodied awakening.

Always feel welcome to ask Trillium Awakening teachers if they are presenting core or teacher dharma. Their answers will no doubt be informative, and help you learn more about our rich and diverse path!