Description

Position Title: Adjunct Faculty, BICC- CNSC 665 Maitri II Retreat Meditation Instructor - in person

# of Positions to Fill: 1

Department/Program: CPBP 12010

Work Location Authorization: 100% On-Site

Campus Location: In-person at DMC

Reports to: BICC Concentration Chair

FLSA Classification: Exempt/Salaried

FTE: 100% (40 hrs/week)

Compensation: $1715.81 to $2287.70 depending on previous experience teaching at Naropa

Application Deadline: 2/21 or until filled

Job Summary
The Buddhism-Informed Contemplative Counseling concentration (formerly Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology) seeks one adjunct faculty member to join the Maitri Retreat team as a Meditation Instructor for the CNSC 665 Maitri II Retreat course in the Spring 2026 semester. This is a 2-credit course, scheduled to meet between Feb 21 - Mar 7, 2026 at the Drala Mountain Center.

Course Description
A two-week residential intensive focusing on the practice of intensive sitting and walking meditation. Maitri Space Awareness is directed toward becoming increasingly at home with oneself and with others. Students are introduced to the Five Buddha Families of Tibetan Buddhist teachings as a way of understanding how the seeds of clarity are often hidden within the manifestations of confusion and suffering. Pre-requisite: CNSC660 Maitri I.

Job Duties & Responsibilities
• Participates in all aspects of the retreat including sitting meditation, daily staff meetings, attending talks, community meetings, and helps to hold the "container" of the retreat.
• Meets with students as assigned within the Maitri retreat guidelines. Each Meditation Instructor is assigned 5 to 6 students that they see individually 3-4 times throughout the retreat. Meditation Instructors might also lead discussion groups that will meet a few times during the course of the retreat.
• Acts as umdze/ meditation timekeeper and gatekeeping as scheduled.
• Sets up the meditation hall and does flower arranging before the retreat, supports meditation hall sound/AV, and set up for daily talks/lectures.
• Takes down meditation hall set up and organizes Maitri retreat items after the retreat.
• As appropriate, works with staff to manage and/or mediate student issues and educational obstacles.
• Other duties as assigned.

What We Require
• Must have experience with meditation practice and be comfortable with long periods of sitting and walking meditation.
• Must be a trained meditation instructor and experience working with students practicing shamatha-vipassyana meditation, metta, and tonglen in the Buddhist tradition.
• Experience with and understanding of retreat environments.
• Must have the ability to create and maintain a positive team environment and behave professionally with everyone encountered in the course and scope of the job duties.
• Must have the ability to work both independently and as a part of a close team, working collaboratively with staff, faculty, and students.
• High degree of emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and assertive communication skills.
• Commitment to co-create an inclusive community and actively participate in related professional development, including openness to feedback and ongoing self-examination.

What We'd Like You to Have
• Clinical and teaching experience informed by knowledge of meditation practices.
• One year's experience with direct clinical work in the field of counseling / psychology.
• Experience in training counselors at the graduate level.
• On-going counseling teaching or facilitator experience in the field.
• Familiarity and experience with Naropa's MA Buddhism-informed Contemplative Counseling (Formerly Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology) program.
• Familiarity and experience with Maitri Space Awareness practices.

Physical Requirements & Environmental Conditions

Faculty members spend most of their time in their classrooms or in virtual meetings with some time in offices. In the classrooms and on campus may experience: interruptions, distractions, heat, cold, dust and/or dampness. As a faculty member, you may spend extended periods in front of students and speaking as well as:
• Reading academic texts and materials, student papers, etc.
• Operating personal computer and audio-visual equipment.
• Standing or sitting for hours at a time.
• Moving around campus for classes and meetings.

Naropa recognizes the following holidays throughout the year: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Fall Break, 4th Thursday and Friday in November, and Winter Break, the last two weeks in December encompassing the Christmas holiday as well as New Year's.

Naropa's health and welfare benefits include the following: medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, employer-paid short-term and long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment, an employer-sponsored pre-tax retirement savings plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching, and a variety of voluntary, employee-paid supplemental insurance plans.

A comprehensive benefits package is available to full-time employees who work a minimum of 30 hours each week. Employees who work 20 - 29 hours each week are eligible for only the employer-paid short-term & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment, and the retirement plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.

Employees who work fewer than 20 hours per week are eligible to participate in Naropa's retirement plan only, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.

All regular full-time and part-time faculty and staff, including student workers, accrue sick leave benefits. Full-time and part-time staff positions accrue vacation and personal time. All leave accrual rates vary based on the position, hours worked, and years of service.

The University recognizes the importance of including its employees in its organizational mission and values and welcomes employees into the classroom to "touch the magic." Specifically, regular employees are provided generous tuition remission opportunities for themselves and their family members.

Naropa University participates in the Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP). CIC-TEP is a network of CIC colleges and universities willing to accept, tuition-free, students from families of full-time employees of other CIC participating institutions (full-time as designated by the employer/institution). Additional information can be found here: https://www.cic.edu/member-services/tuition-exchange-program.

Naropa University is an equal opportunity, non-discriminatory employer and Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual and relationship violence. This law applies to all students, faculty, and staff.