Seven Homecomings Certification Course

“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” ~ Maya Angelou 

“Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.” ~ James Baldwin

“When I think of home I think of a place where there's love overflowing.” ~ Stephanie Mills, The Wiz

No matter how we think of home, it is a place that many of us need. 

We have been living through an apocalypse, a period when truth is being revealed about our lives, communities, and the world. Home is the experience of taking refuge, amidst this apocalypse, in something that restores us through love. Homecoming is opening to how home is calling us into being held and cared for.  

The Seven Homecomings practice explores the profound path of homecoming in these times of fear and uncertainty. This practice, shared in Lama Rod’s book Love and Rage, combines the three traditional sources of refuge in Buddhism with other important sources of refuge that embrace our diverse cultural, racial, sexual, and radical identities, so that we can bring our whole lives into this practice. 

Lama Rod recognizes the Homecomings practice as a necessary resource as we process and respond to current times. He is therefore offering his online certification course for a second time to continue making the practice accessible to all who might benefit. This offering will formally authorize practitioners to teach the Seven Homecomings. 

Through this 5-week experience, participants will have a unique opportunity to join the growing network of practice leaders around the world sharing the transformative practice of Seven Homecomings.

This course offers a different way of connecting with Lama Rod through his teachings, and with Peer Mentors, by workshopping practice facilitation in small groups each week. These smaller workshop spaces both serve to deepen commitment to one’s own practice while honing one’s skills as a practice facilitator. 

Join Lama Rod and the growing community of Seven Homecoming practice leaders in their commitment to sharing a simple yet empowering practice that helps us feel resourced with radical honesty, compassionate love, and a dedication to liberation for all.

This course is open to those who have completed a past online or in-person course, retreat, or event with Lama Rod where the Seven Homecomings practice was taught. This course is also open to those who completed the first course and want a refresher or participated but did not complete their certification.

Course FAQs:
 

 Can I participate in this course?

This course is open to those who have completed a past online or in-person course, retreat, or event with Lama Rod where the Seven Homecomings practice was taught.

For those who do not meet this requirement and have an existing meditation/Seven Homecomings practice, you can click here to be added to the waitlist. We will be responding to and updating the waitlist around March 15th-29th.

When are the live sessions? 

Live sessions are from March 29th - April 27th, 2025.

5 Saturdays (Teaching Sessions): March 29th; April 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th from 11am - 2pm ET

5 Sundays (Practice Sessions)*: March 30th; April 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th from 11am- 2pm ET

*Sunday sessions require live attendance to receive certification.

What are the requirements to receive the certification? 

• Attend live (or watch the recording if you can’t attend live) of all the Teaching sessions
• Attend live for all the Practice sessions*
• Engage with the readings and resources that accompany live sessions
• Commit to honor Lama Rod’s ethics statement when facilitating the practice
• Demonstrate your ability to facilitate the complete 7 Homecomings Practice at the end of the course

*Due to the nature of the course which requires practice with facilitating in groups, attendance and participation in all of the live Practice Sessions is required in order to be qualified to receive a certificate.

What if I can't attend the live session?

Please note that one requirement to receive a certificate at the end of the course is attendance to the live sessions. If you are not available to attend a live Teaching Session (Saturdays), you can watch the recording which will be posted to the course platform for later viewing. Attendance to all of the live small group Practice Sessions are required, because they center collaborative exploration and engaging in practice together. While portions of the live small group Practice sessions will be recorded when everyone is in the large room, the majority of these sessions are small group breakout rooms and therefore, those parts will not be recorded. If you are not available to attend most, if not all, of the small group live sessions then please consider waiting to participate in a future iteration of this course. 

Is there a refund policy? 

You can request for a refund prior to March 22nd less a $100 admin fee. All registrations placed after March 22nd are not eligible for a refund. 

Is there financial assistance available? 

Through the support of those who give at the Pay it Forward level, we have a limited amount of partial scholarships available. Email [email protected] if you are in need of financial assistance. 

If you are able to contribute to our ability to offer scholarships, please express your generosity by (a) choosing the Pay it Forward ticket, or (b) purchase a Standard Ticket and gift it to someone you know (or email [email protected] to designate it as a contribution to anyone who needs a spot).

What does the registration fee support?

Registration fees support Lama Rod and his team for the extensive labor, seen and unseen, and spiritual devotion that allows his work to remain accessible and sustainable. These resources help cover ongoing operational costs, such as the online platforms and services that are used to offer digital programs, team compensation, and the legal and accounting requirements of the United States, as well as physical spaces, materials, and nourishment for events when applicable.

As Lama Rod writes in The New Saints, he seeks to make the tradition of the Buddha relevant to our experiences in the present moment. This means inviting offerings and exchanges that honor the material needs of his energetic presence and livelihood — not in a conditional nor transactional way, but reflecting a tradition of reciprocity and universal balance similar to how you might leave food upon an altar for an ancestor. Giving and receiving are practices that embody the ethic of care that grounds Lama Rod’s work.

Therefore, your registration fees are one of the ways that Lama Rod is sustained so that he can continue his free and by-donation offerings such as Free Radicals, Medicine Buddha, and partnerships with organizations and schools to support their efforts. These offerings reflect our team’s commitment that no one be excluded from the teachings based upon their financial means. Those who register at the Pay-It-Forward price further increase accessibility by making financial assistance possible for those who need scholarships. Barter offerings and work exchanges are also welcome in some instances. Lama Rod believes that we can be well resourced while practicing an anti-capitalist ethic and is deeply grateful to be in a reciprocal relationship with you.

How long will the course materials be available once I register? 

All course modules and resources will be available indefinitely.

Other Questions?

For any other questions about this series, please contact [email protected].

A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod activates the intersections of his identity to create a platform that’s very natural, engaging, and inclusive. Applauded for his mastery in balancing weighty topics with a sense of lightness, the Queen has been featured by various national and international news outlets. 

Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself.