Fee Structure: ($150 – 400 per month)

The income from the mentoring program compensates me not only for my current financial needs, but also allows me to recover costs I’ve incurred while accumulating my education, credentials, personal retreats, and ongoing professional training. Economic justice is important to me, and I feel strongly that the practice and teachings should be available to everyone. I recognize that the pursuit of compensation simultaneously limits access for some. Therefore, I want to make my financial motives transparent.

I’ve devoted a majority of my professional career to the nonprofit sector, donation-based programs, and incarcerated populations. I continue to teach programs that rely 100% on donations and generosity as part of my Dharma lineage. Over the course of every year I schedule and teach retreats, drop-in classes and online programs at various meditation centers around the country where my teachings are freely offered. This allows people to have access to me regardless of finances. I also offer hundreds of free online teachings through my podcast that are available to all.

What I earn in that domain does not adequately address unrecovered and reoccurring costs and financial responsibilities to me and my family. So, I bridge the gap through my work with private students in a professional mentoring capacity. Which is why my fees are adjusted accordingly.

Testimonials

My retreat experience with Dave has been one of the profound and constructive things I’ve done in my life. For someone who has been practicing mindfulness for less than a year before sitting his first retreat with Dave, I found it to be very easy to understand yet very challenging with plenty of room for growth. Since I have sat four different retreats at various lengths and can’t wait to sit more. 

Vlad V
Santa Cruz, CA

I have been studying Buddhism for nearly 50 years. I highly recommend any chance to study with Dave. The seven-day retreat I did with Dave this summer was stellar. He brings his authentic, loving and humble unwavering focus to teaching. He is particularly adept at weaving in all the emotional intelligence. I found deeper access to self-kindness that has continued to inform my daily practice. 

Lauren R
Santa Fe, NM

I have attended several retreats with Dave as the guiding teacher. I find Dave’s teaching style to be highly accessible, he is clear and direct, and he makes it easy to see how the Buddha’s teachings are relevant to our modern lives. He is also approachable as a teacher and makes himself available to students in a way I find unique among the dharma teachers I have worked with. As a student, I have always felt seen and held by Dave’s presence in the room.

Jameson B
Albuquerque, NM

I have been practicing the dharma with Dave for over 10 years and he has been primary teacher for most of that time. Over the years, I have sat about a dozen retreats with Dave ranging from 3 to 10 days. Although I have become familiar with Dave’s teaching style, I keep coming back because he is constantly evolving as a teacher and my retreat experience with Dave is always special and profound. I particularly appreciate Dave’s approach to metta vipassana where we are given the opportunity to practice both insight and heart practices as well as the way he shares his personal experiences as a fellow practitioner of the dharma rather than as a teacher who is somehow on a different level than their students.

Most of all, I appreciate how much Dave truly loves the dharma and how much he cares about his students and those he works with and practices with.

I’ll keep coming back.

Stu M
Los Angeles, CA

I have attended several events with Dave, both workshop style day longs and traditional extended residential silent retreats. Dave’s approach to the dharma is well informed and refreshingly modern. I always find myself cared for and the time spent with Dave valuable.

Derek J
Tulsa, OK

I’ve attended retreat with Dave multiple times and can’t recommend the experience enough.  Dave has a down to earth, approachable, and authentic practice that supports an atmosphere of depth and ease throughout the multiple days of practice.  His grounded and pragmatic teaching style is infused with humor which has been helpful to me in staying engaged and really understanding the dharma perspectives that amplify and support the practice of meditation.  My experiences on retreat with Dave have been lasting and important moments in my life that leave me feeling a sense of belonging and connectedness that I get to carry with me beyond the cushion.  

Julio I
Montclair NJ

Dave brings such a rich sense of humanity to his teaching. Firmly rooted in experience, his examples and stories draw his listeners deeper into the Dharma, allowing the principles and lessons to find their place within.

Chris C
Birmingham, AL

Smart, knowledgeable, relatable, caring and funny. These are but a few of the accolades I grant Dave Smith as a Dharma teacher and retreat leader. I have attended three retreats with Dave and plan to attend more. He takes his leadership role seriously and presents in a respectful and professional manner- peppered with humor and a few choice words.  I’m a 68-year-old woman with no tattoos and I feel absolutely seen and respected by Dave. I highly recommend Dave Smith as a dharma teacher and retreat facilitator. 

Christine D
Portland, OR

I’ve had the privilege of attending two meditation retreats with Dave, and both experiences have been transformative. His teachings are not only profound but also deeply accessible. Dave has a unique ability to create a welcoming and nurturing environment with his humor and caring energy where everyone feels seen and supported. His teachings on retreat have significantly impacted my understanding and passion for my practice, and I left each retreat with a renewed sense of purpose and peace. I highly recommend his retreats to anyone seeking a deeper connection to mindfulness and Dharma teachings.

Jame S
Portland, ME