Tatsudo
Nicole Baden Roshi
In a Time of Uncertainty
In a time of uncertainty, confusing information, and increasing acceleration, many of us are not seeking more input — but an orientation we can trust, postures we can embody, and practices that reach into the details of our lived life.
What This Course Offers
This course offers a way to cultivate that orientation: Over five months, we will explore, embody, and learn to enact five foundational qualities that open us to the transformative potential of the Zen Buddhist teachings.
The Five Qualities
The five qualities we’ll explore are:
• Openness
• Acceptance
• Resonance
• Stillness
• Integrity.
Each is not something to achieve or to possess, but an accessible resource — something we can return to, feel, and begin to trust.
What you will learn
The Five Crafts
The course offers five core “crafts” — embodied, repeatable skills that help translate insight into action. These are not ideals to master, but real capacities that grow through practice:
• Tolerating not-knowing (when we actually don’t know)
• Inhabiting immediacy (before expectations and judgments kick in)
• Grounding thinking in feeling (but not emotion)
• Steadying attention (and cultivating a field of absorption)
• Acting from what matters (without getting in the way of ourselves)
You don’t need to get them right. You only need to stay close to what they open up — and let them guide your path.
This course is for you if you…
Feel overwhelmed or fragmented, and long for rhythm and focus
Want to transform, not just understand
Crave a form of practice that feels grounded and real
Want to relate from clarity, not reactivity
Feel alone in your path, and long for quiet community
Struggle to act ethically in complex times
Carry a lot of not-knowing, and want to befriend it
Wish to go deep — without getting lost in yourself
What touched me most was the way stillness can become a form of care.
It’s not the kind of care that tries to fix or soften. It just stays — steady, open, present. And in that quiet presence, something inside begins to unclench.
What truly surprised me: this kind of stillness can actually be evoked through an online space. (D.D.)
How it works
At the heart of this course is a monthly live teaching with Nicole Baden Roshi. Over the span of five months, each session introduces one of the five foundational qualities and sets the focus for personal exploration that month. These live teachings are the core of the course — they offer the ground, the depth, and the real-time encounter around which everything else unfolds.
One live teaching per month with Nicole Baden Roshi
+ Monthly Q&A sessions with Nicole Baden Roshi
Weekly guidance (delivered via email), reflections, and embodied practices
Daily morning & evening live-streamed meditation from our online zendo
Optional group meetings, community forums and support
All materials available
on demand
Student testimonials
Here is what other people say
Exceptionally insightful – a modern bridge between Buddhism and psychology.
I find the course content truly exceptional. I'm fascinated by Nicole's reinterpretation, her connection between psychology and Buddhism, and how she situates it in the modern age.
Many things only became clear to me now, thanks to the many practical and relatable explanations offered.
In any case, it's a great and helpful course.
Hans-Werner
Even after years of practice – I’m still learning and deeply inspired.
I appreciate the clarity, thoroughness, and extensive knowledge of Tatsudo Baden Roshi. Today I listened to Day 3, and even though I’ve been practicing meditation for a long time, I’m still learning and feel inspired. I can only recommend everyone to take advantage of this generous opportunity. Many thanks to Tatsudo Baden Roshi and Zendharmasangha.
Renate Allcock
A fresh, powerful voice in modern Zen
Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi is pure wonderfulness. Please pass that along. I've been doing this awhile and, gender (any differences) really, aren't a thing for me; they are for a lot of people though (mostly newbies).
Which is so refreshing—a fresh female voice/leader that will surely open the gates to more, and different, people exploring Zen ahead. I'm a big fan. And happy to support her success ahead. And, once I get through a transitional period, I plan to visit Crestone. Hopefully, I will get a chance to meet her then.
Keep up the outstanding work, including raising up an impressive young woman.
Kristen Heimerl
Choose Your Path
All memberships run for 6 months. Choose between monthly or one-time payment.
Early Bird valid until June 1st
Studying with Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi
”I have never taken as much for my own practice from any course as I did from this one. The daily impulses from Tatsudo Nicole Roshi were very valuable and inspiring for me. A well-rounded and successful concept that I would wholeheartedly recommend to any practitioner.”
Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi
Abbot of Dharma Sangha & Founder of the Dharma Academy
Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi (*1981) is the Dharma successor of Zentatsu Baker Roshi. She has been practicing with the Dharma Sangha since 2001. Until 2009, she studied psychology at the University of Oldenburg and simultaneously completed a training in the body-oriented method Body-Mind Centering©. She then lived for four years at the Crestone Mountain Zen Center in Colorado, USA, and has been at the Zen Buddhist Center Black Forest since 2013. In September 2024, Tatsudo Roshi officially assumed the Dharma succession and has since been guiding the spiritual direction of the Dharma Sangha as Abbot.
FAQs
Please feel free to email support@dharmaacademy.com for any lingering questions.
Lea Dinger
The Craft of Zen, Course support
Is this suitable for beginners?
Absolutely! Our courses have material for all seekers, no matter where you are on the path.
Do I need to be Buddhist?
Our courses and teachings are rooted in ancient Zen practice, but it is our intention that they are applicable to everyone, whether or not you identify as a Buddhist. It’s about thoroughly embodying wisdom views and learning how to act compassionately – even when we don’t feel like it.
What if I miss a session?
The Wisdom Curriculum is designed to support all learners at their own speed—the context of our lives looks different for everyone. All courses and Dharma talks are recorded and accessible at any time, so you can do the course at the pace that is right for you.
Can I cancel anytime?
You are welcome to cancel at any time the Dharma Academy Membership is no longer right for you—and you are welcomed back if you change your mind!
