Membership

Becoming a member of the Shambhala Meditation Center is a statement about your personal inspiration, curiosity, and commitment to the path of awakening. It means participating in a community of practitioners who aspire to relate to each other with honesty, warmth, and openness. We inspire one another to deepen our practice of mindfulness, awareness, and compassion. We also provide each other an opportunity to practice compassion and patience.

We invite anyone interested in our Shambhala Centre to consider becoming a member. Becoming a member of our Centre simultaneously brings membership in Shambhala, a global community committed to cultivating mindfulness, awareness and compassion―personally and in society.


 

Membership is a way to express appreciation for what Shambhala provides and help make it available to others. This involves three areas of engagement and support:

Practicing meditation

Making a connection to mindfulness-awareness meditation or related contemplative practice and integrating this practice into daily life is considered the best way for members to support Shambhala and benefit the world and ourselves.

Volunteering

All of the work of our Centre and much of the work of the Shambhala global community is done by volunteers. Giving our time and talents to the work of the community is a vital form of support and viewed as part of members’ practice.

Providing financial support

We rely on membership dues to pay our basic operating expenses and for the Center’s financial sustainability. Membership dues pay for rent ($1,723/month), utilities, food and supplies, building maintenance, dues to Shambhala USA and Global Services ($359/month), and other general operational costs. Supporting the Center financially is an important act of generosity for members and is part of the path of practice. There is no minimum or maximum amount for dues and our current range is from $5 per month up to $200 per month. Most monthly memberships range from $25 – $100. Membership dues (as well as donations and contributions to the building maintenance fund) are all tax-deductible. The Center cannot exist without financial support and we very much appreciate the generosity of our members!

 

Fill our our membership form online and our membership coordinator will be in touch with you.

 

Why does membership matter?

Although membership is not required to participate in much of what the Center has to offer, without our community’s financial and volunteer support, we would not be able to offer all the wonderful programs, practice sessions, and events that we do.  It is because of our members that the profound tradition of meditation is able to survive and flourish. Payment of membership dues is the financial backbone of our Shambhala Center.

What are the benefits of membership?

The most important benefit of membership is that you are making the Center’s resources available for other people. If you have benefited from the Center, making the commitment to be a member is a way to offer that benefit to others. Many people find that becoming a member strengthens their path and their connection to the community because of the commitment to practice and to supporting the Center implicit in being a member. Members also receive a pin and automatic membership in Shambhala’s world-wide network and the member resources at www.shambhala.org

 

Those who are in the sangha are warriors, because they are trying to overcome samsara. Members of the sangha support one another and care for one another. They are not perfect, but they inspire us because they are people who want to deepen their practice of mindfulness, awareness and compassion. The sangha is also a container. When we practice together, the sangha helps our discipline. We realize that there are other people around who are going through the same thing. That gives us a feeling of encouragement.
– Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche