Generosity Policy

Since the time of the Buddha, the Shambhala Buddhist teachings have been handed down through the generosity, devotion, and exertion of generations of teachers and students.  The Shambhala Meditation Center of St Johnsbury, under the auspices of Shambhala International, participates in this lineage of generosity, devotion, and exertion.  We are a non-profit charitable organization run by volunteers.  All our funds come from donors, members and program fees.

We are committed to offering our programs to those who are inspired to attend.  We also believe that finances should not be an obstacle to connecting with these practices.

“We can afford to open ourselves and join the rest of the world with a sense of tremendous generosity, tremendous goodness, and tremendous richness. The more we give, the more we gain–although what we gain should not particularly be our reason for giving. Rather, the more we give, the more we are inspired to give constantly. And the gaining process happens naturally, automatically.”

–Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

The tuition fees for our classes and programs, along with membership contributions and donations, represent an amount that allows for the support of our programs, food and facilities.   In order to make our programs accessible to everyone, we offer a “pay what you can afford” policy.

We encourage everyone to pre-register for programs online and pay the deposit amount, if possible.  The remaining balance is requested at the beginning of the program.  If this is financially difficult, please register with no payment and indicate what you can afford in the “notes” section.  It is not necessary to provide an explanation.  Individuals may also request that the program coordinator contact them personally.

For those who can offer more than the standard program price, we have apatron price.”  Your generosity in offering at the patron level helps cover the costs for others who are not able to pay the full price.