Membership

Becoming a member of the Fort Collins 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 Center to consider becoming a member. Becoming a member of our Center simultaneously brings membership in Shambhala International, 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 in Fort Collins, and helps make the Shambhala teachings 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

Nearly 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

Membership dues and donations pay our basic operating expenses and utilities. The nominal guideline is $45 per month for individuals, $75 per month for couples, and $108 per month for Sustaining Patrons. However, each person decides what level of support fits his or her situation and budget.  Some pay more; some pay less; the minimum for membership is $5 per month.  Every contribution is helpful and greatly appreciated.

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

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 depth of 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.

A member makes a connection to mindfulnessawareness practice and works to integrate that practice into daily life.  As a part of the vision and structure of Shambhala, members are dedicated to creating an Enlightened Society that believes in the innate goodness and wisdom of individuals.  Members are strongly encouraged to take the Shambhala Membership Oath at either Shambhala Day or Harvest of Peace, our two community celebrations where we welcome new members. (See Shambhala Membership Oath page)

What are the benefits of Membership?

  • Formally engages with a community that is fostering a society based on inherent sanity, wisdom, kindness, and basic goodness
  • Members may ask to receive a personal meditation instructor to help in practice and guidance along the path
  • Members are invited to community events, special events, programs, and classes
  • Membership pin
  • Automatic membership in the world-wide Shambhala Network
  • Access to member resources at www.shambhala.org
  • Helps sustain the financial health and well-being of the Center through monthly dues.

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