Estimated Financial Commitment
Upon acceptance into either cycle of this program, the financial commitment includes:
- Payment of an annual administrative fee of $350 will be due after being formally accepted into the program. This amount will be charged to your account annually. This fee covers administrative costs, costs for translation of relevant texts, text editing and preparation, webcast administration and group oversight.
- If you are a member in another long term program through Tara Mandala (Magyu or Ösel Nyingtig), please know that you will be charged a combined fee of $500 for both programs starting at the time that you are accepted to the Gateway program (this reflects a $200 discount for being part of both lineages). If you are already a member of two long-term programs at Tara Mandala and are interested in joining the Gateway program, please communicate this in your application.
Becoming a Sustaining Sangha member at $30/month Friend of Tara Mandala level or higher is also required. Membership offers an assortment of benefits including: 5% discount on one retreat annually, 5% discount in the Dakini Store, access to special content including teachings by Lama Tsultrim, and much more. Higher levels of support have additional benefits.
This monthly donation to Tara Mandala supports our year-round programming and activities. It is tax deductible according to US tax laws. Please confirm this yourself with tax laws of other countries.
Students under 25 years of age may sign up at $15 per month until they are over 25, at which point they will be asked to increase their donation to $30 or higher per month.
For those over the age of 65 who are living on a fixed income, you may be eligible for the $15 per month level. However, if you have the capacity to give at a $30+ level, we strongly encourage you to do so as these donations are crucial for covering our operational needs.
The costs of your required annual group retreat(s) which will usually be one per year are also your responsibility, including travel costs if the retreats are held at Tara Mandala or elsewhere. We will also offer online retreats whenever possible.
Offering dana to teachers is also traditional and expected based on your capacity to give. The dana range for each Kalyanamitra session is $50-$150/hour. Please note that dana will also need to be considered for all annual retreats and this range is $20-$60 per day of an in-person retreat or online program.
Participation in this program includes:
Q+A sessions several times during the year.
Scheduled group practice sessions throughout the year with senior practitioners.
Access to a members-only network space with important supplementary material.
One-on-one support provided as needed, via email or video phone calls.
Financial Assistance
Once accepted, if you have financial hardships that make these financial commitments challenging, you can apply for a scholarship to help cover the annual administrative fee. We do not want financial challenges to prevent anyone from participating.