How To Become a Member of DGCEC/TGDC

 

Click here for the

 DGCEC Membership Form

 

All are welcome at Drepung Gomang Center for Engaging Compassion/ TGDC –

  • to visit our shrine room
  • to enjoy weekly public meditation opportunities
  • to receive teachings
  • to attend community events.

 

A Member is a person who is willing to make a deeper commitment to our vision and mission.

You are warmly invited to renew or commit to membership at DGCEC/TGDC through sharing your talent, time and financial commitment.

"Membership Commitment Builds Strong Community..."

 

Two types of membership 

  • Sangha Member: a person who has taken Buddhist Refuge Vows, is preparing to take Refuge Vows at DGCEC/TGDC in the future or is a committed student of Tibetan Buddhism
  • Interfaith Member: a friend from another or no faith tradition who is committed to the support of the center and its mission, including the teaching of compassion from a secular inclusive perspective

 

Basic Annual Membership

  • Individual Member: $50
  • Family Membership: $110 (3 or more)
  • Student Membership: $35
  • Senior Membership: $35
  • Those living on a fixed or low income are invited to talk to a staff person about an affordable membership rate.

 

Membership, renewed annually, is effective for a year from the registration date. Please present your member card for discounts.

Membership dues are not tax-deductible.

 

Membership Benefits

We thank you for your support and offer these benefits to DGCEC Members:

  • Annual Member Retreat
  • Member Discount on DGCEC programs as noted in promotional materials
  • Member Discount on retreat room use
  • Guidance by our Geshes through classes and prayer offerings
  • Periodic E-Newsletter for Members
  • Borrowing Privileges from DGCEC’s expanded library
  • 10% Discount in the Tibetan Marketplace and occasional member-only sales

 

Sustaining Member

Your commitment to a monthly pledge in addition to the base membership helps us build a responsible budget and meet the expenses of running both a Dharma and an Educational Center. Please make a monthly pledge that fits your financial situation.

 

Circle of Compassion

Supporters able to share a donation of $1000 or more a year become part of the DGCEC/TGDC Circle of Compassion.

DGCEC, under our original incorporation name Drepung Gomang Institute, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible. All financial information is confidential and will not be shared with others.

 

Your Time is Precious to DGCEC

Please consider sharing some of your time to increase the health of DGCEC. Committees include: 

  • Hospitality
  • Building and Grounds
  • Fundraising
  • Merchandise
  • Sacred Arts Tour Committee
  • Special Events

We are also grateful for help with cleaning the center and grounds, preparing food for events and providing transportation for our Geshes.

 

Connecting Your Talent with DGCEC’s Needs

Your skills are a gift! Consider which special talents you would like to share to help grow our center.

 

We Envision  

An enlightened, peaceful community transformed through Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and the practice of engaged compassion

 

Mission Statement

As the North American Seat of Drepung Gomang Monastery, DGCEC is a welcoming community that

  • offers opportunities to study and practice Tibetan Buddhism
  • raises awareness of the endangered Tibetan culture and associated human rights issues
  • provides programs relating to the practice of universal human values, interfaith dialogue, and peacemaking as inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

 

Values

These values provide the lens through which all classes, programs, events, strategies for raising funds, and policies are viewed.

  • Nonviolence: An unconditional commitment to avoid harming others
  • Loving-Kindness:  Caring for other people rooted in recognizing our humanity and interrelatedness
  • Compassion:  A willingness to see another’s suffering, to foster a desire to alleviate it, and to choose action to relieve the suffering
  • Tolerance:  An ability to internalize patience and to extend it beyond what might seem reasonable, taking it to a level that includes forgiveness
  • Reverence:  A profound respect for another that includes a sense of awe - whether for living beings, religious objects/symbols, or the Earth
  • Interfaith Collaboration:  Working together with diverse religious traditions to build understanding as a formula for creating world peace

 

We are dedicated to engaging compassion in the heart of the community.