Join Us

Membership at the Victoria Shambhala Centre is a wonderful way of deepening the path of meditation and exploring ways of connecting to basic goodness through relationships in community.

In Shambhala, membership is an active principle involving four commitments:

Practicing and studying the Dharma The first commitment of membership involves cultivating a regular meditation practice. Meditation and expanding mindfulness into daily life is the basis of our path. With so many things in the modern world competing for our attention, it can take time and a lot of effort to build a regular practice.

To support this aspiration it is helpful to meet with a Meditation Instructor (MI) who can guide and support you in navigating the many obstacles that naturally arise on the journey. If you don’t have an MI and would like one, the Membership Coordinator will help facilitate a meeting with a qualified MI at the centre.

Please refer to the online calendar regularly for upcoming meditation classes and retreats.

Volunteering The Victoria Shambhala Centre is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization that relies on its members for virtually all aspects of operations from governance to staffing programs. Volunteering can take many forms and is an excellent way to learn new skills and form new lifelong relationships with your fellow travelers on the path.

Generosity is the virtue that produces peace Like all non-profit organizations, the Victoria Shambhala Centre derives a significant portion of its operating budget from the membership. In addition to covering our rent and keeping the lights on, we contribute a small amount to Shambhala International for some core services like website support and the issuing of tax receipts.

No one is excluded from membership because of money. Members are encouraged to offer based on their financial ability, but also on personal reflection of the value received by virtue of having a place to study and practice the Shambhala dharma in a supportive community with others.

In addition to monthly contributions, we are also exploring bequeathments. If this is something you might be interested in, please contact the centre Chadgzo for more information.

The Practice of Community At its core, Shambhala is about creating a culture rooted in the experience of basic goodness. Ideally people feel kindness when they come to the Centre. Much like meditation, being in community with others can be joyous, but also difficult at times. Held in the container of mindfulness, relationships are mirror-like and can be transformative and healing.
The vision of creating enlightened society can seem daunting, but an enlightened village of 100 members is much more doable. Membership is an opportunity to contemplate and participate in a different kind of social order, based on compassion rather than fear.

In Shambhala, there are cultural festivals and gatherings that mark cycles in the natural world as well as celebrations marking important life transitions such as births, marriage, and death. Celebration is an essential part of the path.

Statement of Inclusion: Basic Goodness Without Barriers
At the Victoria Shambhala Centre we strive to foster a welcoming atmosphere free of prejudice and to develop an inclusive and enlightened village which is fully accessible to all persons. Although some of our programs and events are only open to members or those who have fulfilled certain prerequisites, everyone is welcome at our centre regardless of religion, spiritual tradition or teachers, path of practice, opinions, class, nationality, culture, ethnicity, race, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, or physical, perceptual or mental abilities.

If you have any questions about membership, please contact the Membership Coordinator via [email protected]

To become a member please complete the Membership Form online. Once we receive your completed form, the Membership Coordinator will guide you through the new member orientation process.