Course Discipline

The practice of meditation requires the development of spiritual discipline. To help you develop this kind of discipline, we have put together a set of guidelines.

To get the most benefit from the course, and to ensure that it is harmonious and enjoyable for all participants, we request you to follow these simple rules 

1.  Attendance at all course sessions is mandatory. This includes meditation sessions and discussion group. If you cannot attend a session because of illness, please contact your group leader, or the course coordinator.

2. Keep silence from 9 pm in the evening until you have finished your lunch. Breakfast and lunch are eaten in silence. This practice helps to focus one’s attention and to develop outer and inner awareness.

Be considerate of others' silence: keep silence in the appropriate areas during residential courses, especially in the Gompa and the dormitories. No singing or playing music. In general it is recommended to maintain a quiet demeanor during the course. If you wish to keep silence throughout the course ask for a yellow ribbon in the reception.

3. Stay inside the monastery grounds throughout the course.

4. Please respect the monks and their vows. Do not distract them from their studies or work. Do not visit the monks in their room, or allow them to visit your room. Do not encourage the monks to break their monastic rules.

5. Keep the five precepts. They are: no killing, stealing, lying, sexual activity, no tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs of any kind.

6. Check your mobile (cell) phone and other electronic devices in the reception safe at the start of the course. This will help you stay focused on the teachings. If you use your mobile as alarm, then we request you to remove the sim card and store it in the reception.

7.  Do not bring any non-Dharma reading material, radio, or computer to your room, but store it in the safe in the reception. You can use an mp3 player for recording the teachings, but please do not play music.

8. Men and women are accommodated in separate rooms. Please do not visit the rooms of the opposite sex. If you are attending as a couple, we suggest you sit separately in the meditation hall

9. Your dress should be loose, simple, comfortable and appropriate for a monastic environment. Please adhere to our suggested dress code.

 

We thank you for your cooperation.

The Monastery reserves the rights to ask participants who do not attend all sessions, violate the rule regarding visiting monks' rooms, or prove in other ways to be disturbing to the course, to leave the course.

 

Kopan Monastery
Nepal Buddhist Mahayana Center Gompa

Kopan Monastery FPMT pending affiliation
Foundation for the preservation of the Mahayana Tradition