SANGHA AT TUSHITA

Tushita's Sangha Policy

Tushita’s offering:

We are happy to offer Sangha members room and meals free of charge for a stay of up to two weeks. This period may be extended for FPMT / IMI Sangha (i.e. disciples of Lama Zopa Rinpoche or Lama Yeshe) at the Director’s discretion and each case will be assessed individually. Space is limited and priority is given to people attending courses at the centre, whether ordained or lay.

During very busy times i.e. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings, we may need to modify this policy due to the large numbers of monks and nuns coming to Tushita. 

There are two reasons Tushita wishes to make this offering to monks and nuns:
1.  As an act of generosity toward monks and nuns, with the sincere wish that by supporting the Sangha community, it will facilitate its flourishing and help ensure the survival of the Dharma, especially in the West.
2.  As the basis of a work/study program offered to sincere practitioners who are impoverished.

In return for Tushita offering free room and board, we request:

•  Your attendance at Tushita’s nightly Mahakala puja to help make the pujas more effective through the force of your vows. It is a time when we make requests to all the Holy Beings of the ten directions to help the activities of Tushita flourish and to be able to benefit beings. So we really appreciate your help in actualising these requests

•  Your attendence at Tushita’s other regular pujas (unless in strict retreat). Regular pujas are as follows:

• Lama Chopa, Tara Puja and Medicine Buddha. 
• Once a month, monks from Gyurme Tantric College perform the Palden Lhamo Puja and 16 Arharts Puja. You are welcome to attend however this is optional.

• You to offer your special services as Sangha to our Centre such as helping with water bowl offerings in the Gompas, helping our Lama Gyupa prepare fire puja ingredients or cleaning the Gompas, giving Dharma talks, translating, leading discussion groups, guiding meditations, leading pujas, setting up for pujas, helping during pujas (offering tsog, distributing tsog and tea) helping in the Library and transcribing Dharma lectures and so forth.

• You to help with specific jobs when asked by the Director or Spiritual Program Coordinator.

By “strict retreat” we mean both physically and mentally, doing a tantric and/or silent retreat with sessions throughout the day. If you are in strict retreat, you can be excused from the puja from the day you start retreat till the end of retreat. Note that strict retreat means you keep a strict discipline of four sessions a day, not interacting, hanging out, chatting with other people in the office and around Tushita in-between sessions, including meal times, and not going down to Mcleod Ganj, doing emails regularly etc.  The dates and type of retreat need to be discussed with the Spiritual Programmme Coordinator (SPC) ahead of arrival time, and permission is subject to his/her approval.
We would also request that if you plan to do a long retreat, that you allow some time either at the beginning or end of retreat to offer some help to the Centre.

Sangha doing strict retreat are not expected to attend Mahakala Pujas each night, although are welcome if they wish to do so.

Code of conduct for Sangha staying at Tushita

While staying at Tushita, monks and nuns should abide by the guidelines set up by the International Mahayana Institute for Sangha staying in FPMT Centres and also observe the modes of conduct of a ordained person.

As the Centre is not a monastery and hosts Buddhist and non-Buddhist lay people, special care should be taken to uphold the dignity of the Sangha, for individual monks and nuns to carefully protect their vows in such close proximity to lay men and women, and especially to protect the minds of the lay people, that they do not lose faith or have misconceptions about Sangha. 

Therefore, in addition, Tushita request that:

• Monks and nuns wear their robes properly at all times, (i.e. no singlets or long sleeves - unless sick) 
• Avoid physical contact with members of the opposite sex 
• Not be in rooms alone with members of the opposite sex. 
• Do not make personal requests to Tushita staff – if you need help, talk to either the Director or Office Manager.
• Keep silence when there is a course. 

Please be aware that if your behaviour is inappropriate you will be asked to leave Tushita.

MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY!