Program Policies and FAQs

Our Generosity Policy
We have a generosity policy to make our offerings available to all who wish to participate. If the program price is an obstacle for you, please consider what works for you, and offer as much of the program fee as you can. For those who can offer more than the program price, we have a “patron price”. Your generosity in offering the patron price helps cover the costs for others who are not able to pay the full price.

Cancellations and Refunds
If you need to cancel your registration for a program (or in general if you have any questions about registration), please email the contact person for that program (or if that’s not obvious, you can email us at [email protected]). If you cancel more than one week before the start of class you will receive a 100% refund. Within one week, you will still receive a 100% refund for most programs, however for a few special programs only 80% will be refunded when it’s within one week. Your refund will be processed within a few days of making the request.

Way of Shambhala – Prerequisites and Credit for Classes
The first two “In Everyday Life” classes, the first Basic Goodness class, and Level I of Shambhala Training are all open to everyone with no prerequisites. The remaining programs in each series require that students have completed the previous programs in that series. For more information on the Way of Shambhala classes, please see: Way of Shambhala. In order to be considered to have completed a program, a student must have at a minimum:

  • Shambhala Training level: participated in the full weekend unless special arrangements have been made with the Director of the level due to extenuating circumstances
  • In Everyday Life classes: participated in at least three of the five class evenings
  • Basic Goodness classes: participated in at least four of the six class evenings

Seattle Members’ Educational Scholarship Fund
In addition to the programs offered in Seattle, Shambhala International offers a variety of programs at Shambhala land centers around the world. These programs are considered an important part of the Shambhala path of practice and study. In order to help make these programs more accessible financially, the Seattle Center has established the members’ scholarship fund. The scholarship fund supports programs at Shambhala land-centers that are prerequisites for following the core spiritual path and that are major components of the Shambhala path of practice and study (for example, Dathun, Enlightened Society Assembly, Warrior Assembly, etc.). The intent of the fund is to enable active, committed community members to overcome financial constraints through partial payment of program fees and transportation costs. For more information and to apply, please see: Seattle Members’ Educational Scholarship Fund.

Frequently Asked Questions

Registration and Payment for Classes

  1. How do I pay online for a class? You will have the option to click on PayPal after submitting your information on the registration page. If you have a PayPal account, login and choose the appropriate amount. If you do not have an account, you have the option to pay by credit card. Look below the PayPal log-in and choose “I don’t have an account. Pay by credit card”. In this case, you are using PayPal as a guest. After making your payment none of your personal information is stored.
  2. What happens if I did not pay at the time of registration, but now wish to pay online for my class? You may re-register and then click on PayPal to make your payment. Please make a note in the comment box that you are registering a second time in order to make a payment.
  3. What if I do not want to pay online? You may pay by mailing a check, which will be held until the date of the class. Please make a note in the comment field when you register to let us know you are mailing a check. Write the name of the class on the check and mail it to: Seattle Shambhala Center, Attention: Registrar, 3107 E Harrison St, Seattle WA 98112.
  4. Why should I consider prepaying for classes? Prepaying online is very helpful to us as it saves volunteer time in bookkeeping and processing deposits. Prepaying online or by check also guarantees your seat in the class, which is important for classes that fill quickly. Your place in the program is guaranteed when payment is received.
  5. Should I register ahead of the class if I am not able to prepay? We greatly appreciate preregistration even if it is not possible to prepay the fee. This helps us to plan effectively for materials, food, and staff. Please make a note in the comment field when you register to let us know your plans for mailing a check or paying at the time of the class.

Shambhala Account (and access to class recordings)

  1. Why do I need a Shambhala account? A Shambhala account is the way to access class archives (recorded talks, reading lists, and documents), to keep track of the classes you have taken, and to keep current contact information on file.
  2. Do I need to be a member to have a Shambhala account? Anyone can have a Shambhala account. Regardless of membership status you will have access to your profile, classes and archives, as well as other resources such as Shambhala Online and the Shambhala Network.
  3. How do I create a Shambhala account? Go to the Create a Shambhala Account page, enter your name and email address, and for Center choose “Seattle”. Or if you think you might already have a Shambhala account, you can try the password recovery page.
  4. How do I access my account? Go to the Shambhala Member’s View page (previously called the Shambhala Database or SDB) and login with your user name and password. Although this is called the “Member’s View” page, it’s available to non-members as well.
  5. How do I listen to a class talk? Follow the instructions (immediately above) for accessing the Member’s View page. Once you are logged in, click on “see the list of programs you attended” (about the 3rd item down). Then find the class in the listing, and click on the class name. You should then have access to any recordings (or other materials) for that class. Recordings are made of most classes, and they are usually posted within a day or two.