How to join the Dzogchen Community
Being a member of the Dzogchen Community involves our commitment to the teachings, as well as our generosity towards the community. A living community is essential for the survival of the teachings and for the development of ourselves as practitioners. Membership fees are the most important source of income to support our activities.
Members receive free newsletters, online copies of the Mirror, and discounts on the cost of accommodation at retreats in the UK and beyond. Some courses and events are only for members. Members have the right to vote at meetings after three years of membership. Membership of the Dzogchen Community UK includes the membership of Merigar in Italy, the West European centre under which we resort. A portion of our membership fees go to Merigar for services provided to the wider community.
To join, take the following three steps in this order. If you have any questions or problems, our membership secretary will be able to advise you.
1 Make Payment
We have a range of membership options, as detailed in the linked page, that differ in the levels of financial commitment and of benefits. You may freely choose which option suits you best, but bear in mind that the community depends on the generosity of its members, as explained in this talk by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu on the virtues of generosity.
The membership year starts on 1st January and runs until 31st December. In your first year, there is also the possibility of joining on 1st June and then paying half the annual fee. Payment by monthly or annual standing order is the best method for us. PayPal charge a fee for each transaction. If you are setting up a monthly standing order, please commit yourself to pay for at least 12 month. We can sustain a loss if you cancel early, because we have to transfer part of the annual membership fees to Merigar. If you choose to pay your membership by annual standing order, set this up to renew in January of each year.
Payment Methods
a Standing Order
Set up a monthly or annual standing order as explaned above. Use the bank details provided in option c. below and include your full name as the reference. This is the best option for us, so please consider doing this.
b PayPal payment
c Bank Transfer
HSBC 176 Camden High Street, London NW1 8QL
Account Name: The Dzogchen Community
Sort Code: 400203
Account Number: 61162829
Reference: [your full name]
2 Register with The International Dzogchen Community
Register your membership application on the website of the International Dzogchen Community (IDC). There is no need to make a payment again at this point. You will have access to the members-only parts of the webcast site, and the ability to view your personal profile and download all editions of The Mirror as pdf.
Renewing members must not register with the IDC again! You are already registered. Lapsed members are not removed from the the IDC’s membership database. If you do attempt to register again, this will produce a duplicate record which will compromise the database.
3 Submit UK Membership Application Form
Apply for membership of the UK Dzogchen Community by submitting this form. It will ask you to confirm that you have arranged payment of your membership fee, and that you have registered with the International Dzogchen Community. All three steps are necessary to complete your membership application.
Thank You. Welcome to the Dzogchen Community!
We warmly invite you to explore the activities organised by the community. You will now be receiving our regular newsletters, and for the latest information, you can always visit the events calendar.
