RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM IN MONASTIC TRAINING

We invite you to come to Gampo Abbey to practice, study and participate in our community.  We ask for a minimum commitment of six months to allow you to fully experience Abbey life and encourage those who are staying for 9 months or longer to explore temporary monasticim. (The Application Form can be downloaded from the bottom of this page.)

NEW - The Abbey is now limiting the times of the year when new residents may come to the Abbey to the months of August, December and April.

Life at the Abbey

Discipline is the foundation of monastic life which provides a simplified environment conducive to waking up. Therefore, all residents and staff are required to live by the five Buddhist precepts and adhere fully to the Abbey schedule. The five precepts are: refraining from taking life, refraining from stealing, refraining from sexual activity, refraining from lying, and refraining from intoxicants.  This includes  four hours of meditation daily, observing silence before noon and after 8 in the evening, attending morning and evening chants and other liturgical ceremonies.  Each resident also has house chores, dish clean-up, and a four-hour work period.

Meditation Practice at the Abbey

Gampo Abbey follows the view and the meditation practices as taught by our founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.  The Abbey follows the forms and traditions of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.  Our Abbot, the Venerable Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and Pema Chödrön the Gampo Acharya, both represent this same tradition and view.   Shamatha/vipashyana meditation as taught by the Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the meditation technique shared by all Abbey residents.  Residents are expected to learn and practice this technique while at the Abbey.  There is also time available in the daily schedule for the preparatory practices of ngondro or other advanced practices (such as yidam practice) for those who are authorized to practice these.  Other Buddhist practices can be done during free time.  Central to the practice life of the Abbey are various liturgical ceremonies, such as taking the daily precepts, as well as offering chants and supplications to protectors .  All community members are expected to participate fully in these.  Each Abbey resident meets regularly with a Meditation Instructor.

Community Life

The Abbey is a vibrant community, living and working in close quarters. Community life can be joyful as well as challenging.  It is necessary that you are willing to meet and work with these challenges. We ask that prior to coming to the Abbey, you be well grounded in Buddhism generally, and have at least six months of well-established sitting meditation experience. In order to maintain continuity in the community and to deepen the experience of contemplative life, residents are asked not to leave the Abbey for the first six months of their stay.

Cost of Staying at the Abbey (please note increased resident fee effective January 1, 2008)

Abbey residents are asked to pay $7.50 CDN per day or $225 per month towards their stay at Gampo Abbey.

Suggested Readings

If you are not very familiar with Tibetan Buddhism or the teachings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, we ask you to have read several of the following books before coming to the Abbey.  These might include:

Health and Well-Being

The diet at the Abbey is mainly vegetarian. Once a week, a meat meal is offered. Please be sure that a vegetarian diet will meet your needs. Alcohol is forbidden. 

While the discipline and schedule at the Abbey are extremely enriching, they are also rigorous and demanding. Therefore, it is important that you are in good mental, emotional and physical condition for your time at the Abbey.

Daily schedule

Generally, we work Monday through Friday; Saturday is an open day (no schedule) and Sunday is nyinthün (all day practice and silence). Although the schedule may vary occasionally, here is a sample schedule to give you an idea of the daily routine:

How to apply

If you would like to apply, please complete the application form.  Also, please provide two references, one from your current Meditation Instructor or dharma teacher and one from an employer or personal reference. Feel free to call, write, e-mail or fax us with any questions or concerns. If you would like to apply, please select one of these two application forms. The contents of the forms are identical the first is a Word document that can be filled out and emailed, the second is in rtf format and can be printed out and mailed or emailed back to us.

Resident's Application Form MS Word document, please fill out and email

Resident's Application form rtf format document, please fill out and mail or email to us.

Formulaire de demande de residence

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE RESIDENTS HANDBOOK