Membership
The condition and the endeavour
Sincerity, not perfection, is what is asked. One who stumbles and rises again keeps faith with the training.
The condition: the Five Precepts
The condition is the Five Precepts: five undertakings that make a person safe to know, kept sincerely and renewed together, aloud, at each Annual General Meeting. They are set out in full on the Precepts and the Path page.
And no office in this community — from the newest member to the Acharya who leads our Council — exempts anyone from the same five promises. Here, seniority means more accountability, never less.
The endeavour: the Noble Eightfold Path
The endeavour is the Noble Eightfold Path — the road every precept-holder walks at their own honest pace, at their own mile-marker, facing the same direction as everyone beside them. Read both plainly on the gate and the road before you apply; membership should never be a surprise.
Commitment to the Objects and the Codes
Members also commit to the community's Objects — teaching the Dhamma freely, supporting the Sangha, and guarding Buddhist education — and to the Ten Codes, which are our standard for speech and conduct, including everything published on this website.
Renewal each year
Membership is renewed annually at the Annual General Meeting, where members say the precepts together. The renewal is a shared undertaking, not an examination. The subscription is modest and can be waived on request, without explanation and without record.
What happens if you fall away
People drift, get busy, and come back. Lapsed membership can be resumed by writing to the Secretary. There is no penalty and no conversation you need to dread.