This section covers the costs of the retreat including tuition and expenses.
Your fee helps to maintain the center in addition to paying for costs the center incurs over retreat. Utility expense is particularly costly, especially during these times of increased fuel costs. Airfare for teachers, ongoing yearly maintanence costs -- all of these add up. To thoroughly understand the costs the center must bear, please read our section covering this topic under About the Retreat Center.
Work-study
Work-study is available for those experiencing hardship, but on a very limited basis. There are no scholarships, currently, as funds are badly needed for other of His Holiness' projects. Personal recommendations are helpful for acceptance into this program. Please see the "Work Study" section for more info.
Discounts
Monastic: Shared tent accommodations for monks and nuns are available at a discount of 50%. When applying for retreat, please include a reference of ordination on a separate sheet including name of master who conferred ordination, date of ordination, center phone number and address, city, state, zip, country.
Student: College students with ID confirming full-time student status are eligible for a 25% discount when staying in tent accommodations.
Teenagers between 12 to 17 (shared tent only): less 50% of fee from table above Multiply total by 0.50
All retreatants, including children, must summit the registration form.
Children between 4 and 12: 75% of fee (with non-discounted payment of single room or tent fee by parent/guardian - in the case of two parents, a shared room at full fee).
Please see the downloadable flier for details of the retreat fees by accommodation option.
There are no other fees for the retreat. However, teaching dana (direct donations to the teacher) are customary.
The assignment of rooms is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Should you need to cancel your reservation, your deposit is refunded minus $90 for processing. Should you leave during retreat, a $90 processing fee will be applied and unattended days will be refunded.
All payments must be made in US funds-cash, check, traveler's check, or money order payable on a US bank. The bank charges the center $20 for handling any checks returned unpaid. This charge will be passed onto those writing a check to the center which is returned.
Telephone - No long distance telephone calls from center office phones. Pay phones are available for long distance calling.
Other expenses to consider include:
- Bus fare from New York Penn Station to Binghamton or Greene.
- Fees do not cover all costs. You may wish to consider making an additional and optional offering to the masters giving teachings, empowerments and interviews and/or to the monks working on the retreat. This need not be made at each empowerment as there will be so many; it can be offered at the last empowerment you attend. You may also wish to make an additional offering when you request an interview with any of the masters.
- You may wish to buy ritual materials (such as a mala) and offerings for the food offering ceremony.
- There will be a commissary this year, which will be open for two hours daily. However, you may wish to arrange to have fellow retreatants with cars transport you to Greene for more exotic toiletries.
- There is a commercial laundry in town for washing clothes.
- There may be texts you do not have which are used in your program that you may want to buy. These will be offered at cost.
- There is an ATM in Greene, New York.
You are welcome to visit The Palyul Center before your designated arrival day when retreats are not in progress. The Visitor Fee is $35 per night and does not include meals. The kitchen may not be open at all when you are onsite and you may need to take meals in town.
You are also welcome to stay after your program's designated departure date; the same Visitor Fee applies.
You must make arrangements with the office at the center prior to scheduling a visit.
If you wish to come an assist in set-up prior to the retreat's start date, you must make arrangements with the office in advance.
Some very limited work-study opportunities exist for individuals with special skills. Please make Lama Tsewang Norbu aware of your special skills prior to arriving to the retreat to see if arrangements can be made.
Work Study program participants are expected to work hard and to miss some practice programs. Teachings and Empowerments with His Holiness Penor Rinpoche are generally excepted - but not always! The Work Study positions are rarely granted because they are extremely difficult and require a lot of effort. For this reason, the center relies on strong recommendations from Palyul staff when selecting Work Study participants. The only exception are people with certification in special skills such as Electricians, Carpenters and Plumbers. Please call Lama Tsewang to discuss your special skill at 607-656-4645.
Because of the high cost of creating the center and because His Holiness Penor Rinpoche fully supports thousands of monks and nuns from the Tibetan refugee camps just in his own monastery, scholarships are not available.
Attached is a MS Word Version of the Work-Study Application.