Center Guidelines

Meditation Hall Etiquette
Please maintain silence in and near the halls at all times; people frequently sit in the Meditation Halls outside of scheduled sitting times.

Please do not bring water bottles or food of any kind into the Meditation Halls. Please refrain from reading or writing in the Meditation Halls unless a teacher gives permission during a specific event.

Please avoid entering a scheduled sitting after the sitting has begun or leaving before the sitting is over (unless there is an emergency).

After the sitting, please brush off your zabuton (large mat) and plump up your zafu (round cushion). Also, return any other items (i.e. benches, blankets) to their respective storage spaces so that you leave the hall as you found it.

Shoes, Coats, Etc.
When entering the building please remove your shoes and leave them on the shoe rack under the stairs in the front hallway. Coats may go in the closets across from the main bulletin board. If the shoe rack is full there are shelves in the bottom of the coat closets. There is an extra coat closet in the hallway on the second floor. Occasionally there will also be mats for shoes in the dining room on particularly busy evenings.

Please keep all valuables with you.

Heat/Air Conditioning
Because our two meditation halls are air conditioned in the summer and because heat can be somewhat variable in the winter, many people find it helpful to dress in layers, especially during workshops and retreats.

Electronic Devices
Cell phones, pagers, beeper watches, etc can be particularly disturbing in a quiet atmosphere. Please turn off all such devices at all times while at the Center. If you need to make a phone call, please go outside to do so.

Housekeeping
Since we have no custodial staff, we rely on each person in our community to keep the Center clean and orderly. Please leave the Center at least as neat as you found it. This may mean brushing off your mat and plumping your cushion after a sitting, pushing your chair back under the table in the library or dining room, replacing an empty roll of toilet paper, picking up any litter from the floor, etc. These can all be expressions of mindfulness and generosity to those who share this space with you.

Food and Drink
Please feel free to bring your meal to the Center. There is a dining room and kitchen available for use on the first floor. Only vegetarian food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted.

Food and drink are restricted to the first floor.

Please do not take water bottles into the Meditation Halls.

Please be sure to clean up after yourself; wash utensils, plates and cups or rinse them and place them in the dishwasher; wipe off the counter and/or table after finishing.

In the Reclining Buddha Room (immediately to the right as you enter the building), there is a tea closet with cups, tea bags and instant hot water. Feel free to enjoy a cup of tea on the first floor or in the garden. Please clean up after yourself. Please consider a 25 cent donation to help cover the cost of the tea.