Membership information
Being a member has different implications and obligations in different Buddhist groups. In Dragon's Gate Temple, it is a recognition that you are trying to apply the teachings of the Buddha, to the best of your understanding and ability, in your own life.
We are a non-monastic group, so you won't be expected to shave your head, give up sex, or wear orange robes. We encourage any Buddhist practice, but if you want to be a monk or nun, you will have to find a lineage that does that sort of thing. We'll even help you find them.
You can be a member in more than one Temple, or even other religions. I know Jewish, Christian, Pagan, and Moslem Buddhists.
There are no fees or dues.
If you think officially joining a Temple will help you with your practice, we would be happy to welcome you. If not, we will still do anything we can to enable and encourage you in Buddhism.
E-mail us your name and mailing address and we will send you a membership card. If you are hesitant to send such personal information over the internet, just say so and we will enroll you as a member anyway, without a membership card.
If you live outside the United States or Canada, please put your mailing address
in the "comments" box, the way it should look on the envelope.
The first thing to remember about membership is not to take it too seriously. Hui-neng was the 6th patriarch of the Ch'an school in China for about twenty years before he had his head shaved and officially became a Buddhist. That's sort of like the Pope never having been baptised. In Buddhism, it doesn't matter.