Terms Loenen

Information and registration for an activity

For more information, please contact Maitreya Institute Loenen via donaties@maitreya.nl or call from Tuesday to Friday from 11.00 to 17.00 on 055-5050908.

If you want to sign up for an activity, please check the program and fill in your details on the page of that activity. For each activity (unless otherwise stated) please register at least 5 days in advance, as we need to take into account the purchase of food and room allocation. You will then receive a confirmation email with information about the payment method, your payment reference, and any further information about the practical and organizational aspects of the course.

Contributions towards the costs of activities

The Dharma is free. However, there are many costs associated with organizing activities. Think of salaries for the permanent staff, as well as gas, water, electricity, maintenance of the building, taxes, meals, and so on. Therefore, a modest contribution is needed to ensure that the activities can continue. The accommodation is mainly funded by the income from renting Bosoord to third parties, course donations, and general donations. No profit is pursued, and there are hardly any reserves kept for maintenance, renewal, and unforeseen circumstances. Most of the work is done by volunteers and students, which helps to keep costs low.

The term cost-covering donation is used to give an impression of what participating in an activity at the center costs and is separate from the costs to keep the institute running. If you are only able to contribute less, please know that the institute is in principle running at a loss. In that case, we ask you to request a contribution from the study fund (see below). If you can contribute more: great! Because the donations are cost-covering, we assume that students help with some household tasks (karma-yoga), for example, leaving the room clean and ready for the next guests.

Non-attendance at activities and donations

Maitreya Institute has an ANBI (Public Benefit Organization) status. This has benefits for you (taxation) because payments for activities such as courses are considered donations and therefore potentially deductible from income tax. However, donations cannot be refunded. There can also be no discount or something similar.

If you are unable to attend, you can allocate your donation to another activity according to the following scheme:

• If notice of non-attendance is given more than two weeks before the activity, you may allocate 100% to a future activity.
• If notice of non-attendance is given less than two weeks but more than 4 days before the activity, you may allocate 50% to a future activity.
• If notice of non-attendance is given 4 days or less before the activity, no allocation to a future activity is possible. By then, we have already incurred all costs (including for you!) and your donation is therefore allocated to that activity.

Automatic debit

For long-term courses, we ask if donations can be made by automatic debit to simplify administration. The debit takes place about 2 weeks before the course starts. The donations include (vegetarian) meals, coffee and tea, and for multi-day activities also accommodation, linens, and a towel. You will also have access to the mp3 recordings of the lessons, and if possible, the transcripts and additional lesson materials as pdf files via the website.

If you need to make changes to a registration, please do so by email to donaties@maitreya.nl.

Study fund

We do our utmost to keep costs as low as possible, but for some, it may not be financially feasible to make the suggested donation. Those individuals can apply for support from the study fund sponsored by more financially able students of Maitreya Institute. To prevent abuse of the study fund, a personal and confidential conversation with the center director is required, and there are some conditions for the application:

• Membership of Maitreya Institute.
• Willingness to provide insight into:
  • Your personal financial situation.
  • All other Dharma activities you participate in.
  • Your agreements regarding discounts or sponsorships with other Dharma centers, organizations, or individuals.

If you are in a financially good situation, you may consider contributing to the study fund; a very positive action because you are practicing generosity of Dharma.

Room selection

As a Buddhist center, our priority is to provide students with the opportunity to participate in activities, not to offer a five-star accommodation. Most rooms are double occupancy and have their own shower and toilet. There is a limited number of rooms, so allocation (especially of single rooms) depends on factors such as availability, optimal room occupancy, and we try to consider:

• Medical necessity
• Seniority
• First come first serve

To maintain fairness in the distribution between more luxurious and less luxurious rooms, we will try to rotate students as much as possible between different room types. While we strive to accommodate everyone's preferences, your preferred placement, such as a single room, cannot be guaranteed.
Students are strongly encouraged to leave the rooms completely clean and ready for use, with the heating off and windows closed.

Online study

For online study, you can participate in the lesson directly online and have access to recordings of the lessons and, if available, transcripts and additional lesson materials as pdf files. You will receive a link before the lesson begins.
The cost-covering donation for online study is calculated at 50% of the normal cost-covering donation. For long-term courses, we highly appreciate it if donations can be debited automatically.

Sangha

Separate conditions are available upon request for Sangha members (monks and nuns).

Retreats or other stays

Members can also do individual retreats in Loenen or stay an extra night before or after the course, see Individual Stay in Loenen. However, please note that besides Maitreya Institute activities, the building is often rented to third parties, so even when there are no Maitreya Institute activities, the building may be fully booked. Especially for longer stays, it is important to inquire well in advance if this is possible.

House rules

To make your own stay and that of others as pleasant and meaningful as possible, there are several house rules on the entire site for people attending Maitreya Institute activities. We kindly ask you to adhere as much as possible to the following five precepts:

1. Do not kill – including insects.
2. Do not take what is not given.
3. Do not engage in offensive (sexual) behavior.
4. Do not lie.
5. Do not use intoxicants, such as alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes.

Smoking is prohibited on almost the entire site and in the buildings. If you must smoke, you can do so at the edge of the parking lot near the shed. Or at the street side of the building, in front of the lounge.

Fire safety

All open fires, including the burning of incense and candles, and smoking, are prohibited due to fire hazards.

Fire department regulation: Please record your presence and absence on the attendance list at the reception desk.

Practical instructions and requests

Bed linens and towels

The use of bed linens and a towel is included in the donation. Make your bed fully with the linens and pillowcase found in the trolley in the hallway. Please do not sleep in a partially made bed. If you need help with this, ask a fellow student or staff member.

After the weekend, only deposit the linens, pillowcases, and towel in the metal laundry trolley. Leave the mattress covers on the mattress, and place other laundry, even if it is white, in the separate plastic baskets, not in the laundry trolley.

Footwear

Out of respect, please do not wear shoes in the meditation room (gompa).

Respect for others

Please be mindful of the thin walls of the building, sound travels through them. Turn off your cell phones completely during class, and outside class only use them on vibrate mode. Set your computer's sound scheme to have all sounds turned off. If you have children with you, make sure they do not disturb the students or the class. Pets are not allowed due to noise, odor, and allergies.

Departure

To keep activities affordable, everyone is expected to leave the room and shower clean and tidy, with windows closed, heating on * (frost-free), ready for the next visitor. At the end of the weekend, only deposit the linens, pillowcases, and towel in the metal laundry trolley in the linen room. Leave the mattress covers (or flannel blankets) on the mattress. Please do not leave other laundry, including white laundry, in the laundry trolley. If after inspecting the room, it is found to be not clean or beds are not stripped, we will be forced to charge an additional €25 per room.

Found items will be kept for only one month. Please do not leave toiletries, clothing, or chargers behind upon departure, as this creates additional work for the staff.

See also:

• Participating in an Activity in Loenen - what to expect: an example of the program of a weekend course, etc.
• Individual Stay in Loenen - for members who want to do a retreat or simply enjoy the peace of the center and the beautiful surroundings.