GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR YOUR VISIT
Monastic life is different from daily life. To help you prepare for your visit, please familiarize yourself with the guidelines below. They are meant to help practitioners and visitors maintain a peaceful, harmonious, and safe environment conducive to spiritual practice.

Separation of Men and Women
Usually the first thing people notice when they visit is that men and women are separated. The reason for this separation is to allow everyone to focus on the practice with fewer distractions.

To foster a culture of self-cultivation, we refrain from visiting the residence halls of the opposite gender. We do not engage in public displays of affection or bring inappropriate music, images, or media to campus. In addition, we abstain from promiscuous behavior and sexual activity on campus.

Cherishing All Forms of Life
Please refrain from killing any living creatures in the monastery, including small insects such as spiders, ants, flies, mosquitoes, etc. In Buddhism, all life forms are interconnected, and all creatures are considered “family.” With this in mind, CTTB residents and community members practice non-harming in order to cultivate a heart of compassion and empathy for others.

Vegetarianism
In line with our philosophy of non-harming, all food at CTTB is Mahayana vegetarian (no meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, onions, garlic, chives, shallots, leeks) and for those who choose, vegan as well.

Things Not to Bring
Please do not bring perfume or heavily scented products, alcohol, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, illicit drugs, cigarettes, firearms, weapons, fireworks or other flammable materials to the monastery.

Weather
The temperature can fluctuate up to 40 degrees in the course of a day, so bring warm clothing for the mornings and evenings and some light clothing [no shorts please] for the afternoon. Winters are generally cold and wet, while summers are often hot and dry (up to 100 degrees in the afternoon, yet cool at night). Since the dorm rooms are not individually heated, please bring adequate clothing to stay warm and dry in the winter and spring.

Comfortable and Modest Clothing
Clothing in the monastery should be comfortable and modest. Comfortable clothing is ideal for meditation and cultivation because it allows one to easily bow and sit cross-legged (jeans are not ideal).
Modest clothing is important because it causes fewer distractions for others. Loose-fitting clothes are best. As a visitor, please refrain from wearing clothing such as mini-skirts, shorts, tights, leggings, yoga pants and sleeveless shirts or flip-flops. Sandals or sneakers are okay.

Things to Bring
Bring your own towel, alarm clock, flashlight, personal toiletries [toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.], water bottle, and sun hat.
Note: CTTB only accepts cash or checks if you wish to purchase anything from our bookstore or restaurant. There are no ATM machines on campus.
In order to reduce trash, please be considerate and take all your belongings with you when you leave.
No pets (except registered service animals) are allowed in dormitories or anywhere on campus grounds.

Lodging and Accommodations
Session participants will stay in our dormitories often with one or several roommates. To best support an atmosphere of contemplation and study, our residences are simple and functional. Bedding [sheets, blankets, and pillows] are provided. There is no air conditioning, no heating, and no internet access except in restricted areas. Please stay in your assigned room. In order to maintain a quiet, safe, and secure campus at night, we return to our residence halls and turn lights off by 10:30 PM.

In accord with CTTB's sustainable practices, participants are asked to minimize the waste of water, food, and electricity, and to minimize garbage by separating out all recyclable items into appropriate bins. At the end of the Dharma session, participants are expected to clean up their rooms and dorm common areas.

Holding a session requires the hard work and support of many individuals. All full-paying session participants (except those who are elderly and frail) are expected to contribute seven (7) hours per week of service to give back to the community. The Guest Prefect team will assign work in accord with individual abilities.

Making the Most of Your Visit
In order to receive the greatest spiritual benefit, session participants are expected to attend the session as much as possible except when doing community service. Participants must limit the use of electronic devices to designated areas and keep their use to a bare minimum in order to focus their minds and not disturb others.

New visitors should also read "Welcome to the Monastery" at
http://www.buddhisttexts.org/uploads/6/3/3/1/6331706/welcometomonastery2print.pdf
and also view the following video: