Make Mountain Cloud your practice-home through membership.
Here at Mountain Cloud, the Dharma is shared freely through countless programs — daily meditations both in person and online, a public archive of dharma teachings, weekly talks workshops and study groups, and monthly sangha gatherings. But for those who want to engage more deeply in this practice path, we have membership for our local and global sangha. Not only does this help sustain us as an organization, but it creates a special mode of engagement with our practice.
- Local Membership: $25.00 monthly, or $250 annually
- Global Membership: $15.00 monthly, or $150 annually
If finances interfere with your ability to become a member, please contact us. No one is turned away from Mountain Cloud due to lack of financial means.
Membership is about deepening your commitment to your own practice, creating continuity in your dharma study, and connecting more meaningfully to a sangha. Helps MCZC thrive and continue to provide programs for free both in person and online.
Whether you are a local or global participant, make this truly special place your dharma home – this land, this “cloud zendo”, this community, this lineage – and receive several members-only opportunities.

Pillars of Membership
At Mountain Cloud, we care for the whole meditator. We invest in our members by offering additional opportunities to deepen into the Three Treasures — Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Our practice needs ebb and flow throughout our lives, and this structure creates a sustainable sangha that will be here for you across your lifetime of practice.
Study with us..
DOKUSAN: Members are connected with our roster of vetted Sanbo teachers for Dokusan or practice guidance including Valerie Forstman, Carolyn Seburn, Scott Thornton, and Shana Smith
COURSE DISCOUNTS: Members receive 50% off of our flagship “30 Days of Zen” courses.
STUDY GROUPS: Current Dharma study groups available for members include:
- Aging Buddhas: Assistant Sanbo Zen teacher Scott Thornton facilitates group explorations on various themes related to the aging process; a chance to discuss the opportunities and challenges of aging in the Dharma.
- Members Lab: a weekly co-created hour to experiment with topics and activities near to members’ hearts; examples include art-making and sharing, member teach-ins on Buddhist art or subtle body awareness, show and tell, and Dharma text discussion. Once a month, these gatherings explore some aspect of the Buddhist precepts and what it means to live an ethical life.
Retreat with us…
DISCOUNTED STAYS: 50% discount on personal retreats and overnight stays – learn more about doing a personal retreat with us here. This discount becomes available to members after a full year of membership for monthly members or immediately for annual members.
IN-PERSON RETREATS: priority for in-person participation at retreats
| Nightly Personal Retreat Rates | Non-Member | Member |
| Cottage Room | $120 | $60 |
| Cabin | $130 | $65 |
| Shared Room/Cabin | $60 | $30 |
| Camping | $40 | $20 |
Grow with us…
Members are invited to share their input on important organizational decisions– they vote on our Board of Directors, provide input through polling opportunities, and have the opportunity to participate in our sangha leadership group, the Mountain Cloud Stewardship Team.
Exchange with us…
Our online platform provides access to special content like weekly teisho recordings, a place to exchange with sangha members and teachers alike – local and international, and opportunities to meditate live with one another, on your own schedule!
Make practice possible for others…
Membership at Mountain Cloud ensures that we can continue to offer free, public programming seven days a week, continuing a long tradition of offering the Dharma freely to all who seek it. Members also support Mountain Cloud’s scholarship program, which allows many people to access our paid programming who otherwise could not.
In one year at Mountain Cloud, our free, public offerings include:
- 1,000 Hours of Online and In-Person Meditation
- 200 Live dharma talks, classes and events, both in persona and online
- Over 1,500 teachings in the form of videos, podcasts, and written messages from Teachers in our online library
- Facilities and trails open to the public 45 weeks out of the year
If finances interfere with your ability to become a member, please contact us and we will work out something with you. No one is turned away from Mountain Cloud due to lack of financial means.
Thank you! For questions regarding membership payment or arrangements, contact our registrar, Xander. For questions regarding the members offerings themselves (what they’re like, how they work, etc.), please contact our Membership Coordinator, Kieran.
