The Fees

Course Fees

For Masters Program staff and full-time residential students there is the option of doing only Part 1 of the Tibetan Language Course (i.e., only the morning sessions) so that they can continue to attend MP teachings and review classes in the afternoon. All other participants in the Tibetan Language Course are expected to participate in the entire course (both morning and afternoon sessions). The optional evening sessions are free and open to both full-time and part-time participants.

The course fee:

• for lay students attending the entire course: €600

• for ordained monks and nuns attending the entire course: €400

• for lay Masters Program staff and students attending Part One only (the morning sessions): €300

• for ordained Masters Program staff and students attending Part One only (the morning sessions): €200

The course fee includes pdf and audio files of all the study materials necessary for the course, therefore students should bring a laptop computer with them. While it is not necessary to have hard copies of Fluent Tibetan by William Magee and Elisabeth Nappar and of Translating Buddhism From Tibetan by Joe Willson, students who prefer to study from the actual books should bring their own copies with them.

Accommodation and Meal Fees

Accommodation at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute

Single and double rooms are available in comfortable wooden cabins perched on terraces overlooking the sea, surrounded by olive and juniper trees. All these rooms share a bathroom in common with an adjoining room.

Accommodation is also available in dormitories with six to ten beds.

The accommodation fee for the two-month period is independent of the exact day of a student's arrival and departure. Students can arrive beginning from Saturday evening, 15th October and can remain until no later than Sunday morning, 18th December 2011. These fees include three meals a day (whether or not a student actually eats three meals a day).

• Rate for room and board for two months in a single room for lay and ordained students: €1140 (€570 a month)

• Rate for room and board for two months in a double room for lay and ordained students: €1000 (€500 a month)

• Rate for room and board for two months in dormitory for lay students: €920 (€460 a month)

For monks, there may be the possibility of accommodation in the wing of the Institute allocated to the monks of Takden Shedrup Targye Ling Monastery (for enquiries contact the manager Ven. Olivier Rossi at olivier.rossi@sangha.it ). For monks housed in the monastery, accommodation is free but there is a weekly charge for utilities of €2.00. Monks can either buy and cook their own food in the monastery or else eat their meals at the Institute for a charge (breakfast €2.50, lunch €6.00, dinner €5.00).

For nuns, there may be the possibility of accommodation in a small dormitory in the main building that is allocated to the nuns of Shenphen Samten Ling Nunnery (for enquiries contact the manager Ven. Sangye Khadro at skhadro@gmail.com). For nuns staying in this dormitory, accommodation is free but there is a weekly charge for utilities of €2.00. Nuns can either buy and cook their own food in a small kitchen available to ILTK staff or else eat their meals at the Institute for a charge (breakfast €2.50, lunch €6.00, dinner €5.00).

Accommodation will be allocated on a first-come-first serve basis.

External Accommodation

Apartments are available in the nearby village of Pomaia (5-10 minutes by foot) and also in the other nearby villages of Pastina, Santa Luce, and Castellina Marittima (10-15 minutes by car). Accommodation in the nearby villages runs from approximately €350 a month up to €500 for a one-room apartment (Pomaia being generally more expensive than villages that are further away), and from €500 to €750 for a two or three-bedroom apartment (2010-2011 prices).

Meals at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa

The Institute has a full-time cook and kitchen staff who prepare a hot lunch (the main meal of the day) and a hot dinner all year round. Food is completely vegetarian, home-made, and mostly traditional Italian cuisine with lots of pasta dishes, soups, and fresh vegetables. Breakfast consists of muesli and freshly made yogurt, as well as brown and rye breads and jam, accompanied by a selection of teas and instant coffee.

Students who live outside the Institute can book their meals either for the entire two-month period or on a daily basis. Meals can be paid at the end of each month.

As the Institute is unable to cater to individual dietary needs, students who need to follow a particular diet should consider staying outside the Institute.