Tuition is $2775 + tax for the three months.  This price includes Karma Yoga programming and education modules, guidance and training from your guide and the onsite community, food, accommodation, as well as three nights on personal retreat in our cabins.

While at Clear Sky you will learn about the ancient transformative practice of dana. Additional classes and programs offered by our founding Teachers, Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei are given on the premise of this practice.

Budget $75-100 week.  Expenses during your stay will include offering dana for guidance interviews and courses with the founding teachers, going off site, eating out, and exploring the beauty of the surrounding area. It is a 40-60 minute drive to Cranbrook, Fernie or Kimberley.

Have minimum savings of $CAD 2,000 for when you leave. It is important not to have financial concerns weighing you down during your stay. If your next step is not clear, and you need to find a home, job, and cover living costs in the meantime, we need to know that your stay at Clear Sky will not get you into financial hardship.

As a general pattern, we have experienced that spiritual types can lack attention to some practical financial details. For this reason, we consider it compassionate to have these requirements in place, to set you up for success before, during and after your stay.

Lastly, we go to great care to prepare for your arrival and particularly in the first month we offer a lot of energy and time to help you enter into the program and the community.  To respect our time, and to reflect the importance of the commitment to the program, we have the following policy around refunds and cancellations.

(a) we require a non-refundable $925 + tax deposit upon registration.

(b) the remaining $1850 + tax tuition is due two weeks before your arrival.   

(c) After one month, we will do a review with you to mutually agree on continuing the program.  In the (rare) event that you do not wish to continue or we ask you to leave at the one month review (or if you change your plans or decide to leave anytime after paying the final $1850 balance) we will refund $925.  After the one month review, assuming it’s mutually agreed to continue, there are no further refund

If you’re not familiar with dāna, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay-from-the-heart.” Dāna is a Sanskrit term that is translated as “generosity” in English. It’s radically different from the transactional way we normally interact in the world – where we give in order to get something back, either a service or thing. Instead, with dāna, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity.

The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage, teachings have always been taught on the basis of dāna and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. Dāna is also a radical and – we believe – viable economic alternative to capitalism, which our planet would really benefit from. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin, consumerism. We maintain that, together, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative.

To find out more about the beautiful and powerful practice of dāna or generosity please visit our founding teachers website’s What is Dāna page. 

Absolutely!  During the three month program we’ll introduce you a number of meditation techniques, primarily Buddhist based.  And if you already have meditation experience, the program is a good opportunity to deepen and strengthen a meditation practice.

For greatest chance of acceptance into the Three Month Intensive program, we recommend applying six to three months prior to the time you wish to join us.

Those with the most flexibility may receive priority placement in the program.

Where will I stay?
Over three month periods, a number of retreats and events can take place at Clear Sky. For this reason, you can expect to change rooms more than once. There may be small windows where you have your own room. At other times you can expect to share with one-two other people. During the summer months you are welcome to tent if you enjoy sleeping outdoors and watching the starry skies.

What kind of meals will you serve?
Many folks are surprised that we serve meat and that they will be asked to prepare and serve meat dishes during their stay. For this reason, we ask all participants to come with a mind of curiosity and non-clinging to preferences. For vegetarians and vegans, you can expect to be well fed, however, there will be less options as we do cater mostly to omnivores. We are all encouraged to use our relationships with food for meditation and exploration. 

All of our produce and ingredients are organic, and sourced as close to home as possible. This includes seasonal fruits and veggies from our garden and food forest. We serve only free-range meat and animal products from small farms in our community, and are proud to consider many of our suppliers our friends. It is a pleasure to share this delicious bounty with our guests and karma yogis! Most people who visit rave about how nourishing the food is.

How much free time will I have to connect with family, friends and/or continue some personal work or studies?

Very little and this is intentional. Our program has been consciously crafted as an immersion experience so that you can dive deep and reap the benefits of a retreat. Like when you go on retreat, you are encouraged to take space from your regular activities, relationships, and habits (not that there is anything wrong with them, necessarily). This space gives you the opportunity to become more conscious about yourself and how you spend your time. You will have some evenings, after 8:30 pm and your integration day (one day a week), to attend to your personal growth and needs. This is a great example of less is more, or put another way, quality time over quantity time. As a result of our program, we find that participants learn to fast track their spiritual growth, engage in their lives more fully, and prioritize their personal time more wisely.

How can I prepare before coming?

Reading the Clear Sky and Planet Dharma websites, blogs, vlogs and watching the Youtube channel is highly recommended. You can purchase a copy of Dharma If You Dare by Qapel Doug Duncan here, or Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei’s joint book Wasteland to Pureland – both of these books will give you an excellent idea of the kind of teaching and learning you will explore during the program.  

After your application has been approved and you have made a deposit, you will be sent more details on your stay including a reading list.

How can I get to Clear Sky from the airport?

You can request an airport pick up from the program manager. We ask that you request this as soon as you know so that we can plan in advance for someone to welcome and collect you.

I do not have a car, how can I get around?

Often there are people on site with vehicles that you can ride-share with and offer money for gas. You will need to communicate and plan in advance in order to make this a workable option for all involved.  There are also 310 acres of beautiful nature to explore at Clear Sky itself.

Can I have a friend or family come and stay?
We welcome guests who are genuinely interested in what we do. Since we are running a working monastery with a particular purpose and focus, we ask that you get approval from the on-site management team before inviting family and friends to visit you.

Can I stay for less than three months?

In order to get the most out of this program, we require a minimum three month commitment.  If you are unable to stay for that long, we would still love to meet you in one of our online classes or at one of our retreats.

Many participants find that while three months leads to great changes it is also just beginning the deep work of transformation.  We offer an option for participants to extend their stay with a second three month term.  Beyond this, if there is a good fit with our teachers and community, there are possibilities to stay longer as a full-time karma yogi or on a blended model combining karma yoga along with local or remote livelihood work for earning a living.