I'm posting this in part because I'm interested in how the leaders of this group have chosen to organize the event. It's unconventional by US standards for a group that does not have a dedicated space in a city to hold teachings in, or one large enough. The usual approach is to rent out a space accessible by mass transit for the teachings, and ask for reservations and funds to cover that expense; participants are on their own to find a place to stay and to handle their own meals. This works out well for locals, who may commute to the teachings from their homes, and for frugal people, who prefer to crash with friends or find something affordable on AirBnB or similar. For example, when ChNN visited New York last time, the local organization rented a meeting hall at an Armenian church and cultural center. That worked out well from what I heard.We are happy to announce that His Holiness of Bon the Gyalwa Menri Wa will visit the U.S. in 2016 to teach the concluding sections of the Ah-Tri (A-Khrid) Dzogchen text. We encourage you to take part in this very special Dzogchen teaching by the greatest living Dzogchen master of the present era.
The teaching will be from the Ah Tri Thun Tsam Cho Nga book which gives instruction on the mind and how to manage the mind processes in the three concluding aspects of Ah Tri Dzogchen: Semtri, Trekcho, and Thögal.
This event is very different. It's held at a Marriott hotel way, way out in the suburbs in New Jersey. Here's how it works:
From the perspective of a New Yorker or a frugal traveler, participants in this retreat are expected to overpay for mushy, mediocre hotel food and lodging to participate in these teachings.FEE
Includes meals, lodging and teaching tuition. All meals include both vegetarian and non-vegetarian selections.
Couples and those wishing to share a room should each register for the double room option. In the comments section of the registration form, please write the name of the person sharing your room and let the Retreat Manager know whether you prefer 2 Queen beds or 1 King bed in the room. Each person attending the retreat should fill out a registration form even if his/her retreat fee is paid by someone else. Thank you.
Registration through January 10, 2016
Non Member $785 (single); $635 (double/shared)
Supporting Member $769(single); $622(double/shared)
Sustaining Member $746(single); $603(double/shared)
Alternatively, from the perspective of someone who is not an intrepid traveler, or may have some limitation with spoken English, or who just wants to get from the airport to someplace with a bed and something (anything) to eat regardless of cost, this must be an appealing.
Am I badly misinterpreting this? I'm trying to understand what needs are met by organizing this event in this way. As someone who is interested in the logistics of how to organize an event like this, I'm interested to know how well this serves the participants in the retreat.