Vaishali, Bihar, India 2013, January 5-12
Tours January 13-19
Theme: "Buddhism at the Grassroots."

For more information, visit the Sakyadhita website www.sakyadhita.org

CONFERENCE & TOUR PACKAGES
For the convenience of conference participants, we have arranged very reasonably priced tour packages that include both the conference and a pilgrimage tour afterwards to Buddhist sacred sites. It is also possible to attend the conference independently.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

ALL CONFERENCE & TOUR PACKAGES ARE SOLD OUT

Registering as an INDEPENDENT PARTICIPANT is still available

All participants, including presenters and volunteers, are required to register for the conference and to pay the $60 Registration Fee. Registration is now Open. Click on the blue "Register Now!" button at the bottom of this page. For additional information, visit the Sakyadhita website at:  www.sakyadhita.org. Registration will be open until December 15 for Independent Participant registrations. Priority for tours and accommodations will be given to completed (fully paid) registrations. Partial registrations will not be accepted as valid.

REGISTRATION FEE

The conference registration fee is $60, non-refundable. All participants, including presenters and volunteers, are required to register for the conference and to pay the $60 registration fee.The registration fee includes conference packet and all conference sessions. It does NOT include meals and accommodations. If you forget to pay your registration fee, your registration will be canceled and you will have to begin the registration process all over again.

VISA REQUIREMENTS
For all the participants who will visit Lumbini, Nepal, please ensure you have a DOUBLE ENTRY TOURIST VISA for India.You can easily get this type of Visa if you apply with a copy of the itinerary that shows you will travel to Nepal for one day and return to India. You can apply with the itinerary on Sakyadhita International letterhead.

TRAVEL INFORMATION EMAIL ARCHIVE

ACCOMMODATIONS

There are two options for accommodations during the Conference. The first option is the Vaishali Residency, the only local hotel with modern amenities, but with only 50 rooms. Accommodations at the Vaishali Residency are only available with the tour packages, on a first come, first served basis. The cost of all hotel accommodations for the Conference and the Tours is included in Packages A and B. Download the Tour Package Details. Visit the Vaishali Residency hotel website.

The second accommodations option during the Conference is the local temples (monasteries), which provide basic accommodations (4 to 6 people per room). Participants should bring a warm sleeping bag. Lodging in the temples is by donation. An appropriate donation for temple lodgings is about $10/day. Donations may be offered directly to the temple or deposited in the donation box. Participants who register for Packages C and D will be assigned to one of the temples (monasteries) for the Conference. Lodging for Packages C and D during the Tour is in hotels as described in the Tour Package Details.

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

All tour packages originate in Delhi and return to Delhi. Participants must arrive in Delhi by January 3.

THERE ARE FOUR CONFERENCE & TOUR PACKAGES

All costs in U.S. Dollars

PACKAGES A and B ARE SOLD OUT.

Download the Tour Package Details

  Package A1 Cost: $1350 per person (2 persons/room) SOLD OUT
  Package A2 Cost: $1210 per person (4 persons/room) SOLD OUT

  Package B1 Cost: $970 per person (2 persons/room) SOLD OUT
  Package B2 Cost: $830 per person (4 persons/room) SOLD OUT

PACKAGES C and D ARE SOLD OUT

Package C: Conference & Full Tour, Temple Accommodations

Package C: Cost: $820 per person (4-6 persons/room)

Package D: Cost: $480 per person (4-6 persons/room)

• All tours above include:
• Accommodations (2-4 persons per room)
• Meals as indicated on Tour Package Details (Download)
• All tours and transfers by air-conditioned bus and train
• English-speaking guide services
• Entrance fees to monuments
• One bottle of mineral water per person, per day

PACKAGE E: LOW-COST PILGRIMAGE TOUR – Bus Transportation Only STILL AVAILABLE
For participants on a limited budget, this option includes only bus transportation to the pilgrimage sites, from January 13-19. Accommodations are in local monasteries by donation. Meals are the responsibility of the participants. This Pilgrimage Tour following the conference will visit: Vaishali – Bodhgaya – Rajgir – Nalanda – Sravasti – Lumbini – Lucknow
Transportation from Delhi to Vaishali and return to Vaishali is NOT included.
PACKAGE E COST: $100/person

PAYMENT OPTIONS (Please Read Before Registering)

Register Online: Register online on the Registration site, then pay with credit/debit card via Paypal (You don't have to have a Paypal Account. On the Paypal payment form, look at the bottom for the link: "Don't have a Paypal account.") If your card is declined, please check with your card issuer (bank). Paypal has informed us that if credit/debit cards are declined, the decline comes from the card issuers (banks) and not from Paypal.

By Check/Mail: Register online. For Payment, click "By Check." Mail your payment to:
Sakyadhita
923 Mokapu Place
Kailua, HI 96734 U.S.A.
Registration will be confirmed by email when payment is received. Payment must be received by September 1st but will have lower priority if received more than 10 days after registration is entered into the online Registration form.

By Check/Wire: Register on line. For Payment, click "By Check." Wire your payment using the bank information below.
Bank Name: Chase Bank
Bank Address: 3800 5th Ave., San Diego, CA 92103
Bank Routing Code: 322271627
SWIFT Code: CHASUS33
Account Name: Sakyadhita
Account Number: 192-895865-2
Registration will be confirmed by email when payment is received. Payment must be received by September 1st but will have lower priority if received more than 10 days after registration is entered into the online Registration form.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancelations received prior to September 15 are fully refundable except for the non-refundable $60 registration fee.
September 15 - November 15: 75% refund
November 16 - December 1: 50% refund
December 2 - December 15: 25% refund
After December 15: Non-refundable

To cancel, email: Vaishali2013@sakyadhita.org

INDEPENDENT NON-PACKAGE PARTICIPANTS

If you wish to travel to the conference independently, you may stay in local monasteries. The monasteries do not charge for accommodations. In accordance with monastic tradition, pilgrims offer a donation for their stay. Donations may be offered directly to the monastery. An appropriate donation is about $10/person per night. If you wish to attend the Conference independently and take no tour, you must select the Independent Participant, Temple lodging, no Tour option on the Registration form. If you wish to request lodging in one of the monasteries, you must also select Independent/Arrange Temple Lodging in the Registration Fee section of the registration form. Independent Participants must pay the non-refundable $60 Registration fee, and must arrange their own transportation to and from the Conference.

MEALS

During the conference, vegetarian meals, tea and snacks will be provided by Mahaprajapati Monastery and Sakyadhita on a donation basis. Mahaprajapati Monastery will provide Vietnamese meals. Sakyadhita will provide Indian meals. An appropriate donation for meals is about $10/day. Donations may be offered directly to the temple or deposited in the donation box.

TRANSPORTATION

Vaishali is located near Patna. Patna is accessible by air and rail from either Delhi or Kolkata. From Patna, you can travel to Vaishali (1½ hours) by shared taxi. The cost is approximately $5 per person each way. Local transportation from the hotel and temple lodgings to the Conference site is only a few minutes on foot. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight since nightfall will come early in January.

MAKE A DONATION, SPONSOR A WOMAN FROM A DEVELOPING COUNTRY

Express your support for laywomen and nuns from developing countries by offering a donation to help cover their registration fee and donations for their meals and temple lodgings. Visit the Sakyadhita website Donate page. Click the Paypal "Donate" button on that page to make a donation. In the "Message" box on the Paypal form, type in "Support a Woman to the 13th Conference" as the purpose for your donation.

APPLICATION FOR SPONSORSHIP

Sponsorships are available for participants from developing countries who have never attended a Sakyadhita conference. For an application form, email: vaishali2013@sakyadhita.org. Applications must be received by September 1. We regret that conference funding is limited and sponsorship depends on donations received.

REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION
When registering, please be sure to Pay the $60 registration fee, in addition to the cost of your Tour and accommodations selection. Even if you select "Independent Participant-No Tour-Temple lodging by Donation to Temple-Except for Registration: No Charge," you must pay the $60 registration fee. If you choose to pay by mailing a check or wiring payment, your registration is not confirmed until your payment is received.

PLEASE NOTE
The Organizing Committee reserves the right to make changes and/or adjustments to any part of the conference plans and/or schedule.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit the Sakyadhita website at:  www.Sakyadhita.org
For any further questions, contact the Conference Organizers at: vaishali2012@sakyadhita.org