Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What are the minimum requirements for a member of a BASE program?

a. A member of a BASE group must attent all weekly meetings for the enitre length of the program.

b. A BASE member must attend the first weekend retreat and each subsequent monthly retreat including the final weekend retreat.

c. Each member must work or volunteer a minimum of 5 hours each week within their service or activist organization.

2. If I work in a field of service or activism do I also have to volunteer 5 hours each week to be a part of a BASE program?

No. Your service or activism work would be more than enough.

The only time you would be required to do more than your normal work hours would be if the theme of the upcoming BASE group did not match the work you were doing. For example, if your work was with low income youth in an after school program and the upcoming BASE theme was on Hospice, you would have to volunteer 5 hours each week in a Hospice program to be a candidate for the Hospice BASE program.

3. How are the times, dates, and locations of the meetings and retreats chosen?

The dates for the first retreats are chosen ahead of time by the Mentor and the Organizer. The exact night of the weekly meetings, the times, and the location are determined by the entire BASE group once we know whom the members of the new BASE group will be.

4. What happens if I miss a weekly meeting or a weekend retreat?

Of course this happens even with the best of intentions. At the same time we do ask that BASE be one of your highest priorities during the BASE program and that each member make a strong commitment to the group. For most groups it is fine to miss one meeting a few time during the length of the BASE program, yet to miss two in a row or many will weaken the strength of the group dedication. We therefore ask that if you want to be a part of a BASE group that you clear your scedule once the dates and times are set and only miss a group due to an illness or emergency.

5. What does an evening meeting look like?

The evening meetings are 2.5 - 3 hours long depending on the size of the group. The meetings typically begin with a 20 minute silent meditation sitting followed by a brief check-in from each member and any announcements.

If someone in the group is having a particularly challenging week there might be some time spent helping that person use the tools developed through engaged Buddhism to approach the challenges they are facing. If they need more help they can arrange a time to meet privately with the Mentor.

The rest of the meeting time is spent exloring a topic in socially engaged Buddhism such as using the precepts or meditation in action, or transfering the Buddhist wisdom and insight into a certain service or activism senario.

Often the group will choose a focus of study and investigation for a month of the program. They will read materials on the topic, investigate and practice the insights during their work outside of the group, and come to the weekly meeting to discuss and explore the rich meeting between the theory and the practice.

Some of the weekly meetings can be used to develop certian skills in more of a focused workshop manner, such as listening skills, nonviolent communication or unlearning social prejudice.

6. What are the roles of the Mentor and the Organizer/Facilitator?

The Organizer/Facilitator of the group is the main contact person during the BASE program to help with the logistics of the group (arranging schedules, setting up weekend retreats, facilitating the weekly meetings, etc.).

The Mentor meets individually with the members of the BASE group and with the group as a whole to help the exploration of the program stay focused on social engagement and Buddhism. Often the Mentor has a strong history in engaged Buddhism themselves and offers themselves as a living resource for the group.

After a few months into a BASE program the members of the group may start to take up more leadership and facilitation responsibilities.

For more information about the structure of BASE please email base{at}bpf.org or call the BASE office at 510-655-6169 ext. 301.