Vedic Study Circle
Inner Mandala Membership Terms,
Use of Materials, Community Agreement, and Grounds for Access Reduction, Suspension, or Removal
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in applying to the Inner Mandala of the Vedic Study Circle, a sacred study community curated by Acharya Shunya and Vedika Global, Inc.
Before you complete your application, please read and acknowledge the following membership terms and community guidelines. These terms help ensure that every applicant understands the nature of the Inner Mandala, the payment structure, the boundaries of participation, and the standards required to preserve the sanctity of this spiritual learning environment.
The Inner Mandala is offered for sincere seekers who wish to deepen their study of Vedic
wisdom, Upasana Yoga, Vedanta, mantra, meditation, sacred arts, and related teachings
within a committed spiritual container.
By submitting your application, you acknowledge that the Inner Mandala is a paid spiritual education membership, not a one-on-one mentorship program, therapy program, medical program, or unlimited support service. If your application is approved and you complete payment, your continued access will depend upon both active membership payment and respectful alignment with the community guidelines below.
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Inner Mandala Access Policy
Inner Mandala is a living membership, not a lifetime course purchase.
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Membership includes access to selected video teachings, recordings, study libraries, archives, forums, companion materials, and member-only resources made available within the Inner Mandala platform.
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Access to these materials continues only while the student’s membership is active and in good standing.
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Monthly members receive access for the paid monthly membership period. Annual members receive access for the paid annual membership period. Annual membership does not create lifetime access. It provides access only for the year that has been paid for.
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If a membership ends, lapses, is cancelled, paused, not renewed, or becomes inactive for any reason, access to Inner Mandala materials will end. This includes access to videos, recordings, libraries, archives, forums, companion materials, and any other member-only resources.
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Inner Mandala materials are offered for personal study and spiritual practice during active membership only. They may not be downloaded, copied, shared, distributed, taught from, republished, used to create derivative teachings, or stored for use after membership ends, unless Vedika Global has given explicit written permission.
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By joining Inner Mandala, the student understands and agrees that continued access depends upon continued active membership. There is no lifetime access to Inner Mandala videos, libraries, recordings, archives, forums, or member-only materials.
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Active Membership and Access
Inner Mandala access is available to members whose payment is active and current.
If your monthly payment fails, your card is not updated, or your recurring payment is stopped or canceled, your access may be reduced to Open Mandala access.
This means you may no longer have access to Inner Mandala-only live sessions, archives, forums, or community spaces. This is not a punishment. It is simply how we maintain clarity, fairness, and sustainability for the mandala.
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If you wish to restore Inner Mandala access after a payment lapse, please update your payment information and follow the current re-entry process shared by Vedika Global.
Monthly payments are not refundable once charged. Annual membership is paid at the time of application and is non-refundable.
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The Spirit of This Mandala
The Inner Mandala is a spiritual education community, not a personal support service.
Acharya Shunya’s role is to guide the collective stream of teachings. Membership does not
include private guidance, personal spiritual counseling, individual correspondence, medical
advice, or one-on-one support unless specifically offered.
Please come as a sincere student: prepared, respectful, steady, and inwardly responsible.
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How We Preserve the Sacred Container
Practice Sadhana
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You are encouraged to maintain your own personal sadhana outside the sessions. Meditation, japa, chanting, contemplation, svadhyaya, prayer, and journaling all help the teachingsbecome embodied.
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Respect the Teacher’s Time
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Please do not send personal spiritual questions, life problems, medical questions, or long
personal reflections to Acharya Shunya unless such sharing has been specifically invited
within a formal structure.
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Ask Thoughtful Questions
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Questions should be concise, relevant, and rooted in the teaching. Please avoid gossip,
personal drama, therapy-like processing, or unrelated topics in satsang and community
spaces.
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Communicate with Dignity
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Use language that reflects the sacred purpose of this sangha. Harsh speech, curse words,
insults, shaming, aggression, inappropriate slang, or disruptive behavior are not acceptable.
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Honor Diversity and Religious Respect
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Our community welcomes seekers from many backgrounds. Racism, discrimination, hostility, or disrespect based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or identity has no place here.
The teachings come from Vedic and Hindu spiritual traditions. Please approach them with
respect for their source, depth, and sacred context.
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Protect Privacy
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Do not share another member’s personal information, image, questions, reflections, or story
outside the community without permission.
Do not take screenshots, copy forum posts, distribute recordings, or share private links or
materials.
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Respect Recordings
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Live sessions may be recorded. These recordings may be shared inside the Inner Mandala,
and selected excerpts may occasionally be used by Vedika Global for educational, archival, or public purposes.
By participating, you consent to being recorded. If you have privacy concerns, please use
discretion with your camera, voice, and participation in Q&A.
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Do Not Share Inner Mandala Materials
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Please do not share Inner Mandala videos, Zoom links, Vimeo links, PDFs, transcripts,
course materials, or private teachings outside the membership. These resources are for active members only unless Vedika Global clearly states otherwise.
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Do Not Represent Yourself as Authorized to Teach
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Please do not share Inner Mandala videos, Zoom links, Vimeo links, PDFs, transcripts,
course materials, or private teachings outside the membership. These resources are for active members only unless Vedika Global clearly states otherwise.
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Participate in Seva with Humility
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When seva opportunities arise, you may participate according to your capacity. Seva is sacred when it comes from sincerity, not pressure, performance, or entitlement.
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Handle Conflict Maturely
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If conflict arises with another member, handle it privately and respectfully. Please do not
bring personal disputes into the larger community.
Vedika Global does not mediate private relationships or personal conflicts between members. If a conflict begins to disturb the mandala, access may be limited or removed.
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Remember the Medical Disclaimer
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All teachings, practices, mantra, meditation, Ayurveda-related reflections, and spiritual
guidance are educational and spiritual in nature. They are not medical advice, mental health treatment, diagnosis, or a substitute for professional care.
Please consult qualified professionals for medical or mental health concerns.
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Grounds for Access Reduction, Suspension, or Removal
To protect the sanctity, safety, and integrity of the Vedic Study Circle and the Inner Mandala,
Vedika Global, Inc. and Acharya Shunya reserve the right to reduce, suspend, or remove a
member’s access when necessary.
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Grounds may include, but are not limited to:
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1.) Violation of Posted Guidelines
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Failure to follow the membership terms, community guidelines, participation expectations, or posted rules of the Vedic Study Circle.
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2.) Failed or Stopped Membership Payment
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Failed monthly payments, canceled recurring payments, stopped payments, or failure to
update payment information may result in Inner Mandala access being reduced to Open
Mandala access.
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3.) Disruptive Behavior
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Conduct that disrupts the learning environment, disturbs live sessions, burdens community
spaces, or negatively affects the experience of other members.
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4.) Disrespectful Communication
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Use of disrespectful, abusive, aggressive, shaming, sexually inappropriate, or inflammatory
language toward Acharya Shunya, faculty, staff, volunteers, or fellow members.
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5.) Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying
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Any form of harassment, intimidation, bullying, stalking, coercion, or repeated unwanted
contact with another member, teacher, staff member, or volunteer.
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6.) Racism, Discrimination, or Religious Disrespect
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Racial discrimination, hate speech, gender shaming, sexism, religious hostility, cultural
disrespect, or discriminatory conduct based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender,
sexual orientation, identity, or background.
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7.) Breach of Privacy
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Sharing another member’s personal information, image, comments, questions, story, or
private reflections without consent.
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8.) Unauthorized Recording or Sharing
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Recording, copying, downloading, distributing, forwarding, or publicly sharing Inner
Mandala classes, Zoom links, Vimeo links, forum posts, transcripts, PDFs, teachings, or other
private materials without explicit permission.
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9.) Misrepresentation or False Identity
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Providing false information, using a false identity, concealing relevant information during
application, or misrepresenting one’s intentions for joining the Vedic Study Circle.
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10.) Inappropriate Use of the Platform
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Using the Vedic Study Circle, Inner Mandala, forums, chats, emails, or member spaces for
commercial promotion, personal agendas, recruitment, solicitation, political campaigning,
unrelated projects, or self-promotion.
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11.) Financial Pressure or Solicitation
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Pressuring other members for donations, payments, purchases, investments, services,
fundraising, personal financial help, or any other financial contribution.
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12.) Inappropriate or Explicit Content
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Sharing, distributing, or promoting pornography, sexually explicit material, violent material,
or other content that violates the sacred and educational purpose of the community.
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13.) Repeated Boundary Violations
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Repeatedly demanding personal attention, private guidance, administrative exceptions,
personal spiritual counseling, medical guidance, or special access outside the formal structure of the program.
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14.) Harmful Prior or Ongoing Conduct
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A documented pattern of hostile, disruptive, or unresolved conduct with students, staff,
faculty, volunteers, or community members may be considered when determining whether
continued participation is appropriate.
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15.) Other Conduct Harmful to the Mandala
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Any conduct not specifically listed above that Vedika Global, Inc. reasonably determines to
be harmful to the safety, dignity, privacy, sanctity, or spiritual purpose of the Vedic Study
Circle or Inner Mandala.
Depending on the situation, Vedika Global may issue a warning, reduce access, suspend
access, or remove a member immediately. Decisions are made at the discretion of Vedika
Global, Inc., its directors, and Acharya Shunya.
If access is reduced because of non-payment, the member may be moved to Open Mandala access where appropriate. If access is removed because of conduct violations, access to Open Mandala may also be limited or revoked.
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16.) Reflection Pods: Peer-Led Contemplation Spaces
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Vedika Global, Inc., a California nonprofit under the leadership of Acharya Shunya, may sponsor informal, peer-led, online Reflection Pods for the contemplation of Vedic teachings.
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Reflection Pods are community-based spiritual reflection spaces. They are not professional counseling, therapy, legal advice, medical support, crisis intervention, or conflict-resolution forums.
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Vedika Global may vet and orient volunteer Pod Leaders, but these Pods are peer-led and are not continuously monitored by Vedika Global, Acharya Shunya, or the organizing team.
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Participants understand that Vedika Global, Acharya Shunya, the organizers, and volunteer Pod Leaders are not responsible for personal disputes, misconduct, confidentiality breaches, unwanted disclosures, harassment, technical issues, or other incidents that may arise during or after Pod participation.
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Statements made in Reflection Pods are personal reflections only and carry no legal, medical, therapeutic, or professional authority.
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Participants are asked to honor confidentiality and treat one another with respect. At the same time, each participant is responsible for what they choose to share.
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Please share only what you feel safe and willing to share. Vedika Global cannot guarantee how another participant may use, interpret, remember, or repeat information shared in a Pod.
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Any personal relationships, conversations, or connections formed within or outside a Pod are undertaken at each participant’s own discretion and risk. Vedika Global does not assume responsibility for their outcomes.
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Volunteer Pod Leaders may guide the discussion, redirect conversation, mute participants, or remove participants when necessary to maintain order, safety, dignity, and respect within the Pod.
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Reflection Pod Leaders serve voluntarily. Participation in Reflection Pods is free and entirely voluntary.
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Please join only if you feel safe doing so. If at any time you feel uncomfortable, you may leave the Pod immediately.
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By participating in a Reflection Pod, you acknowledge and agree that these Pods are community-driven spiritual reflection spaces and are not a substitute for professional advice, counseling, therapy, medical care, legal guidance, or crisis support.
If accepted, participation in the Inner Mandala is a privilege, a responsibility, and entry into a shared sacred field. Let us protect it together with shraddha, humility, clarity, and love for the path.
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Originally posted August 1, 2024. Updated June 2026 for Inner Mandala membership, payment-based access, and community participation.
By Team Acharya Shunya and the Board of Directors, Vedika Global, Inc.
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