Teacher Support
In keeping with the spirit of the Buddhist tradition, I offer my teaching freely whenever possible, including low-fee and no-fee options upon request for all programs and courses I run myself. If these teachings have touched you, please consider giving in a way that feels joyful and sustainable for you.
There is no suggested amount. Dana is a gift—an expression of generosity and gratitude, a way of valuing the teachings, and sustaining those who have committed their lives to this path. You can read more below.
OTHER WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE:
Click here to contribute to our Scholarship Fund, which opens the door for others to learn and practice. You can donate for a specific program or give to the fund generally. Each gift widens the circle of practice for all. (Contributions are not tax deductible.) To offer support in other ways, please e-mail us. Welcome contributions include: administrative support, online research, outreach, marketing, and other skilled services.
The Practice of Dana
The first thing the Buddha often taught was to practice dana—generosity. When we give freely we feel a natural sense of joy, connection, and belonging. This experience of wellbeing creates an essential foundation for the path to Awakening.
The spirit of generosity is woven into the fabric of traditional Buddhist societies, where the lay and monastic communities have lived in mutual dependence for millennia. Monastics offer spiritual guidance and the lay community gives material support (food, medicine, clothing, and shelter).
Lay Teachers
For thousands of years, these teachings were preserved and taught primarily by monastics. Today in the West, a growing number of lay, householder teachers also steward and teach these practices.
Lay teachers and monastics complement each other, each serving different needs. Monastics model renunciation, embody healthy disengagement from the busyness of the world, and preserve core aspects of Buddhist culture. Lay teachers are often more accessible and translate the Dhamma to address the pressures and challenges of this era.
All of this has created greater access to the teachings. Yet materialism and the commodification of spirituality can obscure the heart of dana. In our minds, it may shrink into a transaction or be limited to money. This misses the essence: dana is a relationship of mutual care and wholehearted generosity, expressed through time, service, attention, listening, resources, or finances. It is a living practice to sustain one another and the path to liberation.