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Meditation Centres.. Why do they charge?
I just dont understand this, I know that its to keep it running. But Some people (as myself) can not afford the £5 to meditate with other like minded people. They are also "classes" and have a set schedule as such..meaning you need the money and the time. I wish there was a more open way to meet other buddhists.
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Maybe some of you could get together outside of class to meditate, and then you can go to the centre on top of that whenever you're able? Does it take more than one person to meditate? :P
How would you propose they do this without a schedule? And without charging?
I agree. I used to go to a med class that charged. I would have preferred to pay a bigger donation....
It depends. Some do it because they have to, otherwise they wouldn't be able to sustain themselves. You make one exception you make a million. And soon you've gone bankrupt.
The centre I attend charges $50 a year for membership, which gives you a discount on retreats and empowerments (which have a charge). But you don't have to be a member to attend the weekly classes or weekend sits.
The centre asks a $5 donation into the donation box each time you visit, but this is all very casual and on the honor system.
Where does this money go? The centre is a Non-Profit Society, and directs its own affairs. It operates primarily off of member volunteering and fund-raising efforts. The centre owns (has paid off) it's own building but still pays taxes and utilities and has to maintain the building and its contents. Furthermore (and most importantly), the center supports a Buddhist monk from the Dalai Lama's monastery in India; this monk is the resident teacher and spiritual director for the centre.
Other sanghas in the city do charge, but they are located in either rented halls or purposely converted properties. Here one can understand the need for charge, although buddhism frowns upon it. (Some places charge as much as £8 for an hour! :eek: )
Our priest accepts donations especially when he does services (like funerals) etc, but he never asks, and so sometimes, never gets. He's also noticed the need for flexibility in the west. We seem to have so many things going on (work family etc) that we can't guarantee our time. I always try to make it, even if it means going straight from work and sitting in my shirt and trousers (rather than something loose and comfortable). Sometimes I'm so tired I'm almost falling asleep during meditation.
Nios.
Hi bloom.
If I may add my perspective to your thoughts...
If by the "Tibetan traditions", you mean practicing Vajrayana, then yes it is necessary for one to have a teacher. Without lineage, transmission and empowerment, one cannot practice Vajrayana. These things require one to have a qualified guru. Having said that, then when you take a closer look, you may find that one needs to have certain conditions to meet a qualified teacher, to travel, to receive teachings, to be able to practice with few obstacles and so-forth. These conditions are related to one's merit. One must have sufficient merit to meet many of these conditions. Even to meet with the Dharma in the first place, one needs great merit. Remember, that everything depends on causes and conditions.
I come from Vajrayana, and I don't like the whole "transactional" tone of "merit". I like to think of karmic accumulation as "gaining momentum" for the continuum of consciousness. So I would correct that to say "Even to meet with the Dharma in the first place, one needs great momentum in the continuum of consciousness".
I hope Vajrayana teachers stop using the term "merit".