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Should Buddhist temples collect donations?
footiam
Veteran
In Asian countries, often you'd find a donation box in Buddhist temples where you could put in money. One is not obliged to put anything in but do you think Buddhist temples should collect donation? Would it be better then, to have a passive donation box standing quietly in a corner of the temple or to pass the hat round to devotees?
0
Comments
I had no problem with the few temples in Thailand that charged a fee just to walk around; those were usually the temples that had gotten a bit noted in tourist books. But in those cases, I paid just the required fee. When I would get to another temple that didn't charge a fee at all, I'd usually contribute more there. I'd usually buy water or a soda or a snack in some of the temples that had such things, specifically to support the temple. Or occasionally a booklet (that I rarely really wanted) or trinket in some of the simple "gift shops" that some of the temples had. Sometimes there were temples where monks would come to chat, or even walk around the temple with you...that temple would get more than a temple that pretty much ignored you. Some temples made the effort to put up English signs with historical or explanatory information, or had little guidebooks, or something along those lines...they'd get a bigger voluntary donation.
For those with the voluntary drop boxes, I'd often give more if the boxes were labeled as to purpose (for example, medical things for monks, food, the poor, temple upkeep, etc.).
Yes, temples need funds to run. No question about it.
However, I think it should be optional.
I don't mind if places suggest donations, as long as they aren't required, depending on what is going on. When my teacher travels here on retreat, there is a suggested donation, but no one is every turned away if they cannot pay that, or even if they can't pay anything at all. What I find offensive is how it was done in my church when I was growing up, where you are instructed to give 10% of your income to the church in order to be good with God. That kind of thing I can't get on board with, especially when the pastor drives a corvette.
In Thailand you will see the poor village temple that seems to operate with virtually no funds. Then you will see the rich city temple that seems to operate based on being a center for funerals and cremations (a good example of this...for Tom...is the temple in Bangkok on Rama IV Road. It's one gaudy funeral after another...$$$...and they have one of the most elaborate of the modern temples in Thailand...other than some of the government funded temples and some of the "touristy" temples.
That is a good practice, though I am quite sure you'd never see that in Thailand.
Paying the bills is quite important.
It's only the corporations and the goverment and rich people that are greedy right?
however, some monks have abused the donations
for personal luxuries eg. in singapore
Ven. Shi Ming Yi (Chinese: 释明义; birth name Goh Kah Heng; born 1962) is a Buddhist monk from Singapore, currently serving as the abbot of Foo Hai Chan Monastery.[1] In September 1994, Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery, under the leadership of Ming Yi, established the 175-bed Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre for chronically ill patients among the poor and needy.
On October 7, 2009, Ming Yi was convicted of four charges of conspiracy, misuse of funds and forgery[2] and sentenced to 10 months in jail, reduced on appeal to 6 months.
E.g. donate $1000 and the temple gets a medium-sized gold Amitabha statue on a certain wall.
I wonder how many people simply donate in hopes of gaining "merit." Or even "face."
practicing dana with 'your own freewill' is one of the skillful deed
for this
passive donation box standing quietly in the corner is good
practicing dana with 'someone's help' is another the skillful deed
for this
pass the hat round to devotees is good
either way it is for your own good
this helps us at a later stage give up (let go of) five skandha (five aggregates)
this is called practicing samma sankappa
once you have donated your money or whatever
it is the receiver's business to spend/use as he wish
if you think about how the receiver use what you have donated
it is not a donation (dana) because you have not 'let go of' whatever you gave
Disclose all info.
It is a business, whether we like it or
not. The feds give you a Tax EIN, right?
Making money is important.
It keeps the lights on.
It's up to everyone to make sure that
no one is getting rich, that's also
important. Money managment is a lost
art here in the US., it seems.
Fundraising....now, thats another matter.
It's a constant pain in the ass...I know that.
I have done it well....and bad, and all in between.
For all kinds of everyone.
I still love it! Get fundraisers who like doing
stuff. Get finacial guys that are into it.
Passion can fuel good intention, it also seems.
Sorry, some cultural differences here too....
The youth groups can bring in the
random events/donations here, with
numbers....and other local advantages.
We give blessing notes with our
bake sales.
Not far to travel. Contains every known Buddha. Donations are removed. :wave:
For Buddhist temples to flourish and spread the teachings, they need money. Maintenance work needs to be paid (most people won't work for free). Electricity, phone bills, staff salaries (full-time staff need to eat and pay rent) etc. My teacher HE Tsem Rinpoche had to leave his monastery in Gaden India when he was 27 years old to fund raise to build a hostel for monks to live because the monks were sleeping out in the open and getting sick from rain and the elements, as well as being bitten by snakes etc. You can hear him tell his story here http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/why-malaysia.html