Donate to the center or to the teacher?

General discussion, particularly exploring the Dharma in the modern world.
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Sapphire
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Donate to the center or to the teacher?

Post by Sapphire »

Which is better, give the money to the center or give the money to the teacher? What is the difference in karma?
:juggling:
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Wayfarer
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Re: Donate to the center or to the teacher?

Post by Wayfarer »

When attending a teaching then Dana to the teacher is appropriate. But in terms of general practice, I would think donation to a centre or organisation is preferable. All of which depends on many other factors which you have to make a judgement about case by case.
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Sapphire
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Re: Donate to the center or to the teacher?

Post by Sapphire »

Yes, I guess it depends how personal I'd like to be with a teacher. Except it does not always work with every teacher, haha. I'm involved in running a center and give clearly and mainly to the center, only occasionally to the teacher. The center compensates the teachers modestly. Then I've noticed some people give to the teacher directly and nothing to the center. Guru should be the most powerful object so they are right in that sense.
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Grigoris
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Re: Donate to the center or to the teacher?

Post by Grigoris »

Generally, if you attend a teaching by a specific teacher (especially a guest teacher) you give money to the teacher for the teaching and money to the center for the center's costs.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

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Sherab
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Re: Donate to the center or to the teacher?

Post by Sherab »

Sapphire wrote: Mon Dec 17, 2018 3:41 am Which is better, give the money to the center or give the money to the teacher? What is the difference in karma?
:juggling:
The difference lies in your motivation.
pemachophel
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Re: Donate to the center or to the teacher?

Post by pemachophel »

Both. Without the center, there's nowhere for the Teacher to teach. Without the Teacher, there's no teaching. At least in the West, it takes both a Teacher and a center for teachings to happen.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
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hermitseb
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Re: Donate to the center or to the teacher?

Post by hermitseb »

At the retreat center I am involved with, the teachers teach purely for Dana, they receive no other funding, so donations to them are their livelihood, so to speak. We also put out envelopes for folk who which to donate to the center itself, beyond the basic food and accommodation costs, but the center can get by without it. Not so much so the teachers, whom often are traveling from fairly far off to come teach their retreats.
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