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“Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.” – The Buddha
Generosity is an important quality to cultivate in Buddhism (see below, if you’re interested to know more!). Most events at IMCR are offered on the basis of generosity, this means that there is no fixed charge. Only occasionally we charge for renting a space, or other costs we encounter.
For most events there is a suggested donation posted. You can offer a donation to the teachers on the Teacher Page. You can offer a donation to the IMCR group in cash, check, or via PayPal.
Offering a Donation to IMCR or the Teachers by Check or Cash
Write a check to Insight Meditation Community of Richmond, or the teacher’s name, and send it to the following address:
Insight Meditation Community of Richmond
3411 Grove Avenue
Richmond Virginia 23221
Cash (and check) donations can be put in the donation box at events.
Offering a Donation through PayPal to IMCR
You may donate through PayPal using the button below
Online donations to the teachers can be made on the teachers webpage.
Monthly Donations
Those attending the sangha regularly could consider offering monthly donations, instead of a donation each time. If this is of interest, you can create and automatic monthly donation via PayPal.
What is Dana?
Dana is a Pali word, the language in which the Theravada Buddhist teachings were written down in. It’s simplest meaning is “generosity”. Generosity is a quality of the heart that each of us can cultivate.
Generosity is an important concept in Buddhism. The Buddha taught that our spiritual development rests on three pillars: dana, sila (ethics or moral conduct), and bhavana (the cultivation of meditation).
Since the time of the Buddha, generosity has played just as important a role as meditation and ethics in the lives of (lay) practitioners. In Buddhist countries in Asia, monks and nuns are still supported to this day by donations from the lay community. In turn, the lay community receives meditation instruction and teachings from the monks and nuns.
Generosity does not refer only to material giving, but in fact to all forms of giving:
“Sometimes generosity is the giving of a smile, silence, listening, a warm touch. Sometimes it is action, time, money, our commitment to justice, our vision for a better world. Every form of giving is a blessing.” -Jack Kornfield
To align with the Buddhist tradition of generosity, most events at IMCR are offered on a dana basis. The Insight Meditation Community of Richmond and the teachers receive no payment. As a participant, you have the option to offer dana, in this case in the form of money, to IMCR and the teachers.
Your donation allows us to continue offering the teachings. Our group (IMCR), meditation center (Ekoji) and teachers are maintained by the generosity of all of you who value the teachings. Your dana-offering to the IMCR group contributes to the maintenance of the building we are gathering in (“Ekoji”), the website and Zoom costs, and other expenses our group has. Your dana-offering to the teachers help support them in their efforts to offer the teachings, for some teachers dana is their livelihood.
Learn More about the Practice of Dana in Buddhism
Read an Article by Robert Beatty
“Dana, as the foundation of our spiritual life, helps us recognize and practice our natural interconnectedness. As life gives generously to us, so we give generously back to life. We belong to what we support, and what we support nourishes us.”
Read more…
Listen to a Dharma Talk on Dana
In this recording our guiding teacher Marjolein Janssen talks in-depth about what dana means in Buddhism.