Don't Donate to Us!
Of the 3 classes of offerings the most beneficial is the offering or explanation of the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings) to those who want it and seek it. The second most beneficial is the offering of service; for example, voluntary work to benefit others. This, in turn, is more beneficial than the third kind which is material offerings and donations.
But just because material offerings are not as beneficial as offering Dharma or service does not mean we should not donate – on the contrary, we should donate as much as we can to practice generosity and this is also very beneficial all round.
JSG neither seeks nor wants donations but we appreciate and encourage the generosity of those wishing to donate and there are plenty of good causes to support.
| Buddha Shakyamuni in meditation: a simple but exquisitely beautiful stone sculpture from the ancient Greco-Buddhist Gandhara Civilisation, 1,800 years old. Found in Swat Valley, Pakistan, birthplace of Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche, the 8th century Mahasiddha who first introduced Buddhism to Tibet. |  |
BUT HOW DOES JSG MANAGE WITHOUT RAISING FUNDS?
We avoid expenditure and work from home very simply at grassroots level, using the internet. This website making Dharma available all over the world costs very little but our time. When teachers visit to teach, students collect donations to make an offering to the teacher and cover the costs.
We appreciate – and try to follow – Buddha’s advice to which His Holiness the Dalai Lama kindly draws our attention, “to be content with what we have”, and His Holiness’s own request to followers “Don’t make material offerings to me since it is a burden for me to pass them on”.
Rather than soliciting donations from the public, we therefore encourage supporters to practice generosity by using their resources to benefit those around them who are most in need by relieving their suffering and making them happy. The whole of society will benefit from this. This attitude and the practice of generosity also bring happiness to the giver.
Updated 31-jul-08