Dana / Donate
All my work - whether one-to-one mentoring, private yoga classes, retreats, meditations or videos - are offered through Dana. This was always a central and beautiful part of the way the Dharma (the Buddha's teachings) were offered and received, and is a tradition which has continued in many Dharma settings for over 2,600 years.
Dana is a practice of both giving and receiving. It invites us to receive experiences of gratitude, generosity and appreciation, as well as meeting feelings of scarcity and lack directly so that they can be released. It asks that we look more closely at our motivation and expectations by inviting us to step out of a transaction mindset (how much can I get from this moment and how little can I give?) and into a generosity mindset (how deeply can I receive this moment and what would I like to offer in return?)
Dana also means that we support each other as a wider collective. Those who can afford more at this time in their lives make it possible for those who cannot. It helps us strengthen the nourishing flow of reciprocal and sacred relationship by bringing it into everyday life.
I always take time to share about Dana as a practice, because I sense it is not fully understood or appreciated. I have witnessed many Dharma teachers turning away from it, either because they don’t feel fully respected and reciprocated, or because they simply can’t financially support themselves and their families in this way any more. Both these reasons imply a misunderstanding about Dana within the wider community, rather than an inherent problem with it as a practice.
One of these misunderstandings may arise from a cultural confusion between Dana and tipping, because in traditional Eastern contexts, Dana is more similar to a tip. When we tip a waiter in a restaurant, it is with the understanding that our offering of gratitude is additional to their wage, and that this wage is already sufficient to cover their living expenses. So a tip is an expression of additional appreciation and gratitude, not a payment for what we have received. As a result we expect to tip a waiter less money than we paid for the food. Similarly, in traditional contexts Dana is offered to monks or nuns who are fully supported by their monastery, which in turn is supported separately by the community. So in the same way, Dana is an expression of additional appreciation and gratitude, knowing that their everyday needs are already met (and knowing too that the Dana will anyway go to the monastery, of course).
Lay Dharma teachers do not have alternative wages or monastic support, however, so the Dana they receive IS their wage, and must cover their living expenses - and often those of their families - like any other wage. In this context, Dana is not a tip, and I really encourage all of us (including myself when in the role of the student, of course) to reflect on what this means for us. To make a comparison with the coaching world, for example, my friend tells me that group coaching sessions generally cost between £50 to £250 per person, per hour. How does that equate with the hourly rate we tend to offer Dharma teachers for daylong or weeklong retreats?
The Dharma is priceless, and I fervently believe it should remain that way and that no one should be turned away for lack of funds. This is a great blessing, and an important principle to maintain in an age where so much of life has become transactional and money has become another way we display or defend our sense of self (the masks we wear).
But generosity is priceless too, as is care, reciprocity, and deep personal inquiry into unconscious habits of scarcity. These too are central to Dharma practice.
For me, Dana allowed me to access teachings at a young age before I had the financial means to pay anything more than a token amount. But as my own financial capacity grew, what began to reveal itself instead was a scarcity mindset which had remained unconscious before. I always felt gratitude towards the teachers and teachings, but, unconsciously, I continued to pay them a smaller amount (relative to other services I paid for) so that I didn’t have to confront this scarcity in myself. Until eventually I recognised this, and chose to include it in my practise. I began to notice how I felt able to pay the required amount for the running costs of the venue or retreat centre, but would pay the teacher less than I would pay for a room, despite my deepest appreciation being for the teacher and the teachings. I started paying attention to the tightness it left in my belly and chest when I acted from this scarcity, and gave attention to this fear first, before acting. And I began to experience, for the first time, the true value of giving.
It’s an ongoing practice for me, both as a student and a teacher - and like all practices, it’s often uncomfortable! Since this message could be interpreted as a blatant demand for more money from you, I can only wholeheartedly assure you that this couldn’t be further from the truth. I want Dana to not only survive, but to thrive as a way of living Dharma into daily life. I want us to include Dana as a living practice in our lives. Living in sacredness, with each action a practice of wholehearted, unconditional, uninhibited loving presence. To invite everything we do out of the shadow of habit and reactivity, and into the luminous flow of love’s appropriate response.
May it be so!
And thank you so much for your practice, your love and your support. It is always received with gratitude and appreciation!
Paypal: to [email protected] (please click friends and family)
Wise transfer: to [email protected]
GBP/EUR/USD bank transfer: email [email protected] for details.
"Regarding dana. It was a great exercise and I thank you for that. As an economist, I spent the first night reviewing the different theories of value in my head (Smith, Marx, Menger, Polanyi, etc ), carried on with the diamond-water paradox (to realise that what you offer is both as rare as a diamond and as essential to life as water). At first sight this step could be seen as useless. It was however necessary for me to "play" with all the theories to show to myself that depending on the chosen theory and varying assumptions, a price can be placed anywhere between 0 and +∞. It was necessary for me to "think inside all the surface of the box" before being able to attempt to think outside of the box, outside of the system. The "exercise" is difficult because in our system, money has become a "good" in itself (that one can accumulate), rather than just a means to fluidify exchanges. I found it easier to think in "kind" rather than in "cash". What I offered to you is what I can spare after I've paid my (and my kids') bills this month. I've sent it to you and it feels great! Actually I feel lighter... So once again, thank you Ayala. Needless to say that I will sign up asap for next year!" ~ Virginie (economist)
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
All my work - whether one-to-one mentoring, private yoga classes, retreats, meditations or videos - are offered through Dana. This was always a central and beautiful part of the way the Dharma (the Buddha's teachings) were offered and received, and is a tradition which has continued in many Dharma settings for over 2,600 years.
Dana is a practice of both giving and receiving. It invites us to receive experiences of gratitude, generosity and appreciation, as well as meeting feelings of scarcity and lack directly so that they can be released. It asks that we look more closely at our motivation and expectations by inviting us to step out of a transaction mindset (how much can I get from this moment and how little can I give?) and into a generosity mindset (how deeply can I receive this moment and what would I like to offer in return?)
Dana also means that we support each other as a wider collective. Those who can afford more at this time in their lives make it possible for those who cannot. It helps us strengthen the nourishing flow of reciprocal and sacred relationship by bringing it into everyday life.
I always take time to share about Dana as a practice, because I sense it is not fully understood or appreciated. I have witnessed many Dharma teachers turning away from it, either because they don’t feel fully respected and reciprocated, or because they simply can’t financially support themselves and their families in this way any more. Both these reasons imply a misunderstanding about Dana within the wider community, rather than an inherent problem with it as a practice.
One of these misunderstandings may arise from a cultural confusion between Dana and tipping, because in traditional Eastern contexts, Dana is more similar to a tip. When we tip a waiter in a restaurant, it is with the understanding that our offering of gratitude is additional to their wage, and that this wage is already sufficient to cover their living expenses. So a tip is an expression of additional appreciation and gratitude, not a payment for what we have received. As a result we expect to tip a waiter less money than we paid for the food. Similarly, in traditional contexts Dana is offered to monks or nuns who are fully supported by their monastery, which in turn is supported separately by the community. So in the same way, Dana is an expression of additional appreciation and gratitude, knowing that their everyday needs are already met (and knowing too that the Dana will anyway go to the monastery, of course).
Lay Dharma teachers do not have alternative wages or monastic support, however, so the Dana they receive IS their wage, and must cover their living expenses - and often those of their families - like any other wage. In this context, Dana is not a tip, and I really encourage all of us (including myself when in the role of the student, of course) to reflect on what this means for us. To make a comparison with the coaching world, for example, my friend tells me that group coaching sessions generally cost between £50 to £250 per person, per hour. How does that equate with the hourly rate we tend to offer Dharma teachers for daylong or weeklong retreats?
The Dharma is priceless, and I fervently believe it should remain that way and that no one should be turned away for lack of funds. This is a great blessing, and an important principle to maintain in an age where so much of life has become transactional and money has become another way we display or defend our sense of self (the masks we wear).
But generosity is priceless too, as is care, reciprocity, and deep personal inquiry into unconscious habits of scarcity. These too are central to Dharma practice.
For me, Dana allowed me to access teachings at a young age before I had the financial means to pay anything more than a token amount. But as my own financial capacity grew, what began to reveal itself instead was a scarcity mindset which had remained unconscious before. I always felt gratitude towards the teachers and teachings, but, unconsciously, I continued to pay them a smaller amount (relative to other services I paid for) so that I didn’t have to confront this scarcity in myself. Until eventually I recognised this, and chose to include it in my practise. I began to notice how I felt able to pay the required amount for the running costs of the venue or retreat centre, but would pay the teacher less than I would pay for a room, despite my deepest appreciation being for the teacher and the teachings. I started paying attention to the tightness it left in my belly and chest when I acted from this scarcity, and gave attention to this fear first, before acting. And I began to experience, for the first time, the true value of giving.
It’s an ongoing practice for me, both as a student and a teacher - and like all practices, it’s often uncomfortable! Since this message could be interpreted as a blatant demand for more money from you, I can only wholeheartedly assure you that this couldn’t be further from the truth. I want Dana to not only survive, but to thrive as a way of living Dharma into daily life. I want us to include Dana as a living practice in our lives. Living in sacredness, with each action a practice of wholehearted, unconditional, uninhibited loving presence. To invite everything we do out of the shadow of habit and reactivity, and into the luminous flow of love’s appropriate response.
May it be so!
And thank you so much for your practice, your love and your support. It is always received with gratitude and appreciation!
Paypal: to [email protected] (please click friends and family)
Wise transfer: to [email protected]
GBP/EUR/USD bank transfer: email [email protected] for details.
"Regarding dana. It was a great exercise and I thank you for that. As an economist, I spent the first night reviewing the different theories of value in my head (Smith, Marx, Menger, Polanyi, etc ), carried on with the diamond-water paradox (to realise that what you offer is both as rare as a diamond and as essential to life as water). At first sight this step could be seen as useless. It was however necessary for me to "play" with all the theories to show to myself that depending on the chosen theory and varying assumptions, a price can be placed anywhere between 0 and +∞. It was necessary for me to "think inside all the surface of the box" before being able to attempt to think outside of the box, outside of the system. The "exercise" is difficult because in our system, money has become a "good" in itself (that one can accumulate), rather than just a means to fluidify exchanges. I found it easier to think in "kind" rather than in "cash". What I offered to you is what I can spare after I've paid my (and my kids') bills this month. I've sent it to you and it feels great! Actually I feel lighter... So once again, thank you Ayala. Needless to say that I will sign up asap for next year!" ~ Virginie (economist)
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.