Donations

"Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche once said: "…although our funds are tight, our vision is enormous. That is the way we behave; and that combination works very brilliantly and very beautifully.”

In my own words: Our means are limited and our heart is unlimited. And this combination of form and space is beautiful in it's daily harmonious functioning. 

The activities of the Zen Heart Sangha involve incurring expenses and I too have to pay bills and buy food. But I do not want to do what I do on a “quid pro quo” basis. As a sangha we want to ground our work in generosity and see activity, participation and donation as unconditional. The activities of the Sangha and my work as the resident teacher are a gift. And if you would like to help me do what I do then your donation is a gift also. Having little or no money to spare does not have to be an obstacle to participate in practice. Indeed, your participation and shared practice are in themselves the most important gifts to the sangha.  

We can try to see every amount of money and everything that we can create, in the form of activities, attention, presence, practice, love, in fact our entire life, ourselves, as a gift. We can try to give ourselves freely and unconditionally, without expecting anything in return, not even the gratitude of the receiver. It is a practice of freely giving and receiving and therefor also a practice of trusting. These are a few of the aspects of the Paramita of “Dana” the practice of generosity. Access to the Dharma is free of charge. It is as precious as the the air we breath and the sunlight that we need. It is beyond price and without value.

Everyone who wishes to participate in the activities of the Zen Heart Sangha (in The Hague or elsewhere) or feels connected in any way to the sangha, can make a donation through our bank account (see at the bottom of the page for the details). Donations allow us to organise retreats, keep the zendo and our daily practice schedule going and give the teacher a financial allowance for livelihood. A donation is not in any way mandatory!

There are no specific purposes for donations, but if you feel that a donation is appropriate because you participate in the weekly schedule, or a retreat, then you can also make a donation through the bank account. Bank transfers are preferred, so please avoid making donations in cash. 

Donations and taxes

The Zen Heart Sangha has a so called “ANBI status”, which means we have been formally recognised by the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) of the Netherlands as a Charity. Because of this all your donations are tax deductible, within the legal boundaries set by the IRS. The official ANBI information is available only in Dutch.  

If you have questions or need more information regarding this, please send us an email through info@zenheart.nl.