Fundraising for what?

Once upon a time I was working in a kitchen of a busy restaurant, it was a small, well planned kitchen where lunch and dinner were served from. We would from time to time get people coming through on the job “trail”, as in they get to follow some one for a shift and they would watch what we are doing and we would watch how they are doing. A common practice in the restaurant kitchens that determines if the new candidate fits in or not.

On one such trail we got a big guy who was very friendly and I was talking to him a lot. for one reason or the other he did not get the job. As the restaurant was in the area where I lived I would often see him on the street and we would talk, We would consistently meet up for now almost 10 years every year.

Today when we met up in a vegetable store where he was picking up a fresh squeezed juice and I was getting 2 bags full of vegetables he had a very fancy edition of “Art of War” under his arm. So, I asked him how does he feel about the book and he said that yet again he reviewed it and his idea is that “One can not do peace and war in the same time” meaning for the peace to be of inherently higher value then war.

To that I responded by telling him that at the moment I am working on formulating a basis for the Buddhist community where among other things people could leave high costs of living in places like NYC behind. And actually attempt going past fixation on looking for happiness in the samsara.

It is a well known buddhist foundational truth, “Nirvana is the true peace”. Which does imply very directly that one should reach out beyond samsara, which is no other then habits and fixations on habits, that is if one wants the peace, right where they are. By no means it has to be reaching out externally or into the time like setting of the goal as in “later on” or “in the future”…..

Hopefully this community will get founded, and eventually people come along to join in 🙂

Then there could be no excuse but follow the liberating instructions that are widely available….

Fundraising ideas…

There are many, many different types of understanding on asking for donations, begging, requesting help, so on, so forth. In the format of social media we often come across of something we did not have any interest in. Then, suddenly there is an understanding to address these unforeseen issues. So recently I have read somewhere that some one somewhere made a list of 10 richest christian pastors of the world. With some one at #10 that has about 19 million in the bank and some one in #1 that has about 190 million in the bank. With the top 3 of these located in the Nigeria. Now all and any fundraising I would do, do, will do. Will always be with understanding that no money can be taken with any one beyond the grave, thus if in the first place there are any accumulated, they need to be spent / invested in the projects that they are meant to support. And never to just benefit me personally.

This here, written on : http://www.hungkardorje.org/publish/index.php

“…..About Myself The funds I have are not from my parents. I didn’t get them by deceiving anyone; what I have is only what friends with good intentions have given me. I know that their income has been earned through the sweat of hard work in a fog of worry, each step hard to take and each load heavy to lift. Who would not be attached to what they’ve earned that way? I am deeply moved when I think of the hard physical and mental work that earned them that income. I’m not someone who is free of desire, indifferent to possessions and wealth. I’m like a beggar for alms who is happy to receive anything he’s given. I’m not an avaricious person who can’t bear to use anything he’s accumulated. I’m not a selfish person who uses everything he gets for himself. It’s my responsibility to use whatever I receive for offerings and charity. I’m not saying this to impress people or praise myself; I’m just being honest and telling the truth about myself…..”

-The above is a perfect teacher, writing perfectly easy to understand, good and kind words that are an ideal to strive for when it comes to the fundraising. As I have met deeply inspiring Rinpoche’s father, Lama Sang and saw him put on his shoulders and and carry around his own backpack, I have a glimpse into what it means. So, not for profit should be that, contrary to the popular online opinion, it should not be, or run as a business. It should not be a “Mega Church” but if there is a chance to inspire 30,000 people to practice Buddhism, obviously it is great. And the goal is not to build a massive multiplex cinema to enjoy relative comforts of this fleeting life, rather provide temporary accommodation that is worry free. In in fact find peace that is beyond samsara. As looking for the ultimate truth, the peace that is beyond samsara should be the style of all ongoing “research” not some accumulation that in the ultimate sense is useless. At least that constitutes my wish.

indiegogo fundraiser, mail

Included is a message sent to the old, still in existence on yahoo group. Thought I would pass it along here as well.

Dear friends,
I have started to to feel that I have completely drifted away in my thinking from many of you. A year ago, I started circulating the ideas described now on the website. To my surprise very few, but some people had a few responses.

In a nutshell. Most people when it comes to the spirituality have this idea of despair in regards to their own efforts. Thus outer manifestations of thus efforts have to be super grand or none, never modest, or small or steady.

In another words anything short of building a grand temple / monastery for a rockstar status Lama will not do. While it is a perfect idea. It does not have to be the only one available. Many other spiritual traditions demonstrated to all of us (willing to see it as such) that it is possible to have something organized, built, on a modest budget with the foundation not in grand fundraising effort but rather in planning, responsability, sense of purpose and most importantly, participation of others.

Plan to start small, and stay cheap, so that no one is burdened with some huge tax bill, repair bill, some other huge bill.

Purpose is to have less financial burden and more focus on practice of Dharma.

Anyone should be able to participate, monks, nuns, families.

Hindu followers are known to have bought out whole towns and move in around their teachers in say north west of US. In Monroe area followers of many Jewish teachers founded whole towns, by moving in and building housing.

Most Buddhists contribute to construction of grand temples upstate and stay in the city, while temples remain empty.

The idea, move into area of an existing temple Upstate NY, not build one more.
Form a community platform along the lines of trailer park.

Starting step can be to in fact move into an existing trailer park in area of Binghamton.

Website to see more ideas on this:
http://www.choying.org

Indiegogo fundraiser, writeup

Rural,

How often Buddhists of all walks of life hear about timeless, silence, landscape, quiet contemplation, all of the above to be surely found on the great budget in rural areas of the Upstate NY.

Buddhist,

Buddhism is a spiritual system of personal development that can be thought of as something 2,500+ years old, however it would establish it’s understanding in materialistic terms, which is not the goal. After entering into Buddhist study one will find out about expressions like “Buddhas of three times and 10 direction” which sounds like an absolute statement but uses “times and directions”, set, material concepts. With idea of going beyond to set oneself free we can recall: gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha: gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond From the Heart of Wisdom Sutra of the lord Buddha. Thus evaluating Buddhist ideas with tools of already familiar concepts will not help, rather sidetrack. Actual experiences of looking beyond, reaching beyond becomes important. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition started in Tibet in the 8th Century by Buddhist abbot from India Shantarakshita, Guru Rinpoche the Padmasambhava and by Buddhist King of Tibet Trisong Detsen there were several levels of participation in the spiritual community.

• Ordained in the tradition coming from India as celibate members of a spiritual community that concentrate on outward and inward upkeep of numerous very literal commitments.
• Ordained as mantra practitioners (Ngakpas) yogis that concentrate on the inner practice which allowed some to work in the worldly jobs and maintain households.
• People that due to one reason or the other are not able to enter into meaningful practice of the teachings and from time to time or on a very steady level support any one who declares such as their goal.

All types Monks, Nuns, Yogis, Sponsors coming together make an effort become effortless in an ideal situation, which is far from the reality here in USA as Buddhism is not at all treated as a well known anything but rather as a curiosity.

Community,

As a some one that would answer question such as: “What is your religion?” – Buddhism. I work in a determined way to align  all of my thinking, everyday reactions and contemplations, no matter what activity I may go through that is the goal. To “Go for the refuge to 3 jewels of Buddha, Dharma, Sangha”. The ideal is Buddha, the information on the Buddha and much everything else is the teachings of the Buddha, the Dharma and the spiritual community of people coming together in some way to uphold the Dharma is the Sangha.

While Buddhas are omnipresent, Dharma is ever suitable the community can be always encouraged.

of One

While writing anything on the internet it is easy to misrepresent in a way of making it seem bigger then it is. At the moment I am making this idea available for fundraising and if I were able to raise funds to help me move ahead with, it will be great, however if some one reads the statements and remembers the idea of founding, supporting, joining a community in some way at some point somewhere, this will have got it made as well!

Overview of the project.

I am a householder type with kids and day job. I live in NYC. I am completely out of focus when it comes to making a career in regards to the career. My only true interest over many years is to practice Buddhist teachings.

My goal is to move into rural upstate NY near an existing Buddhist Temple and anchor a community with my skills of almost any kind of construction / maintenance work. As well as many many years of heartfelt interest in Buddhist study and meditation.

Goals:

• Short Term,

The short term plan is to purchase mobile home in an existing mobile home park in area of greater Binghamton. Thus moving into the area on a very low budget.

Mobile home at $6,000. Move in and lot rent cost $4,000. Lot rent is calculated at $300 a month. Providing unassuming platform for low cost housing, with investment into the longer term. The mobile home can be sold at the move out.

• Long Term,

Working locally in the area, obtain bank loan and further support through fundraising to purchase land, about 5 acres, where cabins could be built or mobile homes could be parked, with this type of housing tax bill will be minimized. This stage would completely be dependent on participation. The platform for interested people should provide them with very low cost housing near existing temple. Proposed fee breakdown, $3000 as a join-in fee, there after $1 a month as rent, resident will pay their own utilities. As we plan to be near an existing temple, communal building should be minimal.

• General

Private for each group, housing for Monks, Nuns, Yogis at low cost level in an area conducive to meditation.  Continued fundraising in order to create meditation focused only community, without high cost, but with a degree of stability.