dhammadasa

Dana
Teachers listed with the Open Sangha Foundation as individual instruction  do not 
charge students fixed  amounts but rather accept donations from them. This means 
that students can contribute what they are able to based on their circumstances. 

This is dana in action.

Dana, which translates as ‘sharing’ or ‘generosity’ in English, is an important and 
rich concept across the Buddhist traditions, not least in how it relates to the 
teaching and learning of the Dharma.

From the time of the Buddha to the present day, monastic sanghas do not charge for 
access to the teachings. Instead teachings are offered as a gift, as dana, with an 
open and compassionate heart to those that seek them. In response to this priceless 
gift, people in turn have supported their teachers, out of generosity, out of dana, 
and from a place of responsibility and so ensured that their teachers can continue 
to share the practices and teachings. Traditionally, this would take the form of 
offering food, clothing or medicine to the monks and nuns. 

While this traditional paradigm is still the norm in most heritage Buddhist cultures 
and communities, it is an aspect of the teachings that has been  neglected by some as 
Buddhism has spread globally in the 20th and 21st centuries. Instead the Buddhadharma 
is often taught and learnt in something more akin to a capitalistic paradigm. This 
paradigm creates barriers to the Dharma, limiting who can access it, and alters the 
nature of the transmission in a potentially problematic way.

In the Open Sangha Foundation we are encouraging and supporting teachers to teach 
within a traditional dana based context to whatever extent they feel moved and able 
to. For this model to flourish outside of heritage Buddhist cultures though both 
teachers and students of the Buddhadharma need to train in and trust in each others’ 
generosity. This acting from generosity then has the potential to form an integral 
part of our Dharma practice, as teachers and students, and allows us to divest ourselves 
from modern naratives of separation and take on greater responsibility in our 
relationships and in our lives.


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