Money?

So I love in a bigger city and we have plenty of things but one thing we are lacking is Buddhist centers. There are 4 that I know of and one which is mostly meditation. I want to learn abut the Buddhist teachings but all the centers that are focused on teaching are charging people $35 a month. Now my thought was Buddhist centers were suppose to be free to the public. Is this one I should avoid or is it worth the money

Is it just one center that is charging the money? Either way, I would avoid it. I've never known a Buddhist center to charge money. Nor should they.

Amandameko said:

So I love in a bigger city and we have plenty of things but one thing we are lacking is Buddhist centers. There are 4 that I know of and one which is mostly meditation. I want to learn abut the Buddhist teachings but all the centers that are focused on teaching are charging people $35 a month. Now my thought was Buddhist centers were suppose to be free to the public. Is this one I should avoid or is it worth the money

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not in America things cost money in America, though if they have no free classes. the one by me has some free classes and lectures but the more advanced ones cost money...by advanced i mean the classes where you sleep their eat their food for a few weeks...

In general a Buddhist center should operate as most non-profit religious institutions by establishing a venue for voluntary donations. If this is a good center, most folks I'm sure would be happy to donate within their means to support it. In cases if this is something requiring housing and board, such as that during Sesshin or special workshops/events, I see no issue with requiring a certain amount of money by way of a fee as this is something requiring a degree of planning and expense. Sometimes such fees may be waived dependent on how well the center can afford it.

A mandatory charge by a center tells me two things personally. Either this is a nontraditional center with limited funding currently available, or there is possible unscrupulous motivations by it's leadership. Either way such mandatory financial "pay to play" requirements IMO don't bode well in light of the Dharma. I would probably brush those centers off.

Honestly, I've been seeking a Sangha for a while, but I still haven't found anything that seems to quite suit my tastes. It's perfectly fine to begin to study and practice on your own. The only danger there is that it is quite easy to get wrapped up in thinking one knows what's up before one really does--a mistake I have made (and continue to make). Honestly, though, as important as a good teacher and a good Sangha (probably) is, it is oftentimes hard to make a fair judgment on "good Sangha" and "good teacher" without knowing a thing or two first, y'know?

I cant imagine that a center should charge a monthly fee. Around here, the only one that charges for classes and such is a New Kadampa Tradition center, and that tradition has signs of being iffy (there's a whole controversy surrounding it).

Just like Nowhere Man said, if it is a retreat type thing like a sesshin, then of course, it's natural to have a fee as this helps to pay for the facilities, the food, the water and electricity, etc. that is used during the event.

So I would suggest you be wary of those with monthly fees. If you would like, this website has a whole study section and even an online "course" of sorts that is self-paced: BuddhaNet's Buddhist Studies: E-Learning Buddhism

Friend Amandameko,

If the money is something you cannot afford then suggesst kindly speak to the Head of the centre and explain your intesrests in buddhisma nd inabilty to pay; only then you decide if they charge money and if so why??
A centre needs money for expenses for the maintenance of the place and people involved in running it. None could be teaching without food and that is from where Gautama himself became enlightened.

Love & rgds