Contribute
The Secular Buddhist Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and your contributions are tax-deductible in the US. Just one dollar for each podcast episode you’ve found of value, article that’s provoked some thought or new ways of approaching a topic, or lively discussion you’ve either participated in or simply viewed, would help sustain the SBA.
In addition, as a charitable organization the Secular Buddhist Association can be supported by doing your Amazon shopping through their Smile program, which donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the SBA. It doesn’t cost you any more, and helps sustain this work.
In the Pali texts, Gotama teaches that Dana, the practice of giving, is a foundation of our path to awakening. He taught that we should give to support the sharing of the Dhamma, not because of what we’ll get for it or because we think we should, but to cultivate generosity and non-attachment. Therefore, Dana has been a practice of every Buddhist lineage, and we hope to continue that tradition with Secular Buddhism.
The Dhamma, or teaching of Buddhism, is freely given. With that same intention, this website and the resources we offer here, like The Secular Buddhist podcast, our Practice Circle, the eSangha eSpañol space, the articles by our organization and guest bloggers, and our Discussion forums are freely available to everyone. There are no commercials during any podcast episode and no advertising on this site, to ensure you have the best possible experience, free of distraction.
There are still costs involved, however, including:
- Website hosting
- Audio file hosting
- Accounts for video conferencing software for Practice Circle
- The cost of technology required to produce our programming
- Administration costs
(For more information, anyone can write to the US Internal Revenue Service for details)
All of this does not include the time and considerable efforts of the handful of volunteers working behind the scenes to provide this platform for the growing of a secular approach to the teaching and practice. There are no paid staff members for the SBA, just dedicated people doing their best to make a difference.
If you have the capacity and believe in this work and want to share in it, we welcome your help in these endeavors. If you’ve found this site and the resources here to be of value, we ask that you consider contributing to the continued health of the organization and availability of this body of work. There are a number of ways in which you might contribute, both financially and through grass roots efforts:
- Be an active participant in Practice Circle y en eSangha eSpañol.
- Attend and share offerings by Sangha members – such as Amy Balentine’s monthly book club, Douglass Smith’s and Jennifer Hawkins’ Youtube videos, and more…
- Follow and post on our various social media (Facebook, Instagram, Reddit – r/SecularBuddhism)
- If there are others who might be interested in any of our offerings, please let them know about it; new voices enrich the experience.
- In fact, if you’d like to contribute an article or similar content to our website or to facilitate an offering (such as a meditation or Dhamma talk in English, Español, or perhaps another language), please contact us through our Contact page, Facebook, or Instagram. We always need and encourage new leaders!
- Constructive criticism is also welcome. Again, we would like to hear from you, even when we may agree to disagree. (However, know that we do not tolerate any form of bigotry – even in the guise of “criticism.”)
- Practice Dana by making a donation to the SBA.
- If you see a book that interests you, consider clicking on the Amazon link to buy it. Though it does not cost you any more than finding the book on your own through Amazon, when you use the links from this site the SBA receives a small portion of that purchase.
Thank you to all who have and who will contribute in all the myriad ways that they are able. Thank you for being with us. We love you!