Description
The Depth Teachings of Meditation
Providence Renewal Centre | Edmonton, Canada
Tuesday-Sunday | October 7-12, 2025 | with Richard Miller
DĀNA: THE PRACTICE OF GIVING
Following in the tradition of Dāna, your registration fees for the retreat do not go to the teacher or the sponsoring organizations, YAA and iRest Institute. Please consider bringing along to the retreat a generous dāna to offer the teacher to support his livelihood and the iRest Institute operations.
The act of freely giving (or generosity) is called dāna in Sanskrit. Dāna is also viewed as part of Sīla (ethical conduct, morality, and virtues). Traditionally, spiritual teachers emphasize generosity as one of the foundational practices of spiritual life. Giving generously is viewed as a pathway to experiencing lovingkindness, compassion, letting go, and the joyful recognition of our non-separate interconnectedness and interdependence. It can also help us recognize the suffering caused by our attachment and difficulties in letting go.
The practice of dāna dates back thousands of years. Following the profound awakening of the Buddha countless others were inspired to join him in order to hear and practice his teachings of the Dharma (Sanskrit: path of right living). One of the key foundational principles that the Buddha chose for this new forming community and teachings, was the practice of generosity, dāna. He put forth rules to make sure that the basic necessities for food, shelter, clothing, medicine, etc. of the early practitioners like himself, had to be freely offered by others who were inspired to respond through acts of giving (dāna) to support the priceless teachings (Dharma) that were being freely offered. In this way, teachers such as Buddha created an endless movement of giving and receiving. Those who offered the teachings of the Dharma as their gifts were supported in material ways by those who valued and honored their profound teachings.
This ongoing cycle of giving and receiving has proved to be a strong foundation for keeping the spiritual teachings available over the millennia. As a result, the Dharma has flourished for centuries and continues to be available to us to this day because of the generous hearts of millions of people, like us, from different countries and cultures.
Dāna for Dharma Teachers
Following this ancient tradition, the teachings for this Edmonton Providence Renewal Retreat are offered freely. Richard and his sponsors, the Yoga Association of Alberta (YAA) and iRest Institute (IRI), receive no part of the retreat registration fees, other than reimbursement to Richard for his travel expenses. Richard makes a leap of faith, offering his wisdom, compassion, time, and life energies with no expectation of receiving anything in return. Dharma teachers live from a place of deep trust that those who hear and practice the teachings will be inspired to help provide for their support.
As a lay person, the teacher has expenses as we do: housing costs, health care, insurance, food, utilities, clothing, etc. And it’s important to understand that there are no “hidden patrons” or benevolent foundations that provide for the support of the teacher. It is solely the responsibility of those of us who value their offerings of the teachings, their embodied presence and experience that they share with us so freely, to provide their support through offering Dāna.
As we practice generosity toward those who offer and preserve the Dharma, as well as towards the Dharma Centers from which they offer their work, we are also awakening compassion, loving kindness and wisdom by supporting our own ability, as well as the ability of other beings, to continue to hear and practice the teachings on into the future.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT DĀNA
Am I required to offer dāna?
No. Offering dāna is entirely optional. There is no requirement to give.
How do I offer dāna?
Dāna is usually offered towards the end of retreat. At that time, teachings about Dāna are given, and there are opportunities to ask questions. The teacher can accept Dāna offered by cash, check, or credit/debit card.
How much should I give?
There is no definitive answer to this question. What feels generous for someone in fortunate financial circumstances is different for someone with financial challenges. For this reason, and also because people’s hearts will be inspired in different ways, there is no set amount recommended. There is, however, a wonderful guideline that may be helpful when reflecting on how much to give.
Give in such a way that you have no regret. You don’t want to give so much that you create hardship for yourself. And you don’t want to give so little that you don’t adequately express the value, gratitude, and any of the positive feelings that are moving you to give. Reflecting and practicing in this way makes the act of giving a very conscious one.
It can be helpful to consider what you’re willing to pay for other experiences: taking a long vacation, attending a workshop, going out for an evening’s entertainment, or your monthly coffee habit—to offer a few examples. You can think about the value you feel from your activities and how much you’re willing to offer financially to experience them. In comparing the benefits you receive from your activities to what you receive from hearing and practicing the Dharma, you may gain new perspectives on what feels truly valuable to you and most worthy of your financial support.
It’s helpful to remember that the teachings are considered priceless. How can we put a value on the opportunity for awakening and liberation? The most beautiful offering is one inspired by that recognition and by the preciousness of the teachings and giving from that inspiration. Your practice of generosity then becomes a blessing to yourself and brings you a pure and profound kind of joy, happiness, and well-being.
How do I find out more about the practice of dāna?
Toward the end of every retreat, teachings and reflections on practicing dāna are offered by the teacher. As part of these talks, opportunities to ask questions are offered.
Additionally, the links below provide further reading about the practice of dāna and other alternative economic models, since both the spirit and practice of dāna are far outside how we’re used to functioning in western society!
An article by Kamala Masters and Steve Armstrong: Dāna is the Cultivation of Generosity
Articles by Gil Fronsdal, Dharma teacher: Dana in the Western Insight Meditation Movement
Generosity; The Practice of Generosity
Selected Essays on Dana, the Practice of Giving
Excellent articles by Charles Eisenstein regarding alternatives to our standard economic models:
A Circle of Gifts; An Experiment in Gift Economics – about his own experiment offering his services on a dāna basis
