In the Theravāda Buddhist tradition there exists a lovely, deeply rooted interdependence—built on respect for practice and generosity—between the monastics and the lay community.  Your open-hearted support allows monks the opportunity to devote their lives to meditation and right practice (sammā-paṭipadā) in a forest refuge while we in the lay community benefit from their teachings. Clear Mountain also aspires to provide a center of practice for the wider Buddhist community. Listed below are the various ways to give, or dāna as it is called in the Pali language, to support the monastics’ noble efforts.

Any and all support offered—whether time, work, materials, or practice—is deeply appreciated and kammically wholesome. Sadhu!

For those inclined and able, please consider a monthly donation, as such giving allows the monastery to plan for upcoming needs and provides a welcome level of continuity as the monastics continue their work in the world.

During the past 2,500 years, support for the Sangha has been entirely provided from lay supporters through daily acts of generosity. In this spirit, support in the form of food, medicine, building materials, labor, capital, or other assistance is both appreciated and essential. Your generosity allows the Sangha to survive and to flourish.

Over the centuries, Buddhism has managed to keep the rich and vital interrelationship between lay and monastic communities set forth by the Buddha intact. Theravāda monastics, although renunciants, are not permitted to be recluses. To ensure this, the Buddha required that they be totally dependent upon the lay community for their physical support. Monks and nuns cannot handle money and they can only eat or drink what  is offered to them. At the same time, the monastic community plays an important role for the lay community by helping care for their spiritual needs, and by providing moral and spiritual teachings and examples. The two communities, each essential to a balanced society, support and enrich one another.

For the lay community in the West, it is important to understand how the monks and nuns of the Theravāda Buddhist Sangha live from day-to-day. In Southeast Asia—Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, and in pockets elsewhere—the monastics are visible each morning, walking through the nearby villages with their alms bowls, receiving offerings of food for their daily meal. The cultures of these countries are ones where the lay community fully acknowledges the dependence of the monastic community upon the laity for their physical needs such as food, clothing, and other requisites of life. The monastics, because of their vows of renunciation, cannot buy these basic items for themselves. If the laypeople do not provide for them, they will go without. If we do not feed them, they will not eat. If we do not provide for their electricity bill, they will have no heat. If we value the presence of the monastic community, it is important that we remember they need our support. The relationship that develops through this commitment to mutual support is a rewarding one, and the spiritual friendship between lay and monastic communities is a precious gift.

To read about how this relationship has developed in Seattle, see Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho‘s essays on the subject.