The Buddhist Recovery Summit, which brought together leaders in dharma-based recovery addiction from around the world, was co-sponsored by Northwest Dharma Association.
Photo by: ahValo photography

We need your help. Like many small non-profits, we rely on donations. Unlike many others, however, that’s all we have to depend on. We have no other source of revenue, such as advertising, product sales, grants, etc.

So, please give. It’s easy. Just go here. We especially appreciate recurring monthly gifts, because they help us predict our revenue. Any gift in any amount helps, because we operate on such a small budget. Most of what we do is through volunteers.

Without your financial support we cannot continue to fulfill our mission of supporting the Budhist community throughout the region – Washington, Oregon, Western Canada, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.

• We would not be able to publish this online newsmagazine, the Northwest Dharma News.
• We would not be able to maintain the Directory of Group Members, which provides access to the more than 150 temples, sanghas, sitting groups, and other Buddhist organizations in the region.
• We would not be able to publish the Calendar of Events that advertises the activities of group members. These include teachings, ceremonies, retreats, and other special events.
• And perhaps most importantly, we would not be able to provide the resources for sponsoring inter-sangha activities such as the annual Teachers Meeting, the Buddhist Recovery Summit, the Contemplative Care workshops, or the upcoming Celebrate the Dharma event.

We need to raise $9,000 during this drive. Last year, we received donations from:

• 57 group members
• 55 individual donors
• 39 monthly sponsors

If you are one of these donors, we are immensely grateful. You have helped sustain all of our activities mentioned above.

More than 2,000 of you subscribe to Northwest Dharma News, which we offer at no charge. About 150 of you are group members. This means we received gifts from little more than a third of our group members. Of our subscribers, fewer than 1 percent contributed.

There is sometimes a perception that in Buddhism, unlike other religions, everything is free. This is not accurate. The Buddha taught that the dharma depends on dana, the Pali word for gift. It derives from the same root as the word donation.

Generosity is a key practice in Buddhism. There is tremendous merit in giving.

So, please help by giving. Here is where you can do that.

There are many ways of giving, which you can explore here.

The mission of NWDA has become more vital than ever as more people are involved with the mindfulness movement. This means people in schools, hospitals, prisons and elsewhere practicing the secular form of the Buddha’s teaching, which often leads to a search for a sangha.

 More people than ever are practicing as independent Buddhists. You may be one. NWDA is a resource for events where you can connect with other dharma practitioners. The survival of Buddhism in the West depends on sanghas working together across sectarian lines.

The Buddha’s teachings of wisdom and compassion are great medicine for the ills of our time. We hope that our work supports your practice.

Please give to our Summer Drive, so we can continue providing these benefits to our community.

With gratitude,

Tim Tapping, president of the board.