Being a Member of the Temple

We’ve put the temple membership renewal/sign-up form in our newsletter for a few months now, as a gentle reminder that’s it’s that time again, people…  Born Buddhists—first-,  second-, and third-generation Japanese Americans who pioneered the establishment of our temple after World War II—don’t usually need the reminder.  Paying dues, like running a food booth at the annual festivals, is part of their temple life and practice.

It is less so with newer members, especially those coming to us from Christian denominations or without experience in other religious traditions that pay dues.  The seekers who may have been coming to our services for months (or years!), enjoying the book club and participating in classes and meditation services, may be shocked to learn that these activities do not make them “members” at all—friends, yes, and welcome; but not members.

“Why are there dues at all?” we have been asked.  “Am I supposed to pay to hear the teachings of the Buddha?”

The answer is:  “of course not”.  Membership dues are not the price you must pay in return for the privilege of hearing the teachings, attending the book club, or any of our other activates that are open to the public.  Member dues are a way of practicing dana, or generosity.

(And yes, our member dues are a significant portion of the temple budget to keep a roof over the head of our teachers and their teachings, and to ensure that our beautiful temple remains open and available to future generations of seekers as it was made open and available to us.  But that’s the result of dana, not its practice.)

In the Lotus Sutra—one of the most important and influential of the early Buddhist texts—there are six paramitas, or values, that are considered most important:

dana, generosity;

sila, morality;

ksanti, patience;

virya, diligent effort;

dhyana, meditation, and

prajna, wisdom.

Generosity is essential in Buddhist history.  Since the Buddha’s time, monks have begged for their food, and it is still the practice among the monastic forms of Buddhism.  In our lay Buddhism, generosity is essential  to keep the temple and its sangha alive and thriving.

It’s obvious what’s in it for the monk with a begging bowl—the entire day’s food ration!  It’s equally obvious what’s in it for the temple that asks for membership dues—that’s where the electric, water, phone bill, and minister’s salary come from.  Maybe it’s less obvious why dana is a spiritual value for the one who gives.  Maybe that’s where the confusion or consternation arises.

We are usually offered rewards for our generosity, whether it’s a tax write off or a thank you gift.  Listen to a public radio broadcast during any pledge drive and you’ll hear the package of “incentives for giving”, such as a special CD or DVD made available just for donors, perhaps.  And we get into that mindset with temple memberships too.  Someone will ask what their membership gets them, and we fall into the pledge drive trap of offering our monthly newsletter, special member rates for temple facilities, special member rates for temple services (weddings, funerals, memorial services), as well as eligibility to serve on the board and eligibility to vote at the temple annual meeting.

Quite honestly, if we’re selling temple membership, wouldn’t you rather have a special issue DVD?

The truth is that we are not selling anything.  We are offering the opportunity to practice dana.  In Buddhism, motivation matters.  The Buddha taught that when we give, we do so without thought of reward.  That’s dana.  We give without attachment to our giving or to what it “gets” us.  We practice dana to release our greed.  Dana helps us dissolve our ego-I and relieves the sufferings of others.  Perhaps most importantly, dana includes our gratitude for what has been given to us, that enables us to give.

There is a lot of teaching embodied in the practice of dana.  We know dana is practicing generosity, and nobody should put a price on another’s generosity.  But for many of us, particularly those newer to Buddhism, the concept of dana, and particularly in America when the best intentions are followed with the anxious question of “how much?” requesting guidance, we assign suggested minimums for membership as well as special services and facility uses. 

And, when we’re done mailing our monthly newsletter to all our members, we leave the extras in the temple foyer for our friends and visitors, because—

—don’t tell anybody—

—the newsletter isn’t a benefit of paying dues.  Dana is.