Dear Sangha:
Summer has arrived for most of us in the U.S., and it’s pretty glorious. The energy of the season is in full swing and we are preparing to celebrate it later this month at our root monastery, Dai Bosatsu. It’s an exceptional experience to gather with so many to practice.
One thing that is a priority for us is to make these events as accessible as possible. We understand that the time away and the expense can be a challenging thing to navigate. We are developing strategies to accept payment plans and other means of making it all a bit easier while still covering our event and operating costs..
We have heard so many of you express the desire for us to have scholarships available for these retreats. So, starting with this email, we have officially opened the Hollow Bones Retreat Scholarship Fund! As a benchmark, it costs us an average of $140 a day, per person, to be on retreat– or approximately $1,000 per person for a sesshin.
We would LOVE to be able to offer a couple full scholarships and a few partial scholarships for every event. Future scholarship recipients will go through an application process and agree to share a reflection on their experience with the sangha. Sangha members have shared that having funds available to help people access trainings and retreats can be truly transformative. Our sangha member Liv Madsen from Green Bay, WI recently attended an online training using our current sliding scale method and had this to share:
The Green Bay Zen Center has helped me cultivate a life-changing practice as it introduced me to mentors, friends, and a deeper sense of (no) self. I’ve done everything I can to support the Sangha with my time and talent, but as a young professional, I could use some help in the “treasure” department myself. This scholarship has not only helped to ease the financial burden of taking jukai, it has also affirmed for me that Hollow Bones values me as much as I value it.
To be connected with all of the beautiful people in this sangha is one of the great joys of my life. Being able to meet with you in-person on retreat is such a delight– something we hope to share with more and more of you as time goes on!
Blessings,
Umi
