Dana (donations, giving, gifts; pronounced DAH-na)

Many hours of volunteer work make it possible for Ring of Bone Zendo — without staff — to offer its rich program, publish the newsletter, maintain the buildings and grounds, respond to public interest, and so on. Support in this form is always welcome.

We do need financial contributions as well, to cover needs that volunteer labor alone can’t meet: to insure our members against risks of accident and litigation, to purchase supplies and professional services, and to compensate our teacher as we intend.

Because of rising costs and our aspirations, we expect our income to be approximately $5,000 short in this and future years. Instead of raising our exceptionally low dues and sesshin fees, we are asking you to contribute dana on an ongoing basis. Until now, only a small fraction of our members have been making substantial annual donations beyond dues and sesshin fees. We hope that figure will rise to meet our needs.

Dana of any amount is welcome. Are you able to donate $5 to $25 per month? If all current members gave an average of $10 per month, that would boost our income $11,520 per year. Any funds beyond $5000 will enable us to save toward improvements we’re committed to make, like wheelchair access.

To facilitate your dana, we are offering four different ways to donate.

1. To make a donation by credit card or debit card through PayPal online annually or as often as you like, click the "Donate" button below. You don't have to become a PayPal member. (For Mac users, Safari is recommended for a proper display of this and the credit card processing pages.) Enter the amount and click on "Update Totals". At the bottom of the next screen, look for the phrase "Don't have a PayPal account? Use your credit card or bank account..." Click on "Continue," and follow the instructions. You'll be able to print a receipt from the PayPal screen for your tax records.
2. The "Subscribe" button below enables you to donate $52 quarterly through PayPal with either a credit card or a debit card. At the bottom of the following page, look for the phrase "Don't have a Paypal account? Use your credit card or bank account..." Click on that to continue.
3. If you'd like to donate monthly, we recommend you set up an electronic fund transfer through your personal bank account. It’s very easy to do. To get Ring of Bone Zendo bank account information, please contact Greg Leeson at gleeson@gv.net or 530-346-7782.
4. Or simply send a check.
   The address is ROBZ, P.O. Box 510, North San Juan, CA 95960.

Please give what you can. Your dana will help the Ring of Bone Zendo community continue as a vital focus of practice, of rigorous inquiry into life and death, and of close friendship and support for generations to come. Your dana to Ring of Bone Zendo is fully tax deductible.

If you need a receipt or if you have any general questions about contributions, please contact Kate Duroux at kduroux@theunion.net or (530) 477-8021.

I saw myself
a ring of bone
in the clear stream
of all of it

and vowed,
always to be open to it
that all of it
might flow through

and then heard
“ring of bone” where
ring is what a

bell does.

Our zendo takes its name
from this poem by Lew
Welch, who disappeared in
the forest nearby in 1971.