DESCRIPTION
There is no country where Buddhism has established itself stably without the monastic community, and support of monastics was always considered to be the responsibility of the lay community and a way to accrue merit. Generally, there has been little or no support of Buddhist monastics in the West. In the West, the Sangha is predominantly lay yoginis and yogis, serious practitioners who also work in the world and have families, but it is important we also support the traditional monastic community. In the West there is no precedence for this and thus most western monastics have a hard time keeping their vows and dedicating themselves full-time to practice for the benefit of all beings. They have ended up enduring hardships like sleeping in tents all winter in below zero temperatures or not having enough food or medical treatment.
Thus, Tara Mandala has created a system of support for this important part of our Sangha, to help relieve their hardships and support them in full-time practice. As a former western monastic who eventually disrobed, Lama Tsultrim Allione understands these difficulties. Tara Mandala will offer support in the form of grants to monastics who are engaged in pursuing the Nyingma and Machig Labdrön lineages. This fund supports monastics with their monthly recurring costs of living and other one-time purchases required for living with either one-time or recurring gifts. No part of your donation to this fund will be used to support Tara Mandala’s administrative costs. Monastics will apply for the grants and regular support.
