Supporting the Western Chan Fellowship

Dana

(by Chan Master Sheng Yen)

"Buddhists should seek simplicity and plainness in their lives: if you don’t freeze in winter, and are not starving, your material needs have basically been met. When we have good fortune, we should recognize and cherish it; we should nurture it, and put it to good use. But often, people seek petty advantages, enjoying things made by others, and striving for their own convenience. But people with deeper roots will give something in return — this is recognizing and repaying benevolence.

Buddhists should not only give something back; even more, they must practice charity, and make good karmic connections with sentient beings. Wherever you go, whether or not you benefit from being there, let that place benefit from your being there. This is good practice for the mind of enlightenment and the mind of compassion. To give something back in return for a benefit received is good, but strictly speaking, this is not in accord with Buddhadharma. Dana, giving, is one of the Six Paramitas, or Perfections; it means giving without conditions — it is one of the ways of the bodhisattva."

Donations of Time or Money

The Western Chan Fellowship CIO is a registered charity (number 1166162) and we welcome donations to support our activities.

Donations of time and skills are just as welcome as donations of money, and if you are able to offer some time or skills please contact our volunteer coordinator.

Typical uses for donations of money include:

• assisting low or unwaged persons to attend retreats by providing concessions through our bursary fund
• to meet the costs of publication and free distribution of Dharma literature
• to purchase equipment used on retreats such as meditation cushions
• to fund property and land developments.

If you wish then you may specify a particular usage or fund (property, bursary, equipment, or publications) when making your donation, or you may make your donation to the general reserves of the charity and the trustees will then allocate the donation according the needs of projects ongoing at the time.

UK Tax Payer?

If you are a UK taxpayer then please print, complete, and send to our Treasurer a Gift Aid Declaration (also available as pdf) so that we can reclaim tax on your donation.

1. Send a Donation Directly to our Treasurer

Payment in pounds sterling is preferred (though other currencies are also accepted) since if you send other currencies the bank charges for conversion will use up some of the value of your donation. Please contact our Treasurer or make a bank transfer to:

• Account name Western Chan Fellowship CIO 1166162
• Sort code 089299
• Account number 65828612
• Reference: Donation

2. Use CAFonline to make a Credit Card or Charity Card Donation

CAFonline are UK based and can accept donations by credit or debit card, by PayPal, or by CAF Account or charity card.

Follow this link or click the 'Donate' button below:

3. Use Payroll Giving (Give as you Earn)

UK employees whose employers participate in the payroll giving scheme (also known as Give as you Earn) may make use of this to make regular tax-efficient donations.

The Western Chan Fellowship HMRC reference number which your employer will require is EW70895.

• Information for employees/donors
• Information for employers

4. Make an Online Donation using Credit Card or PayPal

Click the button above.

Even if you don't have a Paypal account you can donate via PayPal with no need to create a PayPal account - in this case click the 'Donate with a card' button, instead of clicking 'Donate' - see this screenshot.

You may use a bank account or a credit card in any currency, though your transaction will be processed in Sterling.

PayPal will take a fee of 2.9% + 20p for processing your donation. If you are donating from a country other than UK there will be an additional charge of 0.5%. If you donate in a currency other than Sterling there will be some currency charges taken by the bank when your donation is converted to sterling.

• Your PayPal donation will be sent to the WCF PayPal account and notified to the Treasurer of the the WCF.

5. Make a Legacy

Legacies, Memorials and Western Chan Fellowship

Leaving a legacy in your will to a charity is a way that you can help to ensure that the values and causes you have held dear in your lifetime can continue into the future.

Including the Western Chan Fellowship CIO in your will is a way of helping to ensure that people can continue to benefit from retreat experience and to spread the beneficial effects of retreat practise to others in their life. It is also a way of helping to ensure that others continue to benefit from the wonderful wisdom of the Buddhist teachings.>/p>

Further, leaving a legacy may be a way of expressing gratitude for the profound teachings and the help that you have received through the teachers and members of the Western Chan Fellowship CIO during your lifetime

How do I leave a legacy in my will?

You can include a charity in your will in 3 different ways

1. You can make what is termed a ‘residuary gift’. This is a percentage of the total estate, once any debts and liabilities have been settled. This kind of gift is especially valued by charities as it keeps up with inflation.
2. You can make a ‘pecuniary gift’. This is a sum of money which you decide to give out of your total estate. This sum of money will also be exempt from tax as it is going to a charity.
3. You can make a ‘gift in kind’. This involves giving something that you currently possess to the charity eg a beautiful thanka a Buddha statue, a gift of property etc.

Who will manage the legacy?

Legacies are typically entrusted to the Trustees of the charity to allocate as they see fit. As the WCF develops, one of our hopes is that we may be able to purchase a property of our own to secure for the future. Alternatively, you may have ideas about how your gift would be used. You can request that your gift be used in a certain way, where possible eg the bursary fund.

If you do decide to make a donation to Western Chan Fellowship CIO please include the Charity number and the Charity name: Western Chan Fellowship CIO 1166162.

How much should I leave?

Legacies are not just for the rich but for everyone to be able to make. Whatever you can afford, you can make a difference.

I’ve already left a legacy but to the Western Chan Fellowship, not the Western Chan Fellowship CIO

If you have made a will already and gifted the Western Chan Fellowship a legacy, we have been informed by the Charities Commission that it should find us. However, when you update your will remember to change the name of the charity from Western Chan Fellowship to Western Chan Fellowship CIO (no. 1166162)

Memorial gifts to the Western Chan Fellowship

A Memorial gift is a gift made to honour a loved one who deeply valued the rich teachings and experiences they received through coming on retreat and/or through their local groups.

Who can I talk to about making a legacy?

A solicitor is usually the person who would draft a will. However if you wish to discuss this matter with a trustee, please contact our treasurer at Treasurer@westernchanfellowship.org

Legacy Pledge

If you mention the Western Chan Fellowship as one of the beneficiaries of your Will, it is helpful for our planning if you are willing to advise our Treasurer, in confidence, that you are doing so. Please consider completing a Legacy Pledge From and sending it to our Treasurer.

• Legacy Pledge Form as Word doc suitable for MS Word, OpenOffice, LibreOffice
• Legacy Pledge Form as pdf for printing and filling by hand.