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The retreat will be offered on a dana basis. The word dana comes from the ancient Pali language and means "generosity of heart." It is said that when the Buddha met someone who had never been exposed to his teachings, he began by teaching the blessings of generosity. The Buddha said, " If you knew what I know about the blessings of generosity, you would never sit down to a meal without sharing it with another."
Generosity is the natural expression of an open heart, a heart that is free from the need to protect. The highest form of generosity is the act of giving that is free of obligation and expectation. It is a spontaneous impulse of the heart, motivated by a wise understanding of where freedom lies.
In traditional Buddhist countries, monks and nuns have all of their needs met by the generosity of lay people. Monastics go on alms round daily to collect their food. Along with the feeding of the monastic community, another purpose of alms round is to give lay people an opportunity to practice generosity. Even in the poorest villages the people joyfully share what little they have because they so value the presence of the monks and understand the blessings of dana practice. In this country, we have tens of thousands of churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. All of them are built and maintained with donated money, the same dana principle. When the first group of westerners who had studied and practiced in the east returned to the west (some three decades ago), they chose to preserve the teaching of dana as a practice Annie., and the Philadelphia Meditation Center follow this tradition. The teachers and the founders of PMC have faith that their needs will be met by the generosity of grateful students and retreatants who come to the center.
The registration fee that you paid for this retreat covers the cost of putting on the retreat which includes teacher transportation, room and board, and advertising. No portion of this goes to the teacher.
Participants will have the opportunity to give a donation to Annie at the end of the retreat .Your donations are an essential part of what allows the teachers to continue to teach, retreat centers such as PMC to operate, and the dharma to flourish. We invite you to consider the importance of these teachings in your life and to make the support of our teachers and retreat centers a priority in your yearly tithing allotment. Thank you for your generosity and may your life be filled with many blessings
Directions to St. Raphaela Center
Train: Penn Center Station: Take Paoli local to Bryn Mawr Station. 5 minutes by taxi
From Philadelphia: City Line Ave. (South). Turn right on Haverford Rd.. Go about 3 miles to College Ave. Go less than 1 mile. Turn right on Coopertown Rd. to entrance on left.
In Delaware County: Darby Rd. (heading West) to Coopertown Rd. (one block after Ardmore Ave.) to dead end. Turn right on College Ave. You will pass our EXIT sign. Continue to next street (Coopertown Rd. again), Turn left and then left to entrance on left.
From I-95 (North or South) to I-476 North to exit 13: St. Davids-Villanova. Follow signs for Villanova. Follow Lancaster Ave. (Route 30 East). You will pass Villanova University on the left. Turn right at County Line Rd. (McDonalds on left). Pass the Bryn Mawr Hospital. One light after Bryn Mawr Ave., turn right on Landover Rd. which eventually becomes Coopertown Rd. Pass Coopertown School on right and look for St. Rafaela entrance sign on right.
From PA Turnpike: (Going West) Get off at exit 25A (476 South). Follow 476 South t0 Exit 13: St Davids-Villanova. Follow directions above from Villanova exit. (Going East) Get off at Valley Forge. Follow 76 East to 476 South. See directions above for 476 South.
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