Did you know that 93% of
U.S. church income is from individual offerings? These
gifts are given to houses of worship to pay for the
establishment and upkeep of worship facilities and for the
ongoing operations of churches, mosques, and temples.
In practical terms here at New
Goloka Dhama, there are maintenance projects both minor and
major that need to be completed in the near future. The
fence around the perimeter of the temple grounds must be
replaced soon. In fact, a bad storm could blow over
portions of the fence. New roofs must be placed on the
pavilion and on the guesthouse. These three projects will
cost close to $20,000 to complete.
And that’s where we all come in.
We, the congregation of Sri-Sri Radha-Golokananda Dhama
benefit from the wonderful Krsna conscious atmosphere that
the temple provides. So it is up to us to offer what we can
to help.
Tithing is a religious practice
that is practiced by Christian congregations throughout the
U.S. It is the voluntary offering of one tenth of a
family’s income to the church. Often Christians
automatically deduct the tithe out of their paychecks so
they never miss the money. The first ten percent is for the
Lord. When we get in the habit of giving in the spirit of
tithing we don’t see the donation as a financial burden or
even a duty. Rather we see it as a spiritual principle
every bit as important as our sadhana.
In fact, Srila Prabhupada
emphasized the “Dadati Prinicple.” He said, “According to
the dadati principle, an advanced devotee is supposed to
spend at least fifty percent of his income in the service of
the Lord and his devotees.” Now before we get discouraged
by a percentage figure which seems impossible for us to
give, we need to see the how the Vedic dadati priniciple,
like tithing, is something we should commit to doing out of
our gratitude to Krsna for being so merciful to us in so
many ways. In fact, seeing voluntary giving to the temple
as an act of gratitude for all that Krsna and his devotees
have done for us will make the donation process (like Krsna
consciousness itself) “joyful to perform.”
So how much should we pledge on a
regular basis each month? That depends on who you are and
what your financial obligations will allow you to give.
Certainly, however, it is possible to find an amount that we
can give each and every month. Maybe it’s $50 or $100 or
perhaps 5% of our paycheck or even 15%. What each and every
one of us needs to do is find out the amount that’s right
for us and offer that on a regular basis as part of our
Krsna conscious sadhana.
The dadati principle like tithing
is a spiritual practice that cuts across all religious and
spiritual communities. It is a principle that will
strengthen our Krsna conscious community here in NC.
