Equitable Pricing at BZC

Brooklyn Zen Center (BZC) is committed to offering classes, workshops, and retreats on a sliding scale in an aspiration to move towards equity within our sangha (community).

BZC is a Soto Zen temple, and like all faith traditions, we are built upon a community. “Dana” means generosity in Pali, and is one of our first practices. For some, it is an act of dana to support other community members; for some, it is an act of dana to receive support.

The Buddha insisted that once monks entered the sangha, their former caste became irrelevant—a radical act in a society defined by those social stratifications. As a socially engaged sangha in the American context, BZC asks all of its participants to care for and acknowledge recent histories of caste and class based on racial segregation, patriarchy, and colonial expansion, and to care for those histories as they affect our community. Dana is a profound practice in a culture that tells all of us, regardless of our wealth, that we don’t have enough.

To that end, we offer this pricing model as a mindfulness practice, a mirror to show us how we relate to those American histories, and how we might best care for our communal vow of working towards the liberation of all.

Please answer the following questions for yourself to determine your appropriate registration rate. You don’t need to share the answers with BZC. Anything given beyond the “Sustaining Rate” will go into a fund to make our offerings accessible to others.

  1. Are you or your immediate family homeowners or landowners?
  2. Do you hold a college or advanced degree?
  3. Are you able to make minimum payments on bills or credit cards?
  4. Do you have zero debt and/or do you have disposable income?
  5. Do you have a safety net composed of financially stable family and friends?
  6. Do you have U.S. Citizenship?
  7. Has your family been free from discrimination in housing and financial institutions?
  8. Does your income only support you, and not other loved ones?
  9. Have you or do you expect to inherit money or property?
“Yes” Answers Non-Member Member of 3+ Months
7-9 Flourishing Rate Sustaining or Flourishing Rate
4-6 Sustaining Rate Base or Sustaining Rate
0-3 Base Rate Supported Rate

If you’re unable to pay at the lowest rate, please use this form to apply for an exemption at least a week before the registration deadline.