SUPPORT THE ZEN CENTER
Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale offers classes, meditation retreats, workshops, and other programs at no charge as a service to the community. It is supported by generous offerings (“dana”) from individuals. “Dana” is the first of the six perfections a bodhisattva practices; your offering will help sustain the Zen Center and help build future Chung Tai Zen Centers in the U.S.
Chung Tai International Chan Buddhist Association (of which the Zen Center of Sunnyvale is a branch) is a nonprofit religious organization; your donations are fully tax deductible.
Making offering
1. Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale renovation (click here for more information)
We invite all of you to support this effort and make a difference. Contributing to the building or remodeling of a monastery welcomes more people to learn from the Three Jewels; it benefits others and increases our merits at the same time.
2. Lamp offering (2023 Year-Long Lamp offering / Medicine Buddha Lamp offering / Free-will lamp offering) (Click here for form)
Lighting the lamp signifies enlightenment and wisdom. Offering the lamp to the Buddha not only honors the Buddha but also helps us to awaken our luminous Buddha nature. With the Buddha’s wisdom and merits lighting our way on the Path, may we realize the Bodhisattva’s spirit within ourselves and illumine all those around us.
According to the Buddhist scriptures, one can obtain many benefits by making a Buddha lamp offering: good health, clarity of vision, purity of mind, freedom from fear and worries, patience and gentleness, perfection of wisdom, extinction of ignorance, and attainment of Buddhahood. We may also dedicate the merits towards harmony in the home, peace in the world, and enlightenment to all.
You can light a lamp in your name (or a name of your choice) for a period of time (Year-long lamp: from 1/1/2023 to 12/31/2023; Medicine Buddha Lamp offering: 49 days). This is a great opportunity for us to clear away karmic obstacles, support the precious teaching of the Dharma, and honor the Buddha. Let us all participate in this illuminating and worthy endeavor.
For more information, please call 408-733-0750 or email sunnyvale@ctzen.org.
3. Construction of the New Great Dharma Chan Monastery in Boulder, Colorado.
(A Project of Chung Tai Chan Monastery USA) (click here for more information)
Located in Boulder, Colorado, the Great Dharma Chan Monastery is currently being developed on a beautiful 35-acres site with elegant surroundings and stunning views of the Rocky Mountains.
Construction of the monastery began in early 2020, with completion expected in the summer of 2021. Upon completion, the resident monastics will offer a curriculum of Buddhist studies to introduce participants to the precious goals of Buddhist teaching: to know the path to lasting joy within, to realize our intrinsic perfect nature, and to promote a peaceful and compassionate lifestyle. Participants will also learn how meditation can help achieve these goals. Thus, the Monastery will be instrumental in building an effective Buddhist community to propagate the Dharma. The benefits of supporting the construction of a monastery are immeasurable. Please consider making financial contributions and volunteering your efforts. We invite you, your relatives, and your friends to participate in this project, to assist the Boulder-Denver community in achieving this historic mission together.
HOW TO MAKE DONATIONS
There are different ways you can remit your donations to the Zen Center and you will receive a receipt for each donation.
Zelle
Online banking recipient: sunnyvalezen5@gmail.com (Chung Tai International Chan Buddhist Association) No service charge. Please add an email address in Zelle’s memo for receipt emailing.
PayPal Service:
Paypal Account —sunnyvale@ctzen.org (Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale)
You can set up a PayPal account online, or donate without setting up an account (by using your credit card). Either way, press the “Make a Donation” box below to make your donation to the Zen Center via PayPal. Zen Center will pay a service charge.
Credit Card
Please call 408-733-0750
Zen Center will pay a service charge.
Check :
Payable to Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale (mail to the Zen Center at 750 E. Arques Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085)
Shop & Give – Sign-up with “AmazonSmile”
Shop at AmazonSmile and Amazon will make a donation to Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale.
AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. Whenever you shop on AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Chung Tai International Chan Buddhist Association. Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. Please sign up and support the Zen Center! >> Click HERE to get started and to read more. Forward this link to your family members, friends, and colleagues and invite them to support the Zen Center too!
Electronic Payment via Your Bank’s Online Bill Pay System:
A convenient way to make donations is using your bank’s online banking “Bill Pay” service. Add “Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale” as a payee, enter the aforementioned mailing address, and schedule the payment. You can set up an automatic recurring payment plan or one-time only. Include a note/memo where possible that this is a donation.
Online Bill Pay is usually free to the bank’s customers and also free to the recipient of the funds. This means the Zen Center will receive 100% of the amount you donate without handling fees.
Donation of Stocks:
Donations of appreciated securities held longer than one year are exempt from capital gain taxes if the stocks are transferred to the Zen Center directly. The Zen Center then sells the stocks typically within the next few days. Your gift to the Zen Center entitles you to a tax deduction equal to the fair market value of the stocks at the time of transfer. If you sell the stocks first and then donate the funds to the Zen Center, the appreciated value is subject to capital gain tax.
For example: If you donate 10 shares of a stock which was at $100 a share when you purchased over a year ago, and is valued at $150 a share today, you can deduct $1,500 from your income tax, more than what you paid for the stocks. Moreover, the $500 appreciated value is exempt from capital gain tax. If you sell the stocks first and then donate the funds, the $500 is subject to capital gain tax. For more information, please call the Zen Center at 1-408-733-0750.
REMEMBER CHUNG TAI IN YOUR ESTATE PLAN
We invite you to consider leaving a lasting legacy with Chung Tai by adding a charitable provision to your will or trust to designate a certain amount or percentage of funds to “Chung Tai International Chan Buddhist Association.” Let us know if you have already or plan to do this so we can thank you for your generosity and provide you the specific bequest language if necessary. (Please consult your accountant and/or tax attorney on your estate planning.)
SHOP & GIVE – SIGN-UP WITH “eScrip”
The Zen Center offers educational classes on meditation and other Buddhist virtues to children and youth ages 5 and above. We are enrolled with eScrip, which provides a hassle-free way for you to support the Zen Center through your everyday purchase at eScrip merchants, which will contribute a percentage of your purchases to your chosen group. All you need to do is to sign-up online with eScrip. It’s quick and easy.
Please go to www.escrip.com . Click on “sign-up” and follow the instructions.
Our Group Name is “Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale ” and Group ID is 500005757. Register your grocery club card and debit/credit cards. The website provides a list of all participating merchants in your area such as Macy’s, Pak ‘n Save, Office Max, Round Table Pizza, Big 5, Picture Studio, and many others. Please sign up and support the Zen Center. And, tell your relatives and friends to sign-up too to benefit the Zen Center.
For any questions about making offerings and remitting donations to the Zen Center, please do not hesitate to call or email Sunnyvale@ctzen.org