Hi, I'm Doug and thank you for making it this far! I hope you'll join us as we continue along this path to help foster a wiser, kinder, less stress-filled world. It's easier and so much more rewarding to make progress together.

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So what am I doing on Patreon? It fits really well with our practice! In the early texts the Buddha recommended generosity (dāna) as key to both sustaining the teachings and to personal betterment. I practice dāna with other teachers and worthy organizations, both financially and with my time. Patreon's model is to facilitate just this sort of practice, and it allows us to work together on our common project.

So it turns out that making videos is pretty expensive and time consuming. Who knew? Along with production gear, software, and storage costs, each of these videos takes many hours to research, design, record, edit, and upload. It's becoming a part-time job! I love making them, but hey it's a heavy load to carry all on one's own. So let's work together and make it truly sustainable.

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In case you're curious, here's some additional background info: I have a PhD in philosophy, publications in scholarly journals on Buddhist Studies, many years of Buddhist practice in the Zen and Theravāda (Insight) traditions, and am currently Study Director at the Secular Buddhist Association.

My work with the Secular Buddhist Association is volunteered. That's part of the way I've been "practicing dāna". The SBA does not financially support me or my YouTube channel. Also, any funds received through Patreon go to support my YouTube work and not to the Secular Buddhist Association. The SBA has a separate donation link that can be found on their website, which I also encourage you to check out!