--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Sep 13, 2008, at 8:45 AM, Patrick Gillam wrote: > >> The problem with this teaching-as-a-gift >> model is that it's not sustainable. >> > > Well it has been, at least for a couple of millenia. > > One of the shining examples of such an approach, > is the Vipassana awakening schools of Goenka. > > Wanna awaken? Go to a free 10 DAY meditation > retreat, lodging and food included. > > After ten days, if you liked it or got > something out of it, you donate some > money; what's comfortable for you. Total > sliding scale. > > Not only has this model been sustainable, > it's been extremely successful with > courses selling out faster than new courses > can be scheduled. Thousands have > begun to awake because of it, so that makes > it naturally self-sustaining. > > It also has been applied and worked in some > of the most deplorable conditions > imaginable, like the most notorious prisons > in India (as detailed in the > documentary Doing Time, Doing Vipassana). > It also proved that the most > imprisoned souls can be begin to awake, > even if society sees it fit to > separate them from that society. > Compassion in action, not just a way to tap > into federal or state dollars (that would be applied greed). > > And this is just one example. The Shambhala > tradition is another that teaches > nondual meditation for free, in a number of > different approaches, as the > student integrates more and more. And > they have an incredible infrastructure > globally despite the fact their meditation > is taught for free.
Is there analogy to be drawn with either or both of these schools and the open source software community? I think of open source when you say there's a large community of people doing something gratis.
