Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Namaskar all,

Greetings Deb.

As Yogananda has mentioned: "Is money pure evil or is it the wealthy who are? 80% of charitable contributions are from the wealthy. Money can help the starving to be fed and it can put a roof over your head."

All charities, trusts and religious centers run because of money. Sometimes there is confusion about what good money can do. All ashrams are able to operate because of donations. There is no such thing as an ashram that runs without donations and charitable contributions. If anyone is convinced that everything should be free, they are sadly misguided.

It would be a wonderful world if we could have anything we want free but life dsn't work that way. If you want something you have to hope for a donation or work for it. Yogis who believe that yoga could run without money need to face the truth. If yoga was free there would be no classes.

Some yogis are fooled into believing that money is evil. The bed rock of this thinking is: Yoga is too valuable to charge a fee for. Yoga has spiritual benefits for everyone so it should be completely free.

If any religion was free who would speak of it? A swami or priest teaches because contributions keep him going. An ashram or a yoga center keeps the lights on because of MONEY. The electric company dsn't care if you are a charity or a fortune 500 company. When you stop paying you will practice yoga in the the dark.

Now I return to Yogananda's statement.

1. Is money pure evil or is it the wealthy who are?

Neither - money is only energy. Electricity is neither good nor bad. But it can kill you or keep you alive. Some wealthy people are evil and so are some poor people. The problem is as Tomako mentioned: GREED.

2. 80% of charitable contributions are from the wealthy.

Most people aren't aware of this, but it is very true. To give service in the form of seva is a beautiful experience. It is rewarding to teach yoga for people who can't pay because they have no mony. But donations in the form of money are still needed, unless you are operating a stone age shrine. Even then there would be taxes, payments for shrine property, and insurances to consider.

Om