An American-born Buddhist monk became famous giving many lectures and leading meditation retreats. He had a big following and, therefore, had a good income. Except for meeting his basic needs, he gave all his money away. Then he became very ill. With no way to support himself, he depended on the generosity of others during his prolonged illness. He felt deep guilt about this. This true story leads us to look at money in a new way. 

This course is not about budgeting. It is about learning to decide what is on the altar of your heart. And, no, you won’t have to reveal what is on your altar. Knowing what is in our heart, we can approach the use of money as a spiritual practice. If we think of spiritual practice as a way of making meaning in the messiness of life, our use of money becomes a way of making meaning. It becomes an expression of what is on your altar. It becomes an expression of our UU value of generosity.

Remember the monk? Whether you are starting your career or retired from the working world, using money as a spiritual practice gives us the balance between caring for ourselves and caring for the needs of the world. 

Rev. Dee Evans will offer this class on Zoom for any UU congregant who wants to join the discernment and discussion. Class will meet Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 7:45 pm, beginning January 16, 2025. Topics for the four sessions include:

Session I: What is spirituality, spiritual practice, and how do they relate to values?

Session II: What develops our attitudes and our actions regarding money?

Session III: How do we develop a spiritual practice and our use of money?

Session IV: What has changed in our thinking about money and course feedback?