It was recommended that Maggasekha start an account on Benevity, which is a website that allows for easier corporate matching of donation and similar services. You can now find Maggasekhe Exploratory Foundation (full and complete registered name of the org) on benevity.
main website – https://benevity.com/
Maggasekha – https://causes.benevity.org/causesapp/causes/840-394966133
as of now, all possible ways to donate are setup and connected with the 501c3 account. If you donated via paypal, you will need to switch donations to the new link in the dana page.
If you were using Venmo or Cashapp, there is no need to change anything.
Within the next week or two Maggasekha will put out a video with it’s Board Treasurer, Anthony Tucker-Valdes, going over all things Dana and donation wise. As we are now in full gear in terms of looking for an apartment/rental to create the first Maggasekha Vihara in Denver, it was time to post another update to where we are at in terms of dana SPECIFICALLY given for monthly rental.
Now that Maggasekha is an official 501c3, we can offer receipts for tax purposes with all donations.
We are conservatively (with more offered but not clarified) at around $1000 in monthly donations specifically and only earmarked for rent. The original goal was set around $1500 to give some leeway in terms of rental price but also to cover basic bills.
We are doing pretty good for a small organization, however the goal is eventually as Maggasekha grows, to be able to support a larger apartment or smaller house so that others can come and ordain and the Maggasekha monastic sangha can grow.
As the nomad life starts to come to a close, and moving to Colorado becomes more imminent, I’m going to try and start being consistent with activities moving forward. Once I’m settled down I plan to offer an online zoom retreat at least once a month, or every other.
Metta Retreat upcoming in April , the weekend of 10-12.
https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/maggasekha/maggasekha-retreat-metta
501c3 is created, the next step is to find a suitable rental for the creation of the first “Maggasekha Vihara” in Colorado. A call to action for anyone wanting to help bring the vision to life.
We are in process of updating all Dana links so that future donations go through to the 501c3 bank account. Those donating via donorbox/stripe for the rental support of the upcoming Maggasekha Vihara in Colorado need not change anything, as that is all done on the back end.
The new paypal link is on the website under the dana page. Those who have been supporting Bhante J directly for years through paypal are encouraged to switch your donations to the new link as Bhante wants all future donations to go to the 501c3 from here on in.
New paypal is –https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/PJ54VFMBTJ5WL
We are in process of changing up the Venmo and Cashapp accounts as well, although we have been hitting a few snags in the process to work through.
If anyone knows any lawyers focused on 501c3/non-profits that are willing to do a consult at reduced price or pro bono, please pass them along to me.
as a reminder, every Friday until July 2026 I have these old Q&A excerpts coming out
Ive been contemplating a variety of things related to Maggasekha and one thing ive thought of for a while is robe color. Ive chosen Burgundy and maroon as the main monastic robe colors for Maggasekha.
There is a reason for these colors. they symbolizing what Maggasekha is, a fusion of old and new. Brown for the original color of monks robes, symbolizing early Buddhism, and red, symbolizing the Americas, as you find red in the flags of many nations here.
Burgundy adds a little blue, which makes two colors in the American flag ( and if the cloth starts white like the Thais do it…).
Maggasekha respects the traditions from the Theravada countries, and also recognizes that in a new country, things change and therefore Buddhism must change.
its important to find a fusion of that. Ive seen westerners who want to throw the baby out with the bath water, and born buddhist people who dont want anything to change in a new country. I get both perspectives, but I also feel both are wrong.
Maggasekha, and the chosen robe colors, is an attempt to meld the old and the new together, so Buddhism can flourish in a new place and set roots for centuries to come.
Tomorrow morning I’ll be flying out to Colorado for a few weeks. 501c3 Approval from the IRS has not come yet ( I’ve been told it stopped completely during the recent shutdown) but the plan for this trip is to setup a few things, like a bank account for the organization etc.
If you’d like to meet while I’m there, send me an email or a contact through the website and we’ll connect.
