the no big deal SIT is, for me, a heart offering. incessant donation requests have mired sharing of teachings. i left “running a center” because the begging bowl became too heavy in a society driven more by money than by generosity. i don’t have a center, and like many, the lion’s share of my income has evaporated in the economic reality of the pandemic. temperature: slow. mushroom cloud-like.{{{{{poooooooff}}}}
generosity (dana) of any amount is welcome, NOT expected. some can give $1, some $10, some $1000. what you give is about quenching your own energetic thirst for expressing generosity. not quenching mine.
POINT: moving full heart energy through the flow of generosity
OTHER THAN POINT: be noticed. guilt. feeling like you ought to. thinking i might think less of you or that i even look at who gives how much.
(a donation to this Paypal is personal to me. it is not at all related to any program or institutional giving. i don’t take a salary from Radical Dharma or Transformative Change. actually i don’t have a salary from anywhere.
for the record, i don’t look at personal donations. my cousin receives and sorts Paypal donations. Svani receives donations to me “memo: dana for Rev. angel” via Transformative Change. both are deposited in my account. thus you won’t get personal thank yous.)
LOVE NOTES & CARDS
self-explanatory. i read every single one and i keep them whether hard copy or digital. digital best here: https://chan.gl/media-upload
(NOTE: Rev. angel is at high-risk healthwise in these coronavirus times. She is currently not receiving mailed items from people she is not already connected to so please be mindful. Digital love notes, cards, a poem, incantation, or song recommendation are always welcome.)
SNACKS
If food is close to your heart, turns out Rev.’s favorite snacks can be ordered online from Urban Remedy https://urbanremedy.com/food/snacks/
Superfood Chocolate Chip (#1), Sour Cream & Chive Kale Chips, or even the Banana Brittle are tasty treats to keep energy high, bad stuff low.
Email: [email protected] for shipping details. Get a gift card or even arrange for local (Oakland Bay Street store) pickup now that that’s a thing.
CUSTOMARY
tea is a customary gift for teachers. it has a long life and can be consumed so as not to create more waste.
Rev. angel very much loves sharing the things that she loves and while her tastes are very specific (i.e. this tea. from these people), you may decide to also get some for yourself & discover something new. IF you do, please share your tea notes in the network!
Red Blossom Tea
Green Tea
- Clouds & Mist – Rev, angel said that this tea “transports me to an imagination that I am an ancient tea master. This is one of my first real favorites.”
White Tea
- Bai Mu Dan – this is about as close as you’ll get to picking a handful of tea leaves, sticking them in your pocket to dry for a cup of tea. Flavor of dried apricot & almonds.
Puehr
- Wild Leaf Menghai Sheng Pu-Erh – it has been said that if you find a Pu-Erh that you love, buy as much of it as you can afford as it will only get better with age. Rev. angel loves this one.
Oolong
- Da Yu Lin – This Formosa Oolong has a reputation as Taiwan’s most coveted tea. At 2500 meters, the combination of lower average temperature, short sun exposure in the morning and cooler mist-enshrouded afternoons creates an environment that slows plant metabolism. (think tangerine, sugarcane & cream)
- Persimmon Blossom (Ya Sai) – delicious, floral and fruity, this tea was so rare and so desirable that farmers took to calling it ya sai, meaning “duck poop” to disguise the teas’ quality and hoard it for themselves.
Mi Xiang (Bug bitten) This class of teas – after bugs bite the leaves, the plant defends itself with a compound that chases away the bugs, but makes a tasty sweet flavor to humans.
- Eastern Beauty – Most eastern beauty teas are crafted as oolongs (partially oxidized) and revered for their intensely floral and honey-like aromas, which they obtain from being attacked by leafhoppers. This crop has been allowed to fully oxidize so is considered a black tea
- Formosa Red Assam – Rev. angel is curious & interested to try this one. Red Blossom says, “the crop has the sweetest honey aroma we’ve ever tasted”.
Black
- Lapsang Souchong – This is Rev. angel’s favorite black tea. It’s smoky (roasted over burning pine needles) It’s her version of ‘mezcal’ but in tea.
- Gold Thread Reserve – This surprisingly sweet tea is nothing but buds and yellow. malty, maple, brown sugar
Gift Card
Rev. angel knows tea is pricey, and her hankerings change with time (though everything from Red Blossom is fabulous) . If your budget doesn’t support a whole bag of tea (or you want to gift part of an expensive indulgence), offer a gift card. We can pool funds to get exactly what she’s craving. (send digital giftcards to [email protected] with a note that it’s for her)
MONETARY
Paypal: http://paypal.me/angelkyodowilliams
Venmo: @revangel
THE BIG POOL
a Paypal Pool would contribute to the BIG STUFF in collective. if there’s juice, i may post an item. one is totally unnecessary other than love. one is rather expensive but will be a great help as everything shifts post stay-at-home. i’m thinking about doing a REALLY BIG SIT to cover it. what do you think? say in the comments.
HOW I USE DANA/DONATIONS
there’s this Instagram post about random people i have no relationship with asking me what i “do with donations.” [dragon fire warning] it’s worth a read for the general sense of respect. https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7REHRATPK/
that said, for those that freely offer and are in relationship it might be a curiosity for some or at least a window into my peculiarity.
I religiously use dharma dana for dharma stuff: tea, teaware, incense, books, calligraphy supplies, gear, repair of my existing things like robes & wear. also favorite snacks. it’s an old “being a Zen teacher” habit that I like maintaining even though i don’t run about being a Zen teacher.
I use public event and occasion dana (e.g., birthdays, milestones) mostly for improving my work, gear, and of course, tequila collection. for the curious and/or judgemental, I drink no more than 2 shots of fine tequila or mezcal mostly not more than twice per week and not most weeks. this is when I am not in Hawaii or on vacay. then all bets are off. (or on.)
BIG STUFF will be a pool towards a big-ticket item I’m working towards over time. when that happens, if you’re in the no big deal squad, (ooh, what’s that? — ask in Liberated Life Network) i’ll share.
I generally consider dana money from the goddesses and don’t use it for basic living expenses unless I specifically say that.
in short, one could say I use it for generosity with myself. you should try it sometime!
