Practice Benches: A Boat, A Raft, A Bridge For Those Who Wish to Cross the Flood , 2017

This bench is made by hand, with found or donated wood. It is  imperfect, part of a work in progress. A practice bench for practicing meditation.  Some people are more comfortable practicing on a meditation bench in the traditional Japanese kneeling posture. This can be excellent for sitting for longer periods of time. The bench is good for everyday use. 

These benches are for sale for anyone who would like to buy them for whatever price works for the buyer. Benches are for sale, and meditation nook is available for anyone who wants to use it at CHINESE CULTURE CENTER in San Francisco through 2018. 

GIFT / GENEROSITY BASED ECONOMICS

This form of exchange is often called the “Gift Economics” model, a movement that provides an alternative to a consumer mentality (“How can I pay as little as possible and get as much as possible?”) by instead encouraging a mindset of generosity, sustainability, and community empowerment.*

Gift Economics works best when those with more financial means give more than what the “market rate” for a similar product or program might be, to balance out the contributions from those of lesser financial means who can offer less.

“Our generosity with one another is indeed resistance to the greed and fear that oppresses us. We provide for one another out of love for each other and love for ourselves. When we give, we acknowledge that all beings want to be happy.” (Jacoby Ballard).

*From East Bay Meditation Center’s Generosity based model // Adapted by Gabby Miller