CostPayment for the course is an important aspect of meditation. The decision to put a cost was long and difficult after years of teachings offered by donation as per Buddhist tradition.First, it recognizes the practice work done by the teacher. To teach meditation it is not enough to read and study, it is essential to have practiced intensively for years and years. Before taking a mindfulness course here or elsewhere, ask where and how much a teacher has practiced, don't stop at university degrees which count for relatively little in this field.But, payment is also a fundamental aspect for one's practice. It is an 'internal' fact that profoundly concerns the pact that is made between oneself and the intention to meditate in a disciplined, assiduous and serious way. During the course, difficulties and resistances will arise, it is part of the process. If there hasn't been an initial contract with yourself in which you are committed to moving forward, it will be easier to throw in the towel instead of facing difficulties courageously.The gratuitousness or donation, through which the practice spreads in Buddhist countries, does not take root in a Western materialistic culture where there is a tendency not to give importance to free things or "little". I have personally verified for years that whoever came by making a small donation, apart from exceptional and rare cases, has actually progressed very little.In some particular situations, this payment can be personalized taking into account the real economic conditions of the person so that the practice is accessible to all. Having said that, starting a path of mental clarity with a deception towards those who offer these teachings means starting with a deception towards yourself, it is better to do something else.
