Of course the primary benefit of membership in the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple is knowing that you are supporting Jodo Shinshu in America. Your donations and pledges are a means of expressing gratitude for the wisdom and compassion of Amida Buddha.

However, there are additional benefits of membership in the temple.

1. The monthly Temple newsletter "The Buddhist Thoughts."
2. The monthly BCA newsletter "The Wheel of Dharma."
3. All Temple reports, including the Annual Report upon request.
4. The Salt Lake Buddhist Temple Membership Handbook.
5. Priority for using the Temple facilities and special rates for facility usage.
6. Eligibility for various scholarships and a variety of financial assistance for attending religious retreats, seminars and classes at the local, district and national level.
7. Eligibility to serve on the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple Board or its affiliated organizations.
8. Eligibility to vote in all Temple elections.

If you are not receiving either of these publications, please contact Sensei.

A. Membership Criteria

Membership in the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple is open to any and all people interested in the Buddhist path. Membership reflects your acceptance of the Nembutsu path as your guiding principle in life. Membership also expresses your commitment to financially support the Temple. The Temple, in turn, supports your spiritual growth by offering fellowship, religious services, classes, retreats, and various other functions.

B. Membership Dues

The membership dues for our temple is one of the lowest in BCA. Therefore it will probably have to be raised. However, the current rates are as follows:

• Member per person $150-$250
• Seniors (over 70) $100.00
• Associate (under 21) $10.00

Of this membership fee, a portion is given to the BCA for the National organization. A portion is submitted to our Mt. States District. Therefore we have very little left for the running of the temple. As a result we must rely upon our members' donations throughout the year. Envelopes are sent out to the membership in our temple's newsletter for the major services, i.e. Hoonko, Obon, etc. In addition donations are usually given for special events and services. All these fees are used to keep the temple running. At the present time we are also trying to raise funds for a new temple. These pledges are in addition to the current dues and donations.

C. Temple Building Fund Drive

We have a goal of raising approximately $2,000,000.00 for our new temple. This is an extremely important task for our Sangha. So far our Sangha has responded in a big way, with 107 families and members having pledged over $600,000.00. As you can see this is still quite a ways from what will be required. The Dharma School and many of the other organizations have been working extremely hard for this project.

We have set up a pledge system. The amount of the pledge is up to you. Some families have pledged to give monthly, while others yearly or in a lump sum. Many have pledged for a total of ten years to complete their pledges. Any and all amounts are needed. We have established a temporary fund raising wall at our present temple, with the names of the donors listed. When our new temple is built we will have a permanent wall with the donors names displayed. The current levels for pledges are as follows.

• Diamond: $100,000.00 +
• Platinum: $50,000.00 to 99,999.00
• Gold: $25,000.00 to $49,000.00
• Silver: $10,000.00 to 24,999.00
• Bronze: $5,000.00 to $9,999.00
• Copper: $1,000.00 to $4,999.00
• Valued Donors: $1.00 to $999.00