Brian Passes the Begging Bowl before “Black Friday.”

Good morning! I hope you’re enjoying the Daily Buddhism; I know I have a lot of fun writing it. From the letters I get, I know a lot of you are learning from it, and I’m thrilled to be able to help! Not only do I enjoy it immensely, but due to the state of the economy here in Dayton, it’s quickly changed from a simple hobby to my livelihood.

I especially like doing the questions & answers, since I never know what to expect, but my second-favorite part of the site is the book review section. I have to continually be reading something, which keeps me learning new ways of teaching the dharma as well as giving me new ideas for topics to discuss here. As you have probably noticed, I usually include a link to buy the book from Amazon somewhere in the review. I get a little commission if you buy the book through one of those links. It’s not much, but every little bit helps. The past few years, I’ve done the majority of my gift shopping through Amazon; if you do too, this is a painlessly easy way to help support the Daily Buddhism at the same time.

Are you planning on buying any of your holiday gifts from Amazon this year? Not necessarily something I have recommended, but anything? If you are, please use the Daily Buddhism’s affiliate link to do so. Just go to http://www.dailybuddhism.com and find the ‚ÄúSupport the Daily Buddhism by purchasing from Amazon‚Äù image on the upper-right hand side of the page. Click through to Amazon and order whatever you want, whether it is electronics, DVDs, shoes, CDs, gift cards, and of course, books. If you go through my link, anything you buy will count. (Amazon Affiliate Link)

I’ll also point out that the Weekly Buddhism PDF Magazine is available for subscription, and it’ll be continuing for a long time to come. It’s not too late to subscribe now and get all the back issues before it gets tough to catch up. I altered the subscription options last week, and now if you want to use the ‚ÄúDonate $5 a month‚Äù button on the site, you’ll get free issues for as long as the donations continue. Of course, you could always ask Santa for a regular subscription.

The final option is of course, just a simple donation. The buttons for that are on the main page of the site.
If you’ve learned something that has helped you, or even just entertained you, now is a good time to give back. If you’ve learned something, your support will help others learn too.

If you have already donated in the past, thank you very much for your support!