Olympia Mahayana Buddhist Center membership is $60/month, suggested membership six months at a time. 211 Legion Way SW, Olympia, (360) 754-7787.
[OMBC is a controversial, money-savvy New Kadampa Tradition or Shugden Tibetan temple opposed by the Dalai Lama.] Buddhists have karma in the bag. If we do not give the gift of meditation (conscious, intentional evolution), we may rue the day. Or not.The beautiful thing about Buddhism, arguably, is that by and large, it seems to willingly allow for adaptation -- welcomes it, encourages it, in the full understanding that so long as clear, wholesome intent is in place, there can be no real threat to the Four Noble Truths along the honest Path. (There is no shortage of strict sects who believe their version is the one and only way.)
Maybe we wouldn't be "doomed." But the gift of well protected meditation can only help in the long run. So consider membership at the nearest Buddhist center and set the heart-mind right for the New Year.
Giving it is really giving relaxation, lasting inner-peace, contentment, and the ability to resolve daily problems and find happiness as it wells up from within. Membership or supportive donations provide access to classes, advice, and special events. Americans will be surprised to find how many informal sitting groups and formal Buddhist centers exist in nearly every part of the country.
