This is a very interesting and controversial topic, so I decided to open my heart and share my thoughts on these things, and on “why I charge”. Forgive me if this sounds like a rant at times.
I understand you
Firstly, I would like to say that I understand very well the reasoning behind this criticism. That’s how I always thought about it. In fact, I still share some of the assumptions behind it, but my conclusion is different.
- (a) Meditation is a spiritual practice/teaching.
- (b) Money and spirituality should not be mixed. Spirituality should not be turned into a business.
- (c) There is a lot of good information about meditation, easily and freely available on the Internet, from traditional masters or through cheap books.
- (d) Because meditation teachings/information are either freely available (“c”), or should be free (“b”), anyone who charges money for teaching meditation in any form is taking advantage of people or is anti-spiritual.
The criticism can take many forms, but they invariably include some or all of these assumptions. I agree with ideas “b” and “c”. But I only partially agree with “a”, and strongly disagree with “d”. In the next four points I explain my reasons.
1. Spiritual meditation and secular meditation
Yes, spirituality should not be turned into a business (and that is actually one of my criticisms of TM). The point is: meditation doesn’t have to be just a spiritual practice.
In fact, there are probably millions of people in the West today who are not on a spiritual path and yet practice meditation for purposes of health, wellness, personal growth, therapy, productivity, etc. These people experience various benefits from meditation – but if these practice were only available for spiritual reasons, they would not be able to benefit from it.
I deep honor
the spiritual roots and meaning of meditation. In fact, spirituality is the reason I practice
meditation. However, if meditation is just a spiritual practice, if it is only for “spiritual people,” then its ability to benefit society as a whole and to truly contribute to a better world is incredibly diminished. For example, forget about conducting meditation programs in schools and hospitals.
Meditation as a spiritual practice should be donation based. Meditation as a secular practice can be offered as a service/product, especially if you expect real quality and support.
For my part, everything I do on a spiritual level is 100% free. This includes all the time I put into writing thoughtful blog posts and answering reader emails. I gain nothing from that except the joy of serving.
What I offer for a price is a secular meditation course ( here ). It is heavily based on traditional techniques and incorporates the lessons I have learned on the spiritual path – but its approach and marketing are completely secular based. I don’t sell spirituality.
2. Charging protects the quality
People who criticize charging for meditation do not understand that by doing so they are alienating true practitioners who want to dedicate themselves more to their own practice, while at the same time serving people. Previously, this was only possible if you were a monk; but times are changing and the world needs people who live in society, in a family, and still incorporate these ideals.
The “spiritual critics” actually reinforce the commoditization of meditation by companies like Headspace, who are immune to their arguments and mass produce meditation products/advice based on the lowest denominator.
Teaching meditation today is done through one of these four figures/institutions:
- (1) Spiritual teachers (monks, gurus, etc.) who teach spiritual meditation
- (2) Lay teachers, with strong spiritual roots, who teach secular meditation
- (3) Lay teachers, without spiritual roots, teach secular meditation
- (4) Companies and apps like Headspace
Let’s just say that these critics’ argument is so strong that it convinces all people to start charging money for meditation. Groups 3 and 4 do not stop because they have no spiritual roots. Only group 2 stops charging. As a result, they will not be able to dedicate themselves to teaching meditation as much as they would if they were making a living from it. Maybe they can write a few blog posts here and there, or answer some questions on a forum – but nothing of major impact.
This would mean that anyone who is not on a spiritual path would end up learning meditation without any real spiritual roots! The practice would still work well for health and wellness purposes, but it would rarely be a door to something deeper.
There are those who are rooted in the wisdom traditions of meditation, but teach it in a secular way, with sincerity and a servant heart. People like Sean Fargo of MindfulnessExercises.com and Chad Foreman of The Way Of Meditation
We could all stop being meditation teachers and just work a normal 9-to-5 job (as I did for years) – but this would have serious consequences for our ability to serve ‘ordinary people’ in the field of meditation. These are people who want more than what Headspace or Buddify have to offer, but who also don’t want to go to a guru. And they get that through blogs like this.
Therefore, I think that those who can really contribute to meditation should do so, and be supported for doing so. If they are spiritual teachers, the support comes from donations; if they are ‘people of the world’ it is because they sell products and services at a reasonable price. Everything in a spirit of honesty, transparency and loving service.
This protects the quality of information and meditation education for anyone seeking meditation for health, wellness, healing and personal growth.
3. Quality costs – and students don’t complain
Producing quality content and reaching people who need it takes a lot of time (and also money). For example, at the time of writing this, running this website costs me $350 per month, partly due to the high traffic and email list. Not to mention the amount of time per week (20 hours on average) that could otherwise be spent making money, being with my family, or deepening my personal practice.
And funnily enough, not a single person who signed up for my meditation course has ever complained about having to pay for it. They were happy to do it – and some of them even told me that I could charge a lot more, given the value they got from the course.
This argument is so common, but also so foolish. It actually stems from a lack of understanding about what it takes for most people to truly learn and change behavior.
Yes, it’s true that most of this information is available for free on the Internet, or through a small investment in good books. But that also applies to every area of knowledge there is, including the knowledge that is taught in colleges for a very expensive label.
Yet people buy books, courses and coaching. I do too!
With everything you want to learn online, you have two options:
- (a) Spend tens to hundreds of hours Googling, looking up information, connecting the dots, getting frustrated with conflicting information and unanswered questions, and after a long time figuring it all out.
- (b) Pay some money and have it all worked out for you step by step, in a systematic manner, and with email support from an experienced practitioner in that field.
For them, they simply won’t keep up with the practice unless they have laid out all the information they need in a clear and motivating way. Maybe don’t even start. I’ve seen this happen time and time again.
Some may say, “Meditation is so simple that it only requires a few pages of instruction. How can you charge for that? ”
Those who think this way do not understand the science of habit building or the psychology of human motivation. And to be honest, I’m not even sure they have a deep understanding of meditation either – because I would struggle to fit everything I’ve learned about this practice into two pages. It’s impossible to cover even the most common obstacles people face when starting or maintaining a meditation habit in two pages.
People who are highly motivated and disciplined will learn on their own, from books and websites (including mine), for free or at low cost. But this is a minority of people. Willpower, time and discipline are increasingly scarce resources.
If we follow the critic’s argument, only people so motivated and disciplined will ever have a chance to build a daily meditation practice, and experiment with its real benefits.
For the vast majority of people, they don’t have the time, discipline, or motivation to delve into different sources of knowledge, go to a spiritual guru, or learn through trial and error over the years. These people are the ones who can benefit from having all this information summarized in a simple, easy to follow and helpful framework. They are the ones who buy online courses or apps on meditation – and they are the ones who benefit from them.
What it’s like for me
To me, this blog can be seen as a mix of selfless service and conscious business. I spend countless hours each month answering reader questions and writing comprehensive blog posts that are accessible to everyone. I translated 7 spiritual books from English to Portuguese (my native language) for free. In addition, a portion of everything I have earned is donated to charity, and to the work of true spiritual masters that I am happy to support. And yes, I also sell very valuable courses for a fair price.
It’s as much about changing lives as it is about making money while fulfilling my mission. So that I can devote myself more fully to deepening my own practice – both for my own sake and for the sake of all those who read my writings and participate in my courses.
I’m not a millionaire, and I’m not a monk. So either I make a living as a writer and meditation teacher, or the number of people I can touch is severely limited.
My goal is not to become a Deepak Chopra or an Ekhart Tolle. I don’t want to create a new Headspace. My goal is to live a life completely dedicated to deep spiritual practice and spiritual service – without having to worry about money or selling my time to an office job that helps none of this.
Money is not the enemy of spirituality. With the right intention and awareness, it is a tool to support both sadhana and seva.