What we build on.

The statutes state that the society's activities are to be marked by voluntariness, democracy, equality, honesty, loyalty, generosity and ethics. That is not decoration; it is the measure the board and the general assembly must hold every decision against.

In practice it means: nobody earns money from the society. The teaching is given freely. Decisions are taken democratically by the members. And the society's spending must, by its statutes, be careful, moderate and frugal.

Four principles.

These four carry the society. They are not original to DDBF; they are shared with our sister societies and deeply rooted in the tradition the society stands in.

1. Early Buddhism. The society leans on the oldest layer of the tradition: the Pāli suttas, which carry what the Buddha said and did. The Three Jewels, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path stand at the centre.

2. Monks and nuns: equal opportunity to ordain. The bhikkhuni lineage is part of the original Sangha. The society stands for the full ordination of women, and we feature both monks and nuns among our teachers.

3. The teaching is freely given. In this tradition, teaching is a gift. Dāna is the word for the generosity that carries that free transmission. Only direct costs are recovered, and no one is turned away for lack of means.

4. Open to all. The society is not tied to any single ethnic or national tradition. People of every background, faith, or prior practice are welcome, whether you come from another Buddhist school, from another religion, or entirely new to practice.

The long view.

The statutes' purpose reaches further than retreats. In time the society is to establish and maintain one or more Buddhist monasteries in Denmark where the Sangha can live and train, a retreat centre, and eventually a city centre where teaching and practice can happen year round. These are slow goals, measured in decades rather than years, reached through generosity and patient work.

The society also cultivates cooperation with other Buddhist organisations that share its purpose, and meets all Buddhist traditions and other religions with tolerance. The long-term goal is recognition as a religious community by the Danish authorities, once the society's size and maturity make it fitting.