Suggested donation Structure

Please note that all suggested donations, excluding retreat accomodation fees, are suggested and therefore, anyone unable to pay the suggested donation is encouraged to pay as they can. An inability to pay should not be a deterrent to participate in any of Pathway Zen’s activities. Our suggested donations are structured to cover operational costs. Pathway Zen’s activities are entirely run by volunteers, which includes the teacher. 

Suggested membership donation:

Anyone can be a member of Pathway Zen. It is not necessary to be a formal student of Pathway Zen’s teacher Arno Hess in order to be a member. All members are able to participate in the running of the organisation, vote and become part of the leadership team. 

Membership donations are Pathway Zen’s main income source and provide essential support to our sangha or sitting groups. Membership contributions pay for the bulk of the costs associated with the provision of Pathway Zen’s program. This includes supporting those that are not able to contribute as much as others.

Please consider becoming a member to support your sangha.  

The suggested membership donation is $400.00 per year  (1 April – 31 March).  Please pay your membership donation as a lump sum payment if you can or as you can afford. You can also pay a pro-rata ($33.00 per month) commencing from the month of subscription to the 31st of March.

A lump sum payment for the membership donation greatly assists our accounting process, which gets very complicated for our volunteers if people pay on a monthly basis. 

This donation is intended to cover the following: 

  1. Membership.
  2. All daylong (Zenkai) participation for one year. (Non members suggested donation is $15.00 for Zoom participation or $30.00 for in-person participation)
  3. All weekly sitting participation for one year. (Non members suggested donation is $5.00 for Zoom participation or $10.00 for in-person participation)
  4. Post kensho students that are actively working on koans with Arno are reimbursed a Sanbo-Zen membership fee of approximately $75.00 to access koans and teisho material from Sanbo-Zen.

Non-member suggested donation for weekly practice groups:

A suggested donation of $10.00 for the Spring Hill and Samford venue is appreciated. This donation directly supports the rental of the venues.

A suggested donation of $5.00 for online zoom participation is appreciated. 

Non-member suggested donation for Zen lectures:

The suggested donation for the online Zoom lectures or the in-person lectures at one of our venues are $60.00 for the series. 

Non-member suggested donation for Zenkai or one-day retreats. 

Non members $30.00 for participation. BYO lunch. 

Non members $15.00 for participation via Zoom.

Sesshin or longer retreats

Price dependent on venue and accommodation costs. Costs are published on a case by case basis.

Banking details:

A/C Number: 159764034

 BSB: 633000

A/C Name: Pathway Zen

Bank: Bendigo Community Bank Samford