Read the witnesses.
Compare Pāli, Chinese, and Sanskrit sources. Locate parallel passages and record where the evidence agrees—or leaves a question open.
An invitation to support the work
繁體中文Help the next work
reach the world.
Somewhere, a reader is looking for a clearer way into the teachings. Help us place careful research, faithful translations, and lasting books within reach.
From $10 a month · One-time gifts welcome
法施
A gift of understanding.
For the reader you may never meet.
01 / The distance between a text and a reader
A teaching can survive.
Understanding takes work.
A text may be preserved for centuries and still remain difficult to read. Its language changes. A key term has several possible meanings. A meditation instruction in one tradition appears in a different form in another.
Careful scholarship gives readers a way to examine those differences. It follows the sources, explains the choices behind a translation, and makes room for questions.
That matters at a university desk. It also matters to the teacher preparing a talk, the reading group opening a difficult book, and the person who wants to understand what they practise.
02 / What you help make possible
From a difficult line
to a lasting work.
Good work needs time to be checked, revised, and made readable. Your support helps carry it through each stage.
Test the interpretation.
Work through difficult terms, check citations, and consider other readings. Give an argument the care that a reader should be able to expect.
Make the work readable.
Shape findings into translations, research papers, and clear notes. Edit and typeset them so readers can follow the evidence.
Place it within reach.
Publish through the Institute and our imprint, Theravada Tipitaka Press. Share research letters freely and open papers to everyone after early access.
Begin with the work itself
Books already give the questions a home.
Explore the meditation-manual editions behind our first three comparative studies. The papers are in editorial preparation; their questions and summaries are open to read now.
Visit the research desk ↗03 / A place in the work
Read a little earlier.
Help it travel further.
Patronage lets you follow the work as it appears, while helping us prepare it for a wider public.
Support the next workA seat in the reading room
Read complete papers during their first 60 days of publication, with an in-room PDF reader where available. Every monthly level receives the same access.
A closer view of the questions
Our free research letter is a place for discoveries, publication news, and ideas worth sharing. You can receive it whether or not you give.
Room for a personal intention
Offer a gift in gratitude, in memory of someone, or with an aspiration for others. Choose a private dedication or optional acknowledgment in our work.
Work that becomes shared knowledge
Early access lasts sixty days. The full paper then opens to everyone. Your support helps make that public life possible.
Generosity, with an intention
A gift can carry
someone with it.
Perhaps a teacher opened this path for you. Perhaps there is someone you would like to remember. A dedication gives that gratitude a place in the work you help bring into the world.
04 / Help the next chapter begin
Choose a gift.
Give the work time.
Monthly support gives the programme continuity. A one-time gift helps with the work ahead. Choose what feels right for you.
100%
of net proceeds support Buddhist research and publishing.
Payment and publishing costs are accounted for before net proceeds.
View funding & approved acknowledgments ↗Before you give
A few clear answers.
What does monthly patronage include?
Every monthly level includes the same 60-day early access to research papers as they are published. Read them in the member reading room, including available PDFs. Our first studies are in editorial preparation; patronage supports that work, and publication follows review.
Will the research eventually be free?
Yes. Papers become freely readable 60 days after publication. Their abstracts and opening passages are public from the start. Research letters are free when published. Books are offered separately through Theravada Tipitaka Press.
Can I give once, or change my monthly support?
You can make a one-time gift of an amount you choose, without starting a subscription. Monthly patrons can stop renewal in the reading room’s membership settings; paid access continues to the end of the current period. Contact us if you need help changing your level. A one-time gift does not include monthly patron access.
How is my gift used?
100% of net proceeds support Buddhist research and publishing. Payment and publishing costs are accounted for before net proceeds. Support helps with source comparison, translation, editorial review, typesetting, and bringing work to readers. Our funding page records verified contributions approved for public acknowledgment; it is not a complete financial statement.
Can I dedicate a gift or remain anonymous?
Yes to both. In the reading room you can save a dedication and choose whether to be acknowledged. Nothing is published automatically. Names and dedications appear only after support and consent are verified; publishing an amount needs separate permission. For an edition sponsorship or a dedication in a particular work, please contact us.
Why does my payment statement say “keykeeper”?
The Institute’s payments are processed through the existing KeyKeeper Stripe account, so your payment statement shows “keykeeper.” Checkout is in US dollars. Your support is for the Buddhist Research Institute’s research and publishing work.
Have another question? Write to the Institute ↗
There is more than one way to help
Begin with a page.
Or help someone else find one.
Read an edition. Receive the free research letter. Share this invitation with someone who cares about Buddhist learning. Each is a way to take part.